Have you been greatly affected by the recession?

Yellow121

Be honest. Have you been greatly affected by it? What is different for you now compared to 2008? Do you still go abroad for a holiday every year? What kind of car do you own? How big is your house or where you live?
Are you homeless? Have you had to sell your car? Are you struggling to pay your bills?

jimgoose

It has had no effect on me whatsoever.

everdead.ie

I went from being a student to being employed so I'm better off now than I was.

Important to remember some of us were too young to do anything too daft at the time!

somuj

I'm better off. Drive and Audi and after treating myself to a three month holiday in OZ too.

Son0vagun

I was able to save and buy a house in recession times, so I'm much better off.

LeinsterDub

Yeah I've to constantly read threads about the recession, things we did in the Celtic tiger and Bankers.

The recession has killed originality.

muppetkiller

Everyone has been affected..if you say you haven't you're lying (Or Have no debts/don't budget anyway).

I've a good job and can afford to save a bit but the prices for everything have gone up, From Public Transport to ESB bills. Not to mention VAT increases on top of those.

I was looking at my payslips over the past few years and even though I've got an increase each year till last year my wages have stayed the same due to USC and other stealth taxes.

Time for a tax break for the working class is long over due.

Antar Bolaeisk

I was too young to be affected much by the recession, I came out of Uni at the tail end. I was given a pay rise during the Big R, left that job for a new job on a higher wage, bought an apartment for myself and six months ago was offered two new jobs for roughly the same money, one in Ireland and one abroad, I took the latter.

I took an 8k paycut and I'm in negative equity. So yeh, I felt it.

However, I had made a fair wad of cash when I sold my first house and I don't ever plan on selling again so really it makes no odds that I'm in negative equity, at least not at the moment.

I'm very comfortable. I live in a nice house. I still have a decent job. I still have a nice car. I still get to go away a lot. I'm very aware of how lucky I am and I know it could all change in an instant if I was made redundant so I'm not sitting smug, but I appreciate the things I still can do. Overall it hasn't made too big a difference to my life.

Yellow121

muppetkiller wrote: »

Everyone has been affected..if you say you haven't you're lying (Or Have no debts/don't budget anyway).

I've a good job and can afford to save a bit but the prices for everything have gone up, From Public Transport to ESB bills. Not to mention VAT increases on top of those.

I was looking at my payslips over the past few years and even though I've got an increase each year till last year my wages have stayed the same due to USC and other stealth taxes.

Time for a tax break for the working class is long over due.

I think that means you've neither gained nor lost. It's been a neutral recession for you so far.

Sleepy

My salary is a lot lower than it would have been if the recession hadn't hit (and I had a 3 month spell of unemployment back in 2009), my taxes are higher (and there's new ones).

My life changed at the same time though so since the start of the recession I've gone from a single guy of 27 who enjoyed a decent salary, drinking every weekend, going to lots of concerts/festivals etc. and taking 2 good holidays (skiing in winter and sun in September) and numerous weekend breaks a year to being a married man with two kids who earns just enough to be crucified by the tax system while scraping by, managing a night out maybe once every 6 weeks or so and a family holiday means a week camping in Wales.

muppetkiller

Yellow121 wrote: »

I think that means you've neither gained nor lost. It's been a neutral recession for you so far.

True but you lost either way as the Recession has increased the cost of living while providing less services for your buck.

jester77

I had already left before the madness had even started. No recession here, people are a lot more cautious and credit averse, they don't spend what they don't have and save up for what they want. Totally different mindset. The downside to this is that the banks give rubbish savings rates.

omicron

muppetkiller wrote: »

Everyone has been affected..if you say you haven't you're lying (Or Have no debts/don't budget anyway).

I've a good job and can afford to save a bit but the prices for everything have gone up, From Public Transport to ESB bills. Not to mention VAT increases on top of those.

I was looking at my payslips over the past few years and even though I've got an increase each year till last year my wages have stayed the same due to USC and other stealth taxes.

Time for a tax break for the working class is long over due.

Inflation statistics since 2008 would show that most on average things are still cheaper than they were.

2009 -4.5%
2010 -1.0%
2011 +2.6%
2012 +1.7%

And 2013 is on track for very low inflation, 0.3% in the 12 months to November. (Most of which seems to have come from alcohol and tobacco prices (from the budget/s) and college fee increases).

