Staying Afloat..

fatboypee

If this is in the wrong place, humblest apologies and please move as appropriate..

Just wondering, what you guys & Gals do to keep livinmg these days.. I was just talking with a friend of mine who is in Dublin for a two days with work, he lives in North London (an expensive enough bit of it) and remarked that comparitively, Dublin is waaay more expensive than London in terms of cost of things and value for money..

This got me thinking (or lamenting really), that I don't go out to drink, eat or even go to the cinema, I buy anything that is on the "bargain" racks (if needed), nothing I buy is EVER full price (unless its food or essentials) I buy online wherever possible and tend to avoid Irish retail prices wherever I can..

Yet still I'm struggling to live on a reasonaly decent wage...

So, my question is, what do you do to survive here ? Any hints or tips as I'm fooked if I know what else (short of moving country) I can do !!

Fatboy..

bashibazouk

Maybe it would be useful to describe where you think your money goes every month and in or around what your take home pay is. I'm on a grant of 16K per annum so I'm clearly loaded

the_syco

You could have posted in the Accomadation forum. How much are you paying rent, and how much do you get paid? A €200 less rent, and maybe buying a €20 bus ticket may work out cheaper, for example.

fatboypee

Thanks

Not even rent, or bus specific, I have a mortgage and 3 kids (thereby the drain on the €€ I'm sure), just in general, the price of everything seems nuts these days, where my wages used to just about pay the way, now I'm struggling but if anything, my lifestyle has become more frugal...

just wondering if I'm the only one or if there are any kind of hints or tips out there...

Fatboy..

MOH

There's was a similar thread a couple of months ago, can't remember what it was called but a search might find it.

jor el

I wouldn't say you're the only one, plenty of people are feeling the pinch now, especially in the more expensive parts of the country. Getting a 2nd job might help, but that can mean you'll never be at home to see your family. Asking for a pay rise or trying to get a better paying job could work, but that's not always practical. Then short of leaving Dublin for somewhere cheaper, there's probably not a lot you can do.

Does your wife/partner work or are you the only earner? Is your house a recent purchase so your mortgage is huge, or is it more reasonable. I can't see how people (especially with a family) can afford houses these days. If you bought a few years ago it may be rasonable, but anything in the last year or two is just gone crazy.

Archeron

LIDL!!! Brand quality is cheaper!!!

Honestly, I used to only shop in Supervalue (as that was the only choice I had) but I tried almost everything in Lidl once, and found that most of the stuff is nice or nicer than equivelant branded items. I still go to Supervalue for the specific items maybe once a month, but I've cut my weekly shopping bill from app €80 a week to app €40 a week. I also stopped eating lunch out at work, and just bring something with me as well, as I never realized that eating lunch out everyday was costing me in the region of €150 a month or more.

Strange thing is though, even with these changes, I still never have any money. Bah humbug!!

fatboypee

Already do the Lidl's thing ! (as an aside, a good percentage of the cold meats and dairy in Lidl's is produced by Kerry Foods )...

All I'm trying to say is "wtf happened to quality of life ?" Everything has gone nuts and try as I might I'm always out of pocket !

I have a mortgage of 220k, wife does her bit (registered childminder) but we still end up overdrawn every month and work hard to keep things ticking over.. I just see loadsa ppl driving big flash cars, going out weekends, wearing designer labels.. surely to God, I must then be on the real low end of the earnings scale if I'm potlessaand all about me are dripping in it...

Or is it all owned by the bank ??? One thing I don't have is any great overdraft or loans or credit card debt....

wyndham

fatboypee wrote:

Or is it all owned by the bank ??? One thing I don't have is any great overdraft or loans or credit card debt....

This is a great situation to be in. Don't be tempted by easy money from financial institutions either because you feel like everyone else is having a great time and why not blow 5 grand on a holiday? Don't borrow if you don't need it.

