How has the recession affected you?

28-02-2012 12:07pm #1

what recession

edit: emmm i'm not the OP...

queenie1981 · 28-02-2012 12:07pm

I honestly dont think i have ever felt this low or ****ty before!!! it sucks not to have an extra bob at the end of the week to buy a treat. with 3 kids its so hard not to feel depressed and lonely! a simple trip to town is now a no no as the funds are'nt there to buy them something small even. the saying "no mon no fun" has never been a more true saying! we now rely on hand me downs for clothes, days out are to the playground but only when the weather permits! everything sucks right now!!

Teyla Emmagan · 28-02-2012 12:10pm

bluewolf wrote: »

what recession

edit: emmm i'm not the OP...

Amazing. How did your post manage to appear first then?!

CardBordWindow · 28-02-2012 12:10pm

SHE'S A WITCH!!!

smash · 28-02-2012 12:11pm

Glitch in the matrix!

And CardBordWindow, bluewolf is a she

queenie1981 · 28-02-2012 12:11pm

ha ha i cant even remain at the top of my thread:rolleyes: see told you the recession sucks!!

CardBordWindow · 28-02-2012 12:12pm

queenie1981 wrote: »

ha ha i cant even remain at the top of my thread:rolleyes: see told you the recession sucks!!

Boards must have reached it's max quota of recession threads! It's taking action.

jester77 · 28-02-2012 12:12pm

bluewolf wrote: »

what recession

edit: emmm i'm not the OP...

wow, talk about in before the recession

Nothingbetter2d · 28-02-2012 12:16pm

maybe bluewolf is a haxor :P

Schism · 28-02-2012 12:17pm

CardBordWindow wrote: »

HE'S A WITCH!!!

Ah come on now let's be reasonable here.

Now, she may not be a which. However, if she weighs the same as a duck she is then made of wood and is therefore a witch! Anyone got a duck handy?

dr.bollocko · 28-02-2012 12:18pm

I'm scared.

Burn her.

44leto · 28-02-2012 12:20pm

Yeah it has effected me, my lifestyle took a tumble and I have to watch my pennies. But I am just as happy/unhappy as I was in the boom, so material wise it has effected me, but happiness fulfillment wise I am no different.

krudler · 28-02-2012 12:20pm

well I have less money at the end of the month but thats due to living alone at the mo, need to move somewhere cheaper soon, waiting to hear back on a new job so if I get that will be moving, its kinda a catch 22, I can either stay where I am and pay crazy rent but I cant afford the new rent and deposit to move in somewhere alone again, dont want to live with randomers though, too many crazy people and I like my own space.

CardBordWindow · 28-02-2012 12:20pm

smash wrote: »

Glitch in the matrix!

And CardBordWindow, bluewolf is a she

Sorry, I knew that. Silly keyboard didn't type what I wanted it to.

prinz · 28-02-2012 12:21pm

queenie1981 wrote: »

a simple trip to town is now a no no as the funds are'nt there to buy them something small even. the saying "no mon no fun" has never been a more true saying! we now rely on hand me downs for clothes, days out are to the playground but only when the weather permits! everything sucks right now!!

You could try taking them to town without buying them anything. They'll probably survive.

Personally I've never been as well off financially as I am at the moment, but my spending habits have never changed.

smash · 28-02-2012 12:26pm

The recession sucks balls. Prices everywhere are going up but wages are either going down or have not risen in years. A trip to the cinema costs around €50 these days when you take the costs of tickets, fuel and snacks into consideration.

AngryBollix · 28-02-2012 12:28pm

I havent worked for 3 years and have had to move back in with my aul pair though necessity.

I have nothing. Literally nothing

pragmatic1 · 28-02-2012 12:34pm

The vast majority of my friends dont live in the country anymore, my village looks like a ghost town, money is very tight and I'll have to emigrate fairly shortly.

