How do people live off low wages?

wakka12

The rent in Dublin is not that bad if youre a working couple with no dependents. If youre single, yeh, seems impossible really unless you have a great really high paying job

NSAman

Living in Ireland for me was depressing. No money left after paying all the bills that came during the month. Saving was a rarity and was always worrying in case something broke or another unseen bill arrived.

I got the chance to work abroad again. I took it. the difference currently is that I don’t worry about bills any more. Yes I probably work longer hours, but I love my job. Yes, I am slightly different to most in that I have a few qualifications that allow me to do things in the job that are rare to find in one individual, so my work is safe.

If I had stayed in ireland I know I would still be worrying. It is not easy to live on low wages, I did it for a long time. With a lot of smarts and hard work, you do eventually tend to get to a place that is somewhat comfortable, especially if you are married/in a relationship.

Always Tired

Graces7 wrote: »

When I used to buy a whole chicken, yes, five days. Sunday hot roast... Monday cold roast...Tuesday sandwiches... Wednesday chicken stew. Thursday soup.

Kept in the fridge of course. Never a problem.

That sounds terribly depressing to me, sorry. I really dont see food as being so expensive that you need to do that, you can have a lot more variety than just chicken based meals and still eat cheaply. Agree with the poster who said life's too short to pick at a chicken carcass for a week, food is one of life's greatest pleasures.

It's housing, electricity, heating and the cost of running a car that is killing people, along with the other smaller regular bills that keep rising like rubbish and recycling. Then you have phone/internet, people's friggin birthdays, Christmas, weddings. Dentist, glasses/contacts if you need them, personal hygiene stuff/razors.

I never see a need to skimp on food, though i shop mostly at Aldi, and it's one of the most enjoyable things to spend your money on, unlike razors or bins.

The whole chicken for a week thing is like those financial advice articles saying the reason young people cant buy houses is because they buy too many takeaway coffees.

DFGrange

What are essentials?

Broadband, a flat screen tv, other stuff?

Graces7

Always Tired wrote: »

That sounds terribly depressing to me, sorry. I really dont see food as being so expensive that you need to do that, you can have a lot more variety than just chicken based meals and still eat cheaply. Agree with the poster who said life's too short to pick at a chicken carcass for a week, food is one of life's greatest pleasures.

I never see a need to skimp on food, though i shop mostly at Aldi, and it's one of the most enjoyable things to spend your money on, unlike razors or bins.

The whole chicken for a week thing is like those financial advice articles saying the reason young people cant buy houses is because they buy too many takeaway coffees.

Not at all. Depressing I mean. If that depresses you? And as has been said, need ….And actually I agree re your last sentence .ie too many takeway coffees etc. As others have said it mounts up in a week. I have never been to Starbucks, or McD or Burgerking. Waste of good money.

I enjoy my food greatly. But never ever waste and always careful. Simply because as seems to get omitted here, money is very very tight. Picking a chicken is one of life's great pleasures! NB I do not eat chicken any more myself now but did for many years. If you haven ever tasted home made chicken stew/soup, after ""picking a chicken"you have not lived! The darker meat on the bones is tastier by far than the anaemic breast meat

Just see no need for waste or extravagance. That it costs more does not make it taste better. Where I used to live "face" was a delicacy...Born of need.

You clearly are better off than many here. That is fine as long as you realise how lucky you are; and to me, no excuse for wasting good food.
I am very happy with what I eat. very lucky in this world to be able to eat as I do . To be too ….. choosy... to pick a chicken is a deprivation.

Graces7

Fluorescence wrote: »

And it's tough. Food is more expensive in the UK in my experience, but housing is vastly cheaper. I pay less than a 4th in rent of what an equivalent property in Dublin would cost. I batch cook meals on the cheap and am frugal where I can be, but there never seems to be any money left at the end of the month. I don't have many expenses, I don't go out much (maybe once every other month for a few drinks, nothing mad), I don't run a fancy car or buy expensive makeup palettes. I'm just so tired of being so broke all the time.