Kids ain't cheap to run so you could sell off/hire out a couple of those maybe. Could they do manual labour?;)

Saruman

Sorry to say its your Kids, plain and simple... Im rich by no means but i only got overdrawn once in my life and that was after spending a crap load (thousands) over a course of 2 months and not paying enough attention. I was only overdrawn by a couple of euro and for one day but it was a shock
We have no kids so thats why. I myself am thrifty mostly... i shop at Penneys and Dunnes or heatons. Or if im in the US i shop there. For food im mostly Tesco but sometimes Lidl (Tesco is as cheap you know!!).
My mortgage is only 176k i think... the house was 190k for a 3 bed detatched because i moved to Westmeath.
I do not do a weekly shop, i do it when i need to.
Cut down or out the alcohol!! When i do not buy alcohol i save a fortune on shopping!!
Watch your electricity and heating!!! Get everyone to turn off lights when they leave a room, change to CFL bulbs. You know.. common sense stuff!!

I heard on the radio that a couple paid off their mortgage in 2 years by pretty much living off beans and toast its on some TV doc i think.

Its possible to more than survive though.

Just one thing though, stuff here is expensive however we still on average have more disposable income and are on better wages than the average in the UK! We are technically either the richest, or second richest country in Europe per head of population so things are not so bad here!! You just need to use your head.

Again though.. its the kids!! Instead of getting childcare, why not send your wife out to work... then rent your kids out to lonely old women on the pretense you are doing THEM a favour

Gurgle

fatboypee wrote:

I have a mortgage of 220k, wife does her bit (registered childminder) but we still end up overdrawn every month and work hard to keep things ticking over.. I just see loadsa ppl driving big flash cars, going out weekends, wearing designer labels.. surely to God, I must then be on the real low end of the earnings scale if I'm potlessaand all about me are dripping in it...

Or is it all owned by the bank ??? One thing I don't have is any great overdraft or loans or credit card debt....

I think you'll find that maybe a third of the people driving fancy cars & living it up are living at home with Mammy because they can't afford their own place to live. That leaves relatively huge disposable income.

Another third are so deep in debt that they might as well keep digging, their finances will never see daylight again anyway.

The final third are on massive income, mostly in the construction industry which can't be supported at current levels for more than another few years.

As for what you can do, you're at the most difficult stage of living now; just try to keep afloat and not let debts build up.

Presumably your wife minds your kids as well as others, so you're not paying childcare.

Eventually your kids will all be in school, leaving your wife free to mind more children and make more money, or even take a job. Your salary will slowly increase and the strain of paying your mortgage will ease.

maireadmarie

Fatboypee, bringing up children will always be a financial strain - but consider yourself a hero, even if that's not much consolation. It is not your family that is to blame, however, but the system, as no doubt you well know. Those who are willing to raise the next generation should be getting maximum support and they are not. We were very poor when our children were small, but I stayed home with them, and they always tell me how much they liked to know I was there and how upsetting it was for them on the very odd day that I wasn't. The System, of course, would be happy for your wife to go out and work and almost never see your children.
The System needs workers at the moment, and will take the chance on what happens to the children of the new poor (that's you, by the way, if you're finding it hard to make ends meet despite working hard). When the jobs aren't there, your wife may go mind her children at home. It reminds of South Africa at the time of apartheid, where some people had to go miles away from their famillies to mind the children of the rich. When you're in the daily struggle, you don't see what is happening. No-one can mind your children as you and/or your wife can, believe me! And the State should be backing you up, but of course, that's not going to happen, because it's on to a good thing. Society liberated women from their families to be slaves for the machine. If your children are angry, disaffected, deprived later, well, they'll throw money at the problem - a lot less than it would cost to support you and your family.
Do you ever wonder exactly what you pay taxes for?

mcaul

I hear this London is cheaper than Dublin thing all the time - and its total Bu@lsh@t.

Add this to your friends bills

London
Council Tax - average london price €2,600,
Water charges, average london price €500,
Petrol current average €1.40 per litre,

Dublin
Council tax - none, except tax deductable waste charge of approx. €250
Water charges - None
Petrol 99c / litre



In the UK council tax & water charges are not tax deductable, so you need to earn about €5,000 just for the "privilege" of living in uk before you buy or pay for anything else! - And personal taxation is also about 12% higher than here.

thefinalstage

mcaul wrote:

I hear this London is cheaper than Dublin thing all the time - and its total Bu@lsh@t.