Wattle · 28-02-2012 12:37pm

I'm always on the lookout for a bargain. I do grocery shopping in Lidl. I've given up cigarettes. Its great to have that extra 40-50 euro a week

mysteries1984 · 28-02-2012 12:40pm

Not too much...I never had any money to begin with, sadly. I go out less now though, and shop in Lidl and Aldi more. Every little helps, blah blah blah.

token101 · 28-02-2012 12:42pm

Nah not really. But I'm still emigrating. Because I can't be arsed hanging around and paying for someone elses bankruptcy.

giant_midget · 28-02-2012 12:43pm

apart form the USC not really, things are a lot cheaper in shops now i've noticed too. Load of bargains out there in tesco's etc

Badly Drunk Boy · 28-02-2012 12:46pm

I go out less but it's nothing to do with the recession. My friends are all married and have kids. *BOO-URNS*

On the other hand, I should have my mortgage paid off next year, 4 years early. I didn't go mad during the boom and I'm not suffering now.

Tomk1 · 28-02-2012 12:51pm

Not really a recession, if you went for a sprint and return to walking. Everything back to norm.

smash · 28-02-2012 1:00pm

Badly Drunk Boy wrote: »

On the other hand, I should have my mortgage paid off next year, 4 years early. I didn't go mad during the boom and I'm not suffering now.

Sounds like you bought a long time ago though.

reganreggie · 28-02-2012 1:01pm

I completely understand OP we have 3 kids and both of us are in full time employment but it often feels that we are working just to pay the bills. I live in fear of the car breaking down or any expense coming out of the blue as it would set us back miles. Resession sucks big hairy balls, I dont even mind the not going out but the fear is ****ty.

Homer quote " I has 3 kids and no monies, why cant I have 3 monies and no kids"

HalloweenJack · 28-02-2012 1:06pm

Thankfully, it hasn't negatively affected me.

I was in school and college for the Celtic Tiger years and got a job working abroad not long after I graduated so I've been lucky. As I had always wanted to live abroad, it's no skin off my nose to leave Ireland.

I can see how it's affecting my friends, though. Loads of them packing up and moving off out of economic necessity, most of them don't want to go (unlike me). And they're the lucky ones, they can afford it. Of the ones that couldn't, the majority are struggling to find work.

Badly Drunk Boy · 28-02-2012 1:11pm

smash wrote: »

Sounds like you bought a long time ago though.

I suppose. Early '98.

smash · 28-02-2012 1:12pm

Badly Drunk Boy wrote: »

I suppose. Early '98.

If you'd bought even 6/7 years later it would be a totally different ball game. You're lucky.

HAAA! HAAA! · 28-02-2012 1:18pm

We really should have done an Iceland.
Can we not just still do an Iceland??

kingtut · 28-02-2012 1:23pm

Hmm let me see, a couple of job offers which I have been happy to decline apart from one which I might consider, oh and 2 pay rises in the last year so yes the recession is great

My earnings increased by a decent amount after the recession hit

Captain Chaos · 28-02-2012 1:23pm

HAAA! HAAA! wrote: »

We really should have done an Iceland.
Can we not just still do an Iceland??

If we were to do it, we should have done it 4 years ago. Saved ourselves 100s of billions and we'ed be on the road to recovery now.

It's too late for that now as we have lost either way. The government and NAMA took care of that.

crapmanjoe · 28-02-2012 1:27pm

token101 wrote: »

Nah not really. But I'm still emigrating. Because I can't be arsed hanging around and paying for someone elses bankruptcy.

Yup same as,tbh I had more money than ever at the height of the recession. I got sick of the constant moaning, never end depressing prime times and dooms day predicting budget analysis that I left for my own sanity (and a pay increase of course)

CardBordWindow · 28-02-2012 1:28pm

HAAA! HAAA! wrote: »

We really should have done an Iceland.
Can we not just still do an Iceland??

Sell cheap frozen food and be promoted by Kerry Katona??

Captain Chaos · 28-02-2012 1:30pm

Changes for me though. My take home pay has dropped with tax hikes, cost of living with bills has gone up, so has transport. I'm finding it hard just shopping in Aldi and Lidl. I go out once a week tops and then it's only the local and 4 pints.

Can't afford a car or to run one. I have no loans as I can't afford to take one out or pay one back. I've cancelled my landline and bill contract, gone back to pre-pay.