Also this includes huge fuel price increases (even excluding tax) incl. petrol, diesel, home heating oil, gas and electricity since they reached a low point in late 2008.
Source: CSO

gavmcg92

Was too young to really notice it. Only in 4th year of uni now so was never really in a position to be directly affected. Parents however, are on a reduced week, we no longer go on our 2 week holiday to Spain every second year and everything has just been squeezed in a little.

We're still in our home, there's still 2 cars and we're still living comfortably enough. Things could be a lot worse.

Yellow121

muppetkiller wrote: »

True but you lost either way as the Recession has increased the cost of living while providing less services for your buck.

Yes I understand that but overall the recession hasn't hurt most people that much. You never hear people say that but I always find it mad when I'm driving on the motorway. It's all big cars driving by me, lots of 131's and 132's as well.
Sometimes I'm in Dublin passing by a fancy restaurant or something and it's packed. When people take out their phones it's usually a fancy iphone or whatever. I think a lot of people have got away very lightly from it all, you wont hear it but they have.

jimgoose

muppetkiller wrote: »

Everyone has been affected..if you say you haven't you're lying (Or Have no debts/don't budget anyway).

I've a good job and can afford to save a bit but the prices for everything have gone up, From Public Transport to ESB bills. Not to mention VAT increases on top of those.

I was looking at my payslips over the past few years and even though I've got an increase each year till last year my wages have stayed the same due to USC and other stealth taxes.

Time for a tax break for the working class is long over due.

It is true that anything the State has an oar in has been getting steadily more expensive, but thankfully I have very little truck with such things. Most consumer/consumable goods seem lot cheaper to me than a few years ago. Aside from a mortgage, I don't owe anyone a red ha'penny and never did.

everdead.ie

Yellow121 wrote: »

Yes I understand that but overall the recession hasn't hurt most people that much. You never hear people say that but I always find it mad when I'm driving on the motorway. It's all big cars driving by me, lots of 131's and 132's as well.
Sometimes I'm in Dublin passing by a fancy restaurant or something and it's packed. When people take out their phones it's usually a fancy iphone or whatever. I think a lot of people have got away very lightly from it all, you wont hear it but they have.

Thats because if anyone says they are doing well sure they'd get hammered for it.

Mynewstoday

It affected me badly at the time. I lost my job and spent a year out of work, waiting for my girlfriend to move abroad. Eventually, after I had had enough of doing nothing, I left my girlfriend and moved abroad. Now, 3 years later, Im still abroad, but I'm in full time employemnt, earning twice what I was when working in Ireland.

It put me in an awkard place with a very difficult decision to make, but now, three years later, I know I made the right choice.

killanena

<---- Can't go to college my dad is "Self Employed" (He might get 1 job a month if that) and because of that I can't apply for a grant and my mam lost her job. Can't find work because there is none in the west. Can't move because I can't save enough to move. At this stage im just used to it because I was only a kid during the celtic tiger.

Yellow121

Mynewstoday wrote: »

It affected me badly at the time. I lost my job and spent a year out of work, waiting for my girlfriend to move abroad. Eventually, after I had had enough of doing nothing, I left my girlfriend and moved abroad. Now, 3 years later, Im still abroad, but I'm in full time employemnt, earning twice what I was when working in Ireland.

It put me in an awkard place with a very difficult decision to make, but now, three years later, I know I made the right choice.

So it affected you greatly but in a positive way in the end even though it was very negative at the start.
Sorry, there's no option you can pick in the poll.

Lollipops23

The economy collapsed in my 1st week of final year, so I've never known any different tbh.

I'm very lucky that I'm in a decent job, after a few years of not so decent jobs.

Planning on going away next yr, but that's out of wanderlust rather than necessity.

AgileMyth

I'm going on a 6 month holiday next year. I don't believe in recessions.

NakedMonkey

muppetkiller wrote: »

Time for a tax break for the working class is long over due.

This is what has Ireland where it is. If we start cutting tax we'll be back in the same boat.

If Fianna Fail offered to cut your tax you'd more than likely vote them back in and then moan when we crash again!

danniemcq

Donegal here, we never really seen the boom but we sure as hell felt the bust.