Add this to your friends bills

London
Council Tax - average london price €2,600,
Water charges, average london price €500,
Petrol current average €1.40 per litre,

Dublin
Council tax - none, except tax deductable waste charge of approx. €250
Water charges - None
Petrol 99c / litre



In the UK council tax & water charges are not tax deductable, so you need to earn about €5,000 just for the "privilege" of living in uk before you buy or pay for anything else! - And personal taxation is also about 12% higher than here.

Em...the Petrol prices vary and Water charges will be here too in a couple of months.

Saruman

Emm.. the petrol prices may vary but its still a lot cheaper here and since we are not talking about a possible future but the current reality i do not see how that statement is relevant???

BostonB

What about going to your GP, what about cars, insurance, what about simply buying something in the supermarket. Anytime I'm in London I find it the same or cheaper than Dublin. Anyone I know working there finds its cheaper aswell, and Dublin really expensive.

mcaul

I'm not saying its cheaper here but on average the cost of living here is similar to UK / USA and oither main European countries when ALL living costs are taken into account. - I lived in London area for 4 years, France for 1 year and Boston for 6 months (American doctor will charge $200 to say hello to you - medical insurance costs over $2500 for any half decent plan!)

I just hate this constant "rip off republic" attitude from people who have never lived in other countries and who believe everything the papers say.

E.G. Spain is very cheap but average wage is €12,000, same with portugal - we benefit by going there on holidays. Sweden & Iceland are very expensive fo everyday living but health care & childcare are included in your high tax rates. Wages are about 20% higher than here - they think Ireland is cheap!

Swings and roundabouts - Ireland's tax system is based on "consumption tax" principal. Other's have different tax philosophy, but at the end of the day it all adds up to be the same.

fatboypee

Thanks for all the words of encouragement etc guys, much appreciated !

I personally find this country incredibly expensive these days.. to the point of asking my wife the other day (after swearing we'd not move again ) if she would rule out a move to somewhere like spain or france.... (could sell our house and take a good bit of equity out, a good way to mortgage freedom)...

and go do sometin' else....

Just a pipe dream as eldest is in seconday education but still...

FBP...

Sponge Bob

yo Fatboy.

Kids are expensive, I would run a beemer if I had no kids, put it that way. Instead I run a Micra.

Can you maybe keep a diary of your expenditure for a month . Note the daily and weekly and monthly recurring items .

Write down the top 10 items where the money is going today and resolve to address 3 of them each month until you do something . Thats what makes the difference after a while.

suspects in no order at all , just suspects.

your mortgage is 4.75 standard variable % , you could get it down to 4.1% with a tracker maybe, ring your bank and threaten to leave them is the simplest way.
fags .
you buy lunches, make them up at home and bring them in
lattees in spar :eek:
daily tickets instead of monthly tickets
someone has not done their driving test and you pay thru the nose for insurance

It all adds up. keep that diary and post back the top 10 and then see what the advice is on each point.

Nothing wrong with Lidl or Aldi either.

MOH

mcaul wrote:

I just hate this constant "rip off republic" attitude from people who have never lived in other countries and who believe everything the papers say.

Swings and roundabouts - Ireland's tax system is based on "consumption tax" principal. Other's have different tax philosophy, but at the end of the day it all adds up to be the same.

I lived and worked for a year each in both Australia and Holland. Compared to both, this country *is* a "rip off republic".

Plissken1

mcaul wrote:

I hear this London is cheaper than Dublin thing all the time - and its total Bu@lsh@t.

Add this to your friends bills

London
Council Tax - average london price €2,600,
Water charges, average london price €500,
Petrol current average €1.40 per litre,

Dublin
Council tax - none, except tax deductable waste charge of approx. €250
Water charges - None
Petrol 99c / litre



In the UK council tax & water charges are not tax deductable, so you need to earn about €5,000 just for the "privilege" of living in uk before you buy or pay for anything else! - And personal taxation is also about 12% higher than here.

Even with these charges, I found that in London you can enjoy the finer things for less, get better quality and a better service. Since back in Dublin, I find you pay top dollar for everything, but get get second rate products, and services in return.

You can shop around in London too, theres more variety and its easier to get value for money.


Someone also mentioned Sweden being very expensive, yes that would be right.
But in Sweden money and status are not considered important, in Ireland, they are
everything !. I heard someone recently coin the phrase plastic Brits, as we mirror their
society almost completely now.