"One Week € 197, I couldn't survive on the dole"

Bluloa

Was reading this excellent article in relation to the dole on another website.

The article was for the Mayo News by one of their journalists.

It should alert everyone to the hardships suffered by those on the dole.

“The conclusion? Very simple. It is extremely difficult to live an independent life on the dole.”

That, folks, is the long and short of it. I had one week with €197 to cover all my costs and I couldn’t do it. Came close alright, but ran over-budget.
That I only went over by €11.97 is a moot point really.

I went into this project fairly confident I could manage on the amount that is afforded as the basic social welfare entitlement to the 13,346 people on unemployment benefit in the county of Mayo.

I had to move out from the comforts of home, live in an apartment in Castlebar, pay all my costs such as loan repayments, phone and car costs and have enough left over to survive. And I did live a simple life. Nothing in the way of what I would consider treats. No sweets, no eating out, no fast food. And most certainly no porter. I lived a very plain life for a week.
I cashed out very little. But enough to tip me over.

What killed me though was my standing order. I budgeted all my set costs such as loan repayment, car insurance, ESB etc over a weekly basis and took this out straightaway €116.25, leaving me very little breathing space.
The reason for my confidence, and some may call it arrogance, in relation to being able to make it under the €197 for the week is experience.
I was on the dole before and that time I got by perfectly well. I was able to make my loan repayments and I often had enough to go out in Castlebar at the weekend.

But, and here’s the rub, I was living at home then with all the perks that carried. For the purposes of this exercise I had to live independently. No assistance from anywhere or anyone, save for the €197 itself and rent allowance for the apartment.

I didn’t have any real cruel luck during the week (save for getting sick, more anon). I didn’t have to fork out for any car repairs, didn’t have to buy clothes or shoes or get a haircut and didn’t go out. And I still ended up over-budget.

Follow link for full article

http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9104:one-week-197-i-couldnt-survive-on-the-dole&catid=23:news&Itemid=46

http://www.onthedole.net/

SkepticOne

"I had to move out from the comforts of home, live in an apartment in Castlebar"

Oh the humanity!

Bluloa

SkepticOne wrote: »

"I had to move out from the comforts of home, live in an apartment in Castlebar"

Oh the humanity!

It could have been worse It could have been Limerick!

I guess he wass trying to see life through the eyes of someone who has very little and lives in a humble apartment unlike himself who has lots of creature comforts and a lovely house.

SkepticOne

I think the thing that got me was that living in an apartment in Castlebar or elsewhere is something that ordinary working people have to do anyway. His remark reminded me of an episode of the Simpsons where Krusty goes bankrupt and complains that now he has to "ride the bus like a schnook. I got to live in an apartment like an idiot!"

sceptre

Bluloa wrote: »

It could have been worse It could have been Limerick!

Why's that then?

Bluloa

sceptre wrote: »

Why's that then?

Because the government took away thr redevelopment money that was promised and I guess Limerick needs a lot of development!

And of course you would have Willy O`Dea close by, thats bad enough isnt it?

Liam Byrne

Bluloa wrote: »

Because the government took away thr redevelopment money that was promised and I guess Limerick needs a lot of development!

Small parts of it do alright......areas about the size of a town in Mayo.

Bluloa wrote: »

And of course you would have Willy O`Dea close by, thats bad enough isnt it?

No different to having Beverly-Cooper Flynn nearby, I'd "guess".

Kristopherus

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Small parts of it do alright......areas about the size of a town in Mayo.



No different to having Beverly-Cooper Flynn nearby, I'd "guess".

Now just plain Beverly Flynn No addition to any county:cool:

AARRRRGH

He didnt do it right at all. This guy doesnt have a clue. The way he did that exercise was a waste of time.

I dont think people understand that the dole is an mergency measure. Its not supposed to keep you in luxury.
If you are on the dole, you have to adapt.

He shouldnt have been trying to run a car or have an apartment to himself on the dole. No insurance, petrol or maintenance costs.

Renting a room in a house would have diminished his bills.
Move somewhere with good public transport and better job prospects.

If he were on the dole he would be eligible for a medical card too. So he shouldnt have included the medical bill.

Funny how he needed new football boots just the week he went on the dole too.

He spent €40 on petrol for the week. Obviously he had somewhere to go, so wasnt sitting in on his tod feeling terrible about being on the dole.

Eliot Rosewater

The problem with articles like this is that the "conclusion" is usually foregone. A lifestyle can be manipulated easily to produce the desired result. Someone who wants it to reflect badly on the Government will shop in Dunnes and intentionally leave this lights on; those who advocate cutting the dole will shop in Aldi and cut all minor costs. Do we factor in savings? Do we factor in charity? What about spouses? Other family? Too many issues.

In the end we're left with something of little worth.

jimmycrackcorm

He could have managed very well had he sold his car. But then I suppose there is the expectation that the dole should allow you to keep living the same life regardless.