I'm one of the lucky ones though I got a decent job during the recession!

but i have no savings, no car, renting house but I still class myself as lucky as i know there are lots of people in much worse situations.

AgileMyth

killanena wrote: »

<---- Can't go to college my dad is "Self Employed" (He might get 1 job a month if that) and because of that I can't apply for a grant and my mam lost her job. Can't find work because there is none in the west. Can't move because I can't save enough to move. At this stage im just used to it because I was only a kid during the celtic tiger.

Leave the section about your dad blank on the form. If they question it just say you haven't seen him in years. They won't ask any more.

Been there

OldNotWIse

Pretty much the same. Pay increases have been absorbed by increased tax, USC etc. Less disposable income now is largely self inflicted - parents mortgage, college fees etc. Happy to have the money to do it though.

I miss the seemingly never-ending line of credit though :mad::pac:

Red Nissan

I lost 30 years of building a business, I face the future depending on the state.

sadie06

killanena wrote: »

<---- Can't go to college my dad is "Self Employed" (He might get 1 job a month if that) and because of that I can't apply for a grant and my mam lost her job. Can't find work because there is none in the west. Can't move because I can't save enough to move. At this stage im just used to it because I was only a kid during the celtic tiger.

This post made me sad. You need to seek free advice about what your options are. There has to be a way to move forward.

o1s1n

Son0vagun wrote: »

I was able to save and buy a house in recession times, so I'm much better off.

Same here.

I watched house prices rise to obscene amounts all the way through secondary school and college. Was convinced I'd never afford one and would be renting for life.

Aiming to move into my new home next month

killanena

AgileMyth wrote: »

Leave the section about your dad blank on the form. If they question it just say you haven't seen him in years. They won't ask any more.

Been there

When I first applied I stated that my dad is unemployed because he does collect job seekers for the days he doesn't work but they weren't very happy about that.

Yellow121

AgileMyth wrote: »

Leave the section about your dad blank on the form. If they question it just say you haven't seen him in years. They won't ask any more.

Been there

Take this advice young lad, some may disagree but others have saved themselves at the expense of people like you. **** them.

tomtucker81

Sleepy wrote: »

My salary is a lot lower than it would have been if the recession hadn't hit (and I had a 3 month spell of unemployment back in 2009), my taxes are higher (and there's new ones).

My life changed at the same time though so since the start of the recession I've gone from a single guy of 27 who enjoyed a decent salary, drinking every weekend, going to lots of concerts/festivals etc. and taking 2 good holidays (skiing in winter and sun in September) and numerous weekend breaks a year to being a married man with two kids who earns just enough to be crucified by the tax system while scraping by, managing a night out maybe once every 6 weeks or so and a family holiday means a week camping in Wales.

Well that kinda sums up my situation too. I had to sell my motorbike. I sold my car and went back 2 years in another car, all for cash that was needed at the time.
holidays consist of a week in august in wexford!! Not gonna give out about it as there's not much point, and ive found we've just managed to get by and that'll do for the moment.
Nights out are few and far between. More so evenings in the park with the kids and then dvd at home! I guess you just adapt and get on with it and sure just have to be happy with what you have for now!!

keeponhurling

Essentially it comes down to whether you lost your job/business or not?

If you're still working, maybe taxes are higher and salary increases aren't what they might have been, but things are generally a bit cheaper (especially property obviously)

If you lost your job/business, you're hugely impacted. Finding a new job is tough, maybe you emigrated, maybe you fell into negative equity etc.

Yellow121

sadie06 wrote: »

This post made me sad. You need to seek free advice about what your options are. There has to be a way to move forward.

It is sad isn't it. There's loads of young people like this in similar situations. If they can scrape up enough to book a flight they're gone. They have no other option. Then there's those like this lad from Clare who's stuck in limbo.
You see people queing outside soup kitchens, don't have enough money to get a place big enough for their families but they must suffer on.
It's a big difference from stories we've read here and elsewhere, only small sections have really suffered.

The Diabolical Monocle

AH! - das long recession ist eine...nuisance recession.