Any more price hikes or tax hikes and I will have to live like a monk or move back home. Basically I'm being priced out of living in this country.

kingtut · 28-02-2012 1:31pm

I hate it when people say "oh you are lucky to have a job during the recession"..

ah no I'm fcuking not !! I spent a few years in college studying for a Diploma and a degree, got top marks and then went for interviews.

I fought my way through the interview process and beat of all the competition for a job.

So luck has NO part in me getting the job I have, I earnt it goddamit! :mad:

Freddie59 · 28-02-2012 1:39pm

queenie1981 wrote: »

I honestly dont think i have ever felt this low or ****ty before!!! it sucks not to have an extra bob at the end of the week to buy a treat. with 3 kids its so hard not to feel depressed and lonely! a simple trip to town is now a no no as the funds are'nt there to buy them something small even. the saying "no mon no fun" has never been a more true saying! we now rely on hand me downs for clothes, days out are to the playground but only when the weather permits! everything sucks right now!!

TBH not too bad as our kids are now reared with mortgage nearly finished (both in early 50s). HOWEVER - we were where you are now in the 80s. Couldn't afford a car (had a company fan of which we still have fond memories - good days out).

Three kids under 5, with herself working part time meant long hours for me (this was a joint decision so that the kids would have their Mam at home). Yep, times were hard. It was the playground, nearby parks, the odd jaunt to a kid's movie at the cinema when finances allowed.

The beach was a big one. A few of us with young kids used to travel to Tramore regularly - in ALL weathers.:o:D. Funny thing is, while in later years we could afford foreign holidays, it's the days at Tramore beach that the lads often reminisce about.

We visited each other's house, as going out was a very rare treat. It might seem hard now, but it will get better. Chin up and stick at it. It's amazing what the kids perceive as a 'treat' - and what the parents THINK they should perceive as one.

Enjoy your family. That is the key. Always.

Biggins · 28-02-2012 1:41pm

Its getting so bad, the hookers and drugs now come with transport costs!

Captain Chaos · 28-02-2012 1:42pm

kingtut wrote: »

So luck has NO part in me getting the job I have, I earnt it goddamit! :mad:

And there in sums up the problems with today's youth graduates, they feel owed a job by the state for getting a degree.

Luck has alot to do with getting a job these days, there are thousands out there with a Masters than can't get a job stacking shelves.

Nothingbetter2d · 28-02-2012 1:44pm

kingtut wrote: »

I hate it when people say "oh you are lucky to have a job during the recession"..

ah no I'm fcuking not !! I spent a few years in college studying for a Diploma and a degree, got top marks and then went for interviews.

I fought my way through the interview process and beat of all the competition for a job.

So luck has NO part in me getting the job I have, I earnt it goddamit! :mad:

you are lucky to have a job.... many many others did the same rat race you did and got jobs only to later have them outsourced to asia or lost due to incompentant managers or the most common form of business failure in ireland.... lack of finances due to incompetant bank officials.

Bad Panda · 28-02-2012 1:45pm

kingtut wrote: »

Hmm let me see, a couple of job offers which I have been happy to decline apart from one which I might consider, oh and 2 pay rises in the last year so yes the recession is great

My earnings increased by a decent amount after the recession hit

Kind of dick move gloating like that.

All I'll say is, I'm lucky enough not to have been affected by it.

kingtut · 28-02-2012 1:45pm

Captain Chaos wrote: »

And there in sums up the problems with today's youth graduates, they feel owed a job by the state for getting a degree.

Luck has alot to do with getting a job these days, there are thousands out there with a Masters than can't get a job stacking shelves.

Ah what? I never felt owed a job by the state !!

I applied for one and got it because I had the necessary qualifications and skills that the job required. That has nothing to do with luck, it is to do with me studying my ass off in college (my grades reflected how hard I studied, I did not get them through luck).

mysteries1984 · 28-02-2012 1:46pm

kingtut wrote: »

So luck has NO part in me getting the job I have, I earnt it goddamit! :mad:

I have to disagree with that one - plenty of others with similar or even higher qualifications that can't get a job. Luck definitely has a part to play.

hattoncracker · 28-02-2012 1:47pm

Lets see... Net pay down due to higher taxes, lower commission in my work etc.. My job security is not as good as it used to be... I decided to go back to college as a mature student because of the recession and changed the terms of my contract.. Now I work part time, and go to college full time, grant was cut by 60% last year, get €100 a month to live on and wouldn't get JSA or BTEA if I lost my job so will volunteer to do the crappiest things in wok just to keep it.