There's probably things that a financial advisor would flag on my expenditure that I could cut back on, but by god if ya can't comfortably afford one take away a week, is life even worth living?

Yes it is!" But if that is YOUR need, then factor that in? You deserve it. NB I have no idea what a takeaway costs.... It is hard but you can adapt. We have all done that.

PS I am adding that there is a wide generation gap here. I am nearly 80 and thus grew up in the UK with rationing and shortages etc. Food was precious. Still is in m y old age, We rarely ate out etc; ie never ever a meal out.... an occasional splurge on fish and chips or tea and scones when shopping. Packed lunches were the norm. Chicken was a once a year thing for many years.. .and every scrap enjoyed, believe me

So my lifestyle now is familiar and easy. Not a real issue or problem.

Must be much harder these days when there are so many more choices.

Black Swan

antimatterx wrote: »

How do people live off low wages?

It is often normal for grad students attending university pursuing their masters and PhD.

Potential-Monke

DFGrange wrote: »

What are essentials?

Broadband, a flat screen tv, other stuff?

Broadband I believe is considered so nowadays, considering how much it is relied upon. I believe it's included in the MESL.

Cyrus

Lillyfae wrote: »

Can also do professional certification like lean management, MBAs etc on the side which greatly increases your salary.

Sure I am speaking generally rather than specifically, but lean management and sigma six etc is more likely to move you into a project mgt role.

MBA unless it’s from a proper business school are generally a waste of time in my personal opinion.

theteal

Fluorescence wrote: »

And it's tough. Food is more expensive in the UK in my experience, but housing is vastly cheaper. I pay less than a 4th in rent of what an equivalent property in Dublin would cost. I batch cook meals on the cheap and am frugal where I can be, but there never seems to be any money left at the end of the month. I don't have many expenses, I don't go out much (maybe once every other month for a few drinks, nothing mad), I don't run a fancy car or buy expensive makeup palettes. I'm just so tired of being so broke all the time.

Not sure where you're based but I find food/groceries significantly cheaper here than back home. I did an Aldi shop over in Mullingar (iirc) about two months ago, buying mostly the same stuff we get here and I was shocked at the final tally - I wasnt making mental notes of the prices as I went along as they were all familiar items. That's just one recent example. I can remember seeing fairy detergent in a Tesco (Roselawn to be exact) for €20, I took a picture as I know we pay no more than £5-6 for the same one.

Anyway, to contribute to the OP, it's not as difficult as the OP would think. I'm not on a low wage anymore (networks, not programming although I do dabble in a bit of auto) but I still live like I was, its not that distant a memory, hell I've not paid for a haircut since I was a broke student - although genetic inheritance is doing most of the job for me these days.

As mentioned by lots, Aldi is a gift. Spend maybe £40-60 pw. We buy fresh and do a lot of cooking from scratch, I'd do a big pot of something most weeks that would cover an evening meal and maybe 2-3 days lunches. Sambos and soup make up the rest of the week - maybe a cheeky shawarma or curry etc on a Friday.

Then theres the yearly bit of research that goes into the likes of insurance and services. Just got my mortgage down to 1.26%. My virgin media deal is £34, the advertised price is about £70. Currently looking at energy providers, the savings aren't great so may stick as service has been good. Just renewed car insurance as it's still the cheapest - first time I've ever renewed anything I think. The kid is with a minder instead of a creche, nearly 50% cheaper - it's pure fluke that she's so much better than a creche (Ofsted Outstanding). My biggest expense is the train ticket into London but theres not much I can do about that (~£4.5k) bar working more from home, which I will do once I get through the few projects in front of me.

The rest of the money goes on the house (it's a fixer but jm enjoying it) and the nest egg.

lainey_d_123

Always Tired wrote: »

That sounds terribly depressing to me, sorry. I really dont see food as being so expensive that you need to do that, you can have a lot more variety than just chicken based meals and still eat cheaply. Agree with the poster who said life's too short to pick at a chicken carcass for a week, food is one of life's greatest pleasures.