Ironically - wouldn't he have been better off staying at home instead of moving out?

kippy

Okay,
I dont really know that much about the ends and outs of the guy but in fairness if he actually had to do long term on the Dole, he could probably renegotiate those loans or sell of what he doesnt need and possibly get rent and a few more payments in addition to the dole.
Whether or not you can "live" on 197 a week is tied very closely into how much debt you have to service.

I wouldnt fancy it myself and were I only eligible for 197 as a single individual I would almost certainly be looking to reduce my debt and possible moving back in with my parents........

snubbleste

So when is Mary Hanafin going to do a reality television show on living on €196 per week?

Also where is the journalist getting the €197? JA is €196.

SLUSK

In Sweden when you're on welfare you get money for rent + roughly €300 per month. You do not qualify for basic welfare if you own a house or apartment. If you have a bit saved like a €1000 in your bank you do not get welfare until your money runs out.

We have a voluntary unemployment insurance which pays out about 80% of your salary per month(the roof is 80% of about €1800 per month).

Irish dole is much more generous than social welfare in Sweden.

I moved back to Sweden and I am unemployed. I am not entitled to a single cent from the Swedish government given my current conditions(more than a years salary in savings).

ntlbell

What it proves is if used correctly, you can live fairly comfrtable on 197e a week

Diarmuid

I had to move out from the comforts of home, live in an apartment in Castlebar, pay all my costs such as loan repayments, phone and car costs and have enough left over to survive

boo fcukin hoo

cson

Jesus if that gob****e can't survive on it what does that say about the 700,000 odd that according to his rationale aren't surviving? Christ the more I think about it, the more it annoys me. The dole is not there to pay for your loan/car/pints you ****tard, it's there for you to feed, clothe and house yourself until you find employment.

97i9y3941

they shoundnt really call it job"seekers" allowance when we often see people who been on it for years even during the good times without bothering to look for work.

thebman

Fred83 wrote: »

they shoundnt really call it job"seekers" allowance when we often see people who been on it for years even during the good times without bothering to look for work.

its jobseekers benefit I think if you have not paid your dues.

He has a lot of surplus expenditure in there. I was on unemployed for a period last year. You know what the first thing I did was ... take my car off the road!

I can understand someone in a rural are not being able to do this but you find something to cut for your essentials or you move to a town before your insurance/tax runs out.

97i9y3941

i see alot less of boyracers on the road alright..

Flamed Diving

ntlbell wrote: »

What it proves is if used correctly, you can live fairly comfrtable on 197e a week

So long as you can bum €11 from a mate...

Stark

We'll see how all you smart asses on this thread feel when you find yourselves on the dole and can't afford your own yacht repayments.

ntlbell

Flamed Diving wrote: »

So long as you can bum €11 from a mate...

No, so long as you're not using it to pay off debt.

And all round badly managing it.

NewDirection

As long as your not up to your eyeballs in debt, the dole should be more than enough for a single person supporting themselves.

I've thought about trying to prove it by living the lifestyle, both to prove the nay-sayers wrong, and save more for the deposit on my second house at the same time.

dvpower

Stark wrote: »

We'll see how all you smart asses on this thread feel when you find yourselves on the dole and can't afford your own yacht repayments.

I saved up for my yacht:pac:

NewDirection

Anyone up for the challenge?

Get a group of boardies to do what this journalist has done, and try to live on the dole for a month say.

Post up a diary of spending, and see how people do on average?

Max Power1

Stark wrote: »

We'll see how all you smart asses on this thread feel when you find yourselves on the dole and can't afford your own yacht repayments.

so theres less employed,, so less tax income, so the dole must be lowered... wow great attitude there! Typical irish begrudgery

Kimbot

DOLE DUDE wrote:

My personal loan, a legacy of my year in Australia, has to be paid back too

So you spent a year in Oz and want the Government to foot the bill eh?!

Oh and as for paying for your car, that is a luxury. If I ended up on the Dole tomorrow the car would be sold if I had a loan out on it.

Kimbot

NewDirection wrote: »

Anyone up for the challenge?

Get a group of boardies to do what this journalist has done, and try to live on the dole for a month say.

Post up a diary of spending, and see how people do on average?

OK, I could live on 197 a week no problem.

Rent: 53 a week.
Food: 50 a week.
ESB: 10 a week.
Gas: 20 a week.
Petrol: 20 a week.
Phone: 5 a week.

Total Spend: 158.

Anything I'm missing??

RobbieTheRobber

NewDirection wrote: »

Anyone up for the challenge?

Get a group of boardies to do what this journalist has done, and try to live on the dole for a month say.

Post up a diary of spending, and see how people do on average?

Im sure we can find plenty of boardsies who already do survive on it and many for quite a bit more than a month.