I have no savings anymore, but I have learned some valuable lifeskills.. The value of money, how to shop and live cheaply, my rent is substantially lower where I am living now than what it was, I don't really get to go out much, once every few months.. Livingsocial deals are the only way I can afford date night once a month with my boyfriend, who has lost his job.

I think everyone should live through a recession, it really does teach you some valuable things, and humility.

irelandrover · 28-02-2012 1:47pm

Captain Chaos wrote: »

And there in sums up the problems with today's youth graduates, they feel owed a job by the state for getting a degree.

Luck has alot to do with getting a job these days, there are thousands out there with a Masters than can't get a job stacking shelves.

he didn't say he was owed a job. He said he earned it through a lot of hard work. That is completely different.

recession hasn't really affected me. I was in college during much of the boom. left the country before the recession hit. I did lose a job due to the company struggling but managed to get another one quickly enough. I have more money now than during the boom but that is mainly due to the fact that I'm no longer a college student.

kingtut · 28-02-2012 1:47pm

Bad Panda wrote: »

Kind of dick move gloating like that.

All I'll say is, I'm lucky enough not to have been affected by it.

It is not gloating, the OP asked if the recession affected us !!

Gloating would be saying "ha ha I have more money than you" or "i have a job and you don't so ha ha"

I feel sorry for people who are unable to get a job or have very little money for whatever reason but I am not gloating in the slightest.

One thing that pisses me off are managers hiring in people from other countries for the sole purpose of saving money and not having the balls to admit that that is exactly what they are doing

barbiegirl · 28-02-2012 1:48pm

We see our friends a lot less. Money is very tight and there is always something, this month it's my car which to be honest is in a jocker and needs a full overhaul.
Of our group of mates, 3 couples, one couple is in serious trouble and have no money for expensive nights out, so when we do get together it's in someones house. Normally ours. The other couple feel guilty if the four of us go do something nice cause the first couple can't go. We used to go out every weekend, mostly just to the pub for a few.
Shopping is no longer enjoyable, and buying clothes a luxury. I took a pay cut on my last job and am trying to move to a better paid position, but we'll see. All I can do is keep looking and keep the expenses down.
We both work hard, still save hard and pay into our pensions, health insurance, pet insurance etc. it's just not as easy as before, but we do know we are lucky.

flanders1979 · 28-02-2012 1:54pm

Same as before luckily enough. Thank fcuk I never got a mortgage

waxon-waxoff · 28-02-2012 1:54pm

Once you accept the way things are and adjust your lifestyle its not that bad. You have to work at it but you can keep your standard of living up.

For examples, petrol is going up but theres better value in used car prices. You can buy carvery dinners in Dublin city centre for €6 or baguettes for €2.50. Get tanked up at home on the cheap before heading out on a Saturday night! Places like Aldi and Penneys are cheap but its easy to get carried away when bargain hunting and buy useless stuff just cause its a bargain. Sell your old stuff on Gumtree or Donedeal and make a few quid.

Smoking, gambling, the cinema, sports and movie tv packages, takeaways etc are luxuries you can live without.

Anyone · 28-02-2012 2:09pm

My income has dropped like many others, and I have less money left over at the end of the month. However, I can pay my bills, and still have a bit left over at the end, so I'm lucky I guess.

My social life has died though, never seems to be a good time when we(friends) can go out, so as a result we dont.

Biggest impact has been on my job. I'm dealing first hand with people who have been hit hard with the recession, as a result I dont enjoy coming to work anymore. Damn hard dealing with so much bad news on an everyday basis.

Fratton Fred · 28-02-2012 2:09pm

As I do contract work, I have found that instead of a week or two at most between contracts, it is two months, which eats away at any savings.

Then there's the USC and the cost of petrol. With those two I am probably €500 a month worse off, so it is hard to replenish the savings you eat into.

But, I have no debts, no negative equity, no car loan, no Credit cards, so in my book I am fairly fortunate.

How has the recession affected you?

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