Using one chicken to make a variety of filling meals is hardly 'picking at a chicken carcass'.

It's housing, electricity, heating and the cost of running a car that is killing people, along with the other smaller regular bills that keep rising like rubbish and recycling. Then you have phone/internet, people's friggin birthdays, Christmas, weddings. Dentist, glasses/contacts if you need them, personal hygiene stuff/razors.

Housing and related costs (bills, rubbish, recycling, internet) are unavoidable, as are health and dental needs. The rest I'd say depends on your lifestyle and choices. Nobody 'needs' to spend loads of money at Christmas. I never have. I don't buy or receive presents other than small, meaningful things, or buy fancy decorations. I'll splash out on some nice food for the Christmas period and a few nice bottles of wine/champagne/Prosecco, but if you're spending hundreds upon hundreds, that's a choice. Glasses aren't pricey. I get an excellent deal on mine and each pair lasts at least 2 years. Personal hygiene stuff can be bought fairly cheaply from discount shops. I use soap rather than expensive shower gels and pluck my eyebrows myself rather than spending 25 euro a time to get them threaded like other women. In my experience, it IS indeed these small things that add up.

I never see a need to skimp on food, though i shop mostly at Aldi, and it's one of the most enjoyable things to spend your money on, unlike razors or bins.

The whole chicken for a week thing is like those financial advice articles saying the reason young people cant buy houses is because they buy too many takeaway coffees.

It's not the reason we can't buy houses, but it is the reason so many young people complain about not being able to afford a weekend away or to go to the cinema/theatre or whatever. A girl in my office gets a Starbucks coffee and pastry for about 7 euro every single working day. That adds up to 140 euro a month. She also almost always gets a fancy takeaway sandwich, drink and an overpriced bag of crisps or muffin bought in the same place - another 7ish euro. That is 280 euros every single month spent on buying breakfast and lunch out, and she often goes for a second coffee in the afternoon. Also buys brand new clothes/make-up/jewellery at least once every 2 weeks, which must be at least another 100 euros. This girl who spends over 400 euro a month (conservative estimate) on fancy coffee and new clothes will sit there with a straight face and tell me how lucky I am to be able to go away for weekends because she can't afford it.

Now, people can spend their money on whatever they want. If Starbucks makes them truly happy then so be it. I also like the odd takeaway coffee and muffin as a treat, but in the grand scheme of things, it would be nowhere near the top of the list of pleasures in life that make me happy. I would not want to give up weekends away, theatre trips, language classes and other experiences for a coffee in a paper cup that tastes very slightly better than one I'd make myself for a few cents. I think a lot of people have simply been conditioned to believe that it is a hardship to have to make your own coffee, bring in a packed lunch or eat the same dinner a couple of nights running to the extent that buying breakfast/lunch out and an expensive grocery shop are considered 'essential'. I don't think a lot of people even get much pleasure out of them because they do it all the time.

Patrick2010

DFGrange wrote: »

What are essentials?

Broadband, a flat screen tv, other stuff?

Can you buy anything other than a flat screen TV now?
Also I would say broadband is essential.

lainey_d_123

Patrick2010 wrote: »

Can you buy anything other than a flat screen TV now?
Also I would say broadband is essential.

I don't have a TV at all.

Broadband is essential these days, yes.

robbiezero

dartboardio wrote: »

IT isn't in decline and cannot see that happening anytime soon either, if you're good you're good.

My uncle is a software developer and only gone. 31, on 85k+

Digital media production seems to be a niche enough market and something I'm looking to get into, not exactly sure of the average salaries at the moment though?

I'm only 21 and still live at home, work full time as I'm taking a couple of years out and returning to college next year tho.
In regards to living, I'm awful with money to be honest, and find myself allergic to it. Not like we had loads growing up or anything, but always had support or something to fall back on, so feel I was never taught the true value of money, or indeed, saving.