RobbieTheRobber

jonny24ie wrote: »

OK, I could live on 197 a week no problem.

Rent: 53 a week.
Food: 50 a week.
ESB: 10 a week.
Gas: 20 a week.
Petrol: 20 a week.
Phone: 5 a week.

Total Spend: 158.

Anything I'm missing??

The money for the bookie
The money for smokes and the 20 cans of dutch gold!

Ste.phen

Also, he was including rent in his outgoings, where he'd also (i believe) be entitled to rent allowance

Kimbot

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

The money for the bookie
The money for smokes and the 20 cans of dutch gold!

Yeah thats true.

But its madness to think that a lad can do an experiment and expect to keep some/most of his luxuries.

I am a smoker and I wouldn't factor that in because I would quit straight away if I hit the dole Q, simple as, if you can't afford it then good luck to it!

Kimbot

Ste.phen wrote: »

Also, he was including rent in his outgoings, where he'd also (i believe) be entitled to rent allowance

Thats true. He did say he would factor in the Rent allowance into it tho did he not?

RobbieTheRobber

jonny24ie wrote: »

Yeah thats true.

But its madness to think that a lad can do an experiment and expect to keep some of his luxuries.

I am a smoker and I wouldn't factor that in because I would quit straight away if I hit the dole Q, simple as, if you can't afford it then good luck to it!

I agree.
The article is just another typical example of lazy journalism more than anything else. As has been pointed out a few times in this thread those on the welfare can claim rent allowance so that would come out and also his medical bills would be paid for.

So all in all its just a lazy journo writing a crap article other than anythign else

Kimbot

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

I agree.
The article is just another typical example of lazy journalism more than anything else. As has been pointed out a few times in this thread those on the welfare can claim rent allowance so that would come out and also his medical bills would be paid for.

So all in all its just a lazy journo writing a crap article other than anythign else

Don't forget they get free units from ESB aswell I believe, and also they can get 24 euro a month for phone credit/bills.

I know a few people on the dole, all living on their own etc.
They are out every weekend without fail. They have no bothers feeding themselves during the week. Always have nice clothes. All bills are paid etc and still have a few euro left over to buy DVD/CD/something else they wish.

bigbadbear

People who say the dole is too much in general have tunnel vision. I think this guy could live easily enough and a guy living at home could have an even handier time. Its when fathers of 2 and 3 children loose their job is when the dole is no where near enough. It's soul destroying to have a drop in income of any kind, especially if its a drop from a decent job to dole in one go.

jonny24ie wrote: »

They are out every weekend without fail. They have no bothers feeding themselves during the week. Always have nice clothes. All bills are paid etc and still have a few euro left over to buy DVD/CD/something else they wish.

We in this country are begrudgers because we see the guy who is taking advantage of the system and generalise about the rest.

I think the leader of "youth against dole cuts" should be shot. If your 18 living with mammy you do not deserve €196 a week. you just don't. the man who has worked hard for 20 years straight and loses his job in a recession deserves a hell of a lot more than €196 a week. They need to tighten up on people and make sure they are really applying for jobs.

Stark

Actually it's the families with parents on the dole who often do best out of it. If you were earning less than 40k, then you're actually getting a pay increase by going on the dole. In fact it may be very difficult for such a person to ever return to workforce as a change of career means going back to earning twenty-something grand a year.

katkin

jonny24ie wrote: »

Don't forget they get free units from ESB aswell I believe, and also they can get 24 euro a month for phone credit/bills.

I know a few people on the dole, all living on their own etc.
They are out every weekend without fail. They have no bothers feeding themselves during the week. Always have nice clothes. All bills are paid etc and still have a few euro left over to buy DVD/CD/something else they wish.

Can you find a link to back up the free units from ESB and the phone credit/bills. First I have heard of it. You forgot lots of things in your post with list of expenses by the way, home insurance, car insurance, car tax - all of these things need to be budgeted for when your on welfare, cos like the govt won't pay them for you. And if you sell your car and live outside town you might have problems getting to training courses and job interviews and the like.

bigbadbear

Yeah Which is ridiculous. It should be based of fairness

Flamed Diving

jonny24ie wrote: »

OK, I could live on 197 a week no problem.

Rent: 53 a week.
Food: 50 a week.
ESB: 10 a week.
Gas: 20 a week.
Petrol: 20 a week.
Phone: 5 a week.

Total Spend: 158.

Anything I'm missing??

If you live in a city, this ain't gonna happen.

Idbatterim

The spectrum of those on the dole due to recent circumstances is huge, you are talking about welfare for lifers as well as people that went to college got a degree and worked their asses off and are on the dole through no fault of their own! In other countries, the amount you are entitled to if laid off corresponds with what you paid in while working! I think they would pay your full salary for x amount of months! The biggest problem is with the system, not rewarding the workers or the newly unemployed and rewarding the scroungers! cut the dole for wasters i.e no job within the past 3 years (there is no excuse), and lower PRSI, income levi etc for the rest of us and higher dole for newly unemployed!