Holsten

A small bit but it seems to be getting worse! I cannot save a penny these days.

killanena

sadie06 wrote: »

This post made me sad. You need to seek free advice about what your options are. There has to be a way to move forward.

I've been to citizens information a few times, two different offices because the first one I went basically told me to emigrate with no qualifications & no savings.

Second one had a councilor who helped me get a FÁS course that gives me very basic qualifications in the field of work I'm interested in. I'm finished that in march. After that I'm going to give job hunting another go but things aren't looking bright.
Can rarely afford to go out and have a good time, My Fás wages are pretty low and they are gone by the time I have my weeks shopping and I always give my parents a little cash to help with the bills / mortgage.

eviltimeban

Only thing really is the USC and companies not giving automatic yearly pay rises. Less money in my pocket and been on the same salary for the last 5 years.

Got rid of a second car but to be honest that was gonna happen anyway as it was on the way out!

I've actually become better at living within a budget; I have no credit cards and no overdraft.

eviltimeban

muppetkiller wrote: »

Time for a tax break for the working class is long over due.

Why only the working class? Why not the middle classes too?

Mongarra

Badly affected by not being able to collect payment for work done. Many clients were in Construction Industry and fell on hard times. I do accounts and tax returns and many clients are now on social welfare payments. Never had a lavish lifestyle but was a member of golf club (about €1,000 a year), changed car - Ford Fiesta - every 3 years, had a reasonable holiday (mostly in Ireland) and went for a few pints most weekends. Had to give up golf club, still have 2006 Fiesta, do not go anywhere for holiday (just take week off in Summer and at Christmas to get a break) and very seldom go to pub.

Not complaining too much as mortgage was paid off a few years back and I still have enough for groceries and household bills, but constant living near overdraft limit take its toll. Stress levels, something I used not know about, are getting me down somewhat.

Clients who have funds but use recession as an excuse to delay payment of fees are annoying but I just have to keep going and hope things will improve.

Yellow121

killanena wrote: »

I've been to citizens information a few times, two different offices because the first one I went basically told me to emigrate with no qualifications & no savings.

Second one had a councilor who helped me get a FÁS course that gives me very basic qualifications in the field of work I'm interested in. I'm finished that in march. After that I'm going to give job hunting another go but things aren't looking bright.
Can rarely afford to go out and have a good time, My Fás wages are pretty low and they are gone by the time I have my weeks shopping and I always give my parents a little cash to help with the bills / mortgage.

eviltimeban wrote: »

Only thing really is the USC and companies not giving automatic yearly pay rises. Less money in my pocket and been on the same salary for the last 5 years.

Got rid of a second car but to be honest that was gonna happen anyway as it was on the way out!

I've actually become better at living within a budget; I have no credit cards and no overdraft.

This really sums up the difference for me. You often hear people complain about the recession but have only lost similar to eviltimeban above. Losing the second car is his complaint, then we see Kilanena's post and we see someone who's really lost.
This is not to have a go at you eviltimeban but there's people who've felt they've suffered a lot but really they haven't. Look at the situation others are in. Be thankful you are not there but have sympathy for their plight. Instead right now we have people calling for cuts in places like social welfare, you're attacking people like Kilanena with these calls.

Frank Black

I used to use €20 notes to light my cigars, now I'm using €5 ones.
We all have to make sacrifices.

manonboard

I benefited immensely from the recession.

Had a job before the recession. Recession hit and my job needed to downsize so I was offered a 2 year career break with 25% salary and a job waiting for me when it's over if i want.
took the Career break and had a great time.

Back in the job now a couple of years and my salary has doubled + several promotions. I took my finger out and work extremely hard since my return. Other people left, so openings were made for promotion.

My apartment value has declined but since they all have too, that's a good thing. It's way better for low house prices for everyone. It's far easier to save up for a bigger place since they're so much cheaper than 2007.

Prices have come down for most products, we got Aldi and Lidl, lots more sales. Markets are in full florish. It's been a pretty deadly recession. People stopped being a$$holes.

eviltimeban

Yellow121 wrote: »

This is not to have a go at you eviltimeban but there's people who've felt they've suffered a lot but really they haven't.

No not at all, and btw I have never felt I've "suffered". Not at all. I'm sure there's people who have suffered, but I'm not really one of them tbh.