My mum is the same where I guess it comes from. I hate wasting food but we do end up wasting a bit each week (salad bits, coleslaw etc, I Hate wasting bread though!)

Id like to think when I return to college ill be a different type of student alltogether, I love to cook, so it'll be (hopefully) lovely meals from scratch each night :V we do not buy any freezer food, just fresh, but then freeze.

Always buy the ingredients rather than the tub or whatever, like for carbonara, eggs, cheese instead of a €3 dolmio carbonara sauce (cooking fresh is nicer anyway!)

Agreed. IT is going nowhere soon by the looks of it.
Don't even need to be particularly good, a lot of it can be about just being in the right place at the right time and getting on the right projects.
Programming isn't all that hard.

LineOfBeauty

I guess a lot of it depends on a person's situation, the responsibilities they have, the people they must look after ect.

I'm a single guy, with no car, no major debt, living in a nice house in central Dublin where I walk everywhere and on a moderate salary and doing so fairly comfortably. On the other hand, if you transported my mother into the same situation at my age she couldn't have done it with 3 kids, the rent is just too high, the cost of living is too much.

If you can afford to live in Dublin city and you feel the trade off for experiences over savings is worth it then go for it, that's how I've always felt, but I can completely understand why, for some people, they'd never want to do that.

Wanderer78

robbiezero wrote:

Agreed. IT is going nowhere soon by the looks of it. Don't even need to be particularly good, a lot of it can be about just being in the right place at the right time and getting on the right projects. Programming isn't all that hard.

I'd class programming as hard, I found some languages such as c very hard, but I believe newer languages aren't as bad

robbiezero

Wanderer78 wrote: »

I'd class programming as hard, I found some languages such as c very hard, but I believe newer languages aren't as bad

C is tough alright, but newer languages are a bit more straightforward.
There is a learning curve at the start with them all, but once a bit of experience is got, its ok.

Wanderer78

robbiezero wrote:

C is tough alright, but newer languages are a bit more straightforward. There is a learning curve at the start with them all, but once a bit of experience is got, its ok.

I personally couldn't do it, the thoughts of sitting in front of a computer for the day, but I know people that do it, and love it, I think c put me right off programming

Vote4Napoleon

vriesmays wrote:

Poeple in factories can earn €80k, night shifts overtime, weekend work.

I know a Software engineer 3 years experience who is on €90k, supply and demand

Graces7

lainey_d_123 wrote: »

I don't have a TV at all.

Broadband is essential these days, yes.

For me, being housebound and isolated, the internet pays its way and then some. It is my mail, my shopping, my library and cinema, my social contacts .
I ditched tv 30 years ago; was offered one when I came here but refused

anewme

lainey_d_123 wrote: »

Or maybe you just overeat? Try looking up the portion size you're actually supposed to be eating. A chicken should last a single adult for 5 meals, no bother. All the breast could go in a curry along with a load of veg, which is 2-3 meals. Thighs can be roasted and eaten with spuds and veg, the rest of it can go into a casserole, soup or stew.

Unless you're doing some serious sports training, you don't need to be eating half a chicken every day.

I dont eat meat, but when I did, there would be no way I would keep a chicken for 5 days, I think it would be gone off.

Gringo180

Joey Adams wrote: »

I don't earn much but I have an excellent work life balance. I can pay the rent, live an enjoyable life and save. I'm happy with my life.

Id say you count your money in the mirror.

Gringo180

Joey Adams wrote: »

Elaborate please.

Not earning much would be under 450 euro per week. How can you live a decent life and pay rent and suport a family on that income? You must be still living with your parents?

anewme

Reading some posts on here, I'm full of admiration for people. I don't know how they do it. Fair play to them.

Lesson for me I need to cut back on what I spend on food by avoiding waste. Prep in advance seems to be the key.