Kimbot

Flamed Diving wrote: »

If you live in a city, this ain't gonna happen.

It would if your sharing.

220 (Approx) a month is not an inaccurate price for a person renting a room to be fair.

Kimbot

katkin wrote: »

Can you find a link to back up the free units from ESB and the phone credit/bills. First I have heard of it. You forgot lots of things in your post with list of expenses by the way, home insurance, car insurance, car tax - all of these things need to be budgeted for when your on welfare, cos like the govt won't pay them for you. And if you sell your car and live outside town you might have problems getting to training courses and job interviews and the like.

1: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/social-welfare/social-welfare-payments/extra-social-welfare-benefits/household_benefits_package

There is the Payment details.

Even factor in insurance which is 10 a week for me at the moment and tax at 7 euro a week I still have some change (€22 odd) to play around with.

murphaph

katkin wrote: »

Can you find a link to back up the free units from ESB and the phone credit/bills. First I have heard of it. You forgot lots of things in your post with list of expenses by the way, home insurance, car insurance, car tax - all of these things need to be budgeted for when your on welfare, cos like the govt won't pay them for you. And if you sell your car and live outside town you might have problems getting to training courses and job interviews and the like.

If you choose to live somewhere detached from society (ie in a one off house in the middle of nowhere) then you have to take the rough with the smooth. People on the dole should NOT be able to afford to run a car long term tbh. If the dole is allowing that then it's too high. I think Irish people need to open their eyes and look at the dole in the likes of the UK and here in Germany and see how far it goes. In Germany (after your initial grace period runs out) you step down to €351 PER MONTH plus medical and rent in a MODEST apartment (there are caps in place and often people have to move out of their old home to cheaper accomodation). The dole here, is designed to provide subsistence and not a thing more.

murphaph

Idbatterim wrote: »

The spectrum of those on the dole due to recent circumstances is huge, you are talking about welfare for lifers as well as people that went to college got a degree and worked their asses off and are on the dole through no fault of their own! In other countries, the amount you are entitled to if laid off corresponds with what you paid in while working! I think they would pay your full salary for x amount of months! The biggest problem is with the system, not rewarding the workers or the newly unemployed and rewarding the scroungers! cut the dole for wasters i.e no job within the past 3 years (there is no excuse), and lower PRSI, income levi etc for the rest of us and higher dole for newly unemployed!

In Germany it's 70% of your finishing salary for 12 months, then it begins to step down and after (I think) 2 years it's fixed at €351 per month plus medical and rent allowance (in a cheap flat!!).

Flamed Diving

katkin wrote: »

Can you find a link to back up the free units from ESB and the phone credit/bills. First I have heard of it. You forgot lots of things in your post with list of expenses by the way, home insurance, car insurance, car tax - all of these things need to be budgeted for when your on welfare, cos like the govt won't pay them for you. And if you sell your car and live outside town you might have problems getting to training courses and job interviews and the like.

Yes, and people have yacht lessons to attend. How will they make it their without a limo and a chauffeur?

congo_90

Try living on 100 euro a week and come back to me. In fact try living on 69 euro a week as I am then we'll see who has it bad.
I'm still waiting on my social money so I'm only working one day a week and the next 3 weeks i've no money so no income. I've had to give up all luxuries as 50 of my money is rent, the rest is used to try clear some debt. I'm living at home and paying my dues with that rent which can't be supplemented also by running the upkeep in the house. eg washing clothes etc while searching for more permanent work.

Flamed Diving

jonny24ie wrote: »

It would if your sharing.

220 (Approx) a month is not an inaccurate price for a person renting a room to be fair.

Yes, if you live in the sticks.

katkin

jonny24ie wrote: »

1: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/social-welfare/social-welfare-payments/extra-social-welfare-benefits/household_benefits_package

There is the Payment details.

Even factor in insurance which is 10 a week for me at the moment and tax at 7 euro a week I still have some change (€22 odd) to play around with.

Thanks for the link, now did you read the bit at the end where it states who qualifies for this? Have another read!

Kimbot

Just a little update on this:

Rent: 53 a week. (Although I would be eligable for rent allowance if unemployed so it will cost me a fraction of this if sharing)

Food: 50 a week.
ESB: 10 a week.
Gas: 20 a week.
Petrol: 20 a week.
Insurance: 10 a week.
Tax: 7 a week.
Phone: 5 a week.

Total Spend: 175.

Thats only going by what the lazy journo done tho. If I went and got all I was eligable for off welfare then I would have alot more spare cash. The esb would be lower aswell as the phone and rent. SO I would have more that €22 a week for Clothes/Drink etc.