Media Cost OF Living Crisis

Honey50

Everyone knows costs increased since covid electric companies taking advantage and so on. However it seems the media made it out to be worse than it was as usual to sell papers in return the government gave a lot of supports. Were many people actually struggling I dont see evidence of it online we can all save money its only a matter of how much with some exceptions obviously. I dont know anyone who is struggling online or inperson not that I interact with that many people

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058333506/media-cost-of-living-crisis

Ah i dont know. Some i know are 1k a month worse off over the last 2 year due to energy and mortgage rates hikes. Thats a large chunk of changed.

Its the usual people who feel the pain. The squeezed middle.

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Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121682319#Comment_121682319

Id imagine middle income earners with a 1k outgoing increase are struggling.

Mister Vain

There was uproar over the price of stamps going up 5c FFS. And they driving around in their Tesla's.

zell12

There is a general global cost of living crisis aka poverty pandemic, and it is getting worse

Allinall

It’s not a crisis, by any means.

Gusser09

It feels like a recession.

zell12

..I wish to talk to you this evening about the state of the nation’s affairs, and the picture I have to paint is not unfortunately a very cheerful one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOgZqB4ztJI

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Padre_Pio

It varies from person to person, but no one is going hungry in Ireland due to the cost of living crisis.

Like most things the media are happy to exaggerate the "crisis" to sell clicks and ads.

Dublinandy3

Just because you have your own anecdotal evidence that people are not struggling, doesn't mean that people are not struggling.

It's also a very subjective and personal experience. Example would be I have an elderly friend who only yesterday told me she now limits her food spend to 30 euro a week and tries to stay in bed more often to avoid putting the heating on. Is that struggling? To some it would be, to others, not.

The charity Bernardo's (so not a media outlet) produced a report last year that showed this (in Ireland during 2023):

37% of parents have had to go without or cut down on use of their heating systems

20% of parents had to cut down or go without food in order to feed their children

23% said they had to cut back on using their electric due to not being able to afford it

28% said they had to cut back or go without medical care or medicines.

A different research taken place by a dedicated research company showed very similar to the above along with seven in ten (70%) parents said they sometimes or always worried about not being able to provide their children with daily essentials such as food, heat or electricity. Only one in ten (11%) said they never worry. 

So are people struggling, some would say yes they are, they perceive that they are and perception is reality.

You perceive people are not so you believe that to be true.

HBC08

I believe the media telling us that people are struggling to put food on the table is and always has been not true.Of course there will be a tiny amount of outliers (of lot of which have severe mental health or addiction issues)

There are supports available in this country for absolutely everybody.

dxhound2005

Some people are struggling to eat all the food they buy.

(2021) Current household food waste is estimated to be 255,000 tonnes per annum. The average Irish household throws out 150 kg of food waste each year; at a cost of approximately 700 euro.

eastie17

Yeah agree, things did get harder but it definitely went into a different level with the media when someone came up with the label

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121682308#Comment_121682308

It's inconvenient for the squeezed middle, but they're not the ones I worry about. It's the people who were just about managing before inflation, that I worry about.

There's loads of evidence of people skipping meals and not being able to heat their houses due to the increased costs. These people aren't aliens. They're Parents who don't eat so they can feed the children and they're old people like your grandparents, sitting shivering in the cold.

How on earth you think think the people who feel the pain are the squeezed middle, is beyond me. I'm in the middle and I responded by not being able to go on holiday and not going for pints anymore. We'll boo-fcukin-hoo. I still have a roof over my head and food on the table.

The middle are definitely feeling the effects but ones suffering are not the middle.

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ancapailldorcha

I've no idea why people are so desperate to sneer at those struggling and pretend that this isn't a serious issue. It's going to be a demographic disaster very soon and I suspect the same people will be whining about immigrants at that point.

Mr. teddywinkles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121682431#Comment_121682431

Everyone drives a Tesla?

RobbingBandit

Have you bought shopping in Dunnes Tesco or Supervalu recently prices are still going up package sizes are going down, stupid taxes on recycling are being brought in things are much more expensive almost every week something has increased in price with wars on across the world currently effecting supply lines it's not going to stop anytime soon.

GHendrix

It’s disgracefully hard for a couple these days even a decent bit above average wage to buy a house and have a small family.

Child care is going to be costing me 1700 from next month.

The weekly shop has gotten insane as well. And fuel etc.

While we’re far from living in Tenements, we live from payslip to payslip with little opportunity to save a cent and fingers crossed for no emergencies etc

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Cheddar Bob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121682431#Comment_121682431

People in this country moan about the strangest things- bank fees of 25 quid per quarter, Ticketmaster adding a fiver in service charges to a 90 euro ticket, 12 quid a month for a tv licence when they spent 30 on multiple streaming platforms that produce the most low grade rubbish ever known since TV and film were invented.

I've never understood it.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121684404#Comment_121684404

I'm not researching your argument for you. If you can prove it, please do.

BrianD3

The media loves bad news and Ireland is full of beal bochters, cute hoors, vested interests and the financially illiterate. Various groups will feed sob stories to the media who will lap it up.

No doubt some people are struggling. Groceries have increased a lot and some people's mortgages have also gone up a lot in a short space of time. We know about cost of renting but that has been an issue well before the current cost of living crisis.

If someone tells me that they can't afford this and that because of the cost of living, I'd be sceptical enough without more details. Have come across many examples of people making bullsh*t claims and also people whose struggles are self inflicted and/or easily fixed. Someone claims they can't put food on the table but then shortly afterwards asks did you see x, y and z on TV last night. Turns out they don't have a "dodgy box" but a full sky sports/movies multiroom package plus other entertainment subscraptions too.

Also I had someone who is on a household income of nearly 200k (two public servants) living in a cheap area with no mortgage with cheap childcare who claimed to be dipping in to savings for day to day spending due to the cost of living crisis. That's was either rubbish or else there was some major financial outlay that they had "forgotten" to disclose

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058333506/media-cost-of-living-crisis

You and we don't need the media to tell us that the cost of living has increased noticeably. It's clear every time you go to do a food shop. Bought a small bag of basic groceries this morning what would not long ago have been about €25, cost €36. My income hasn't gone up 1/3rd

So forget about de media, they/ this are just echo chambers that reflect the chatter. The reality is that the cost of living increases are very real.

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121685021#Comment_121685021

Cost of living crisis is real,we've had near double digit inflation for nearly 3 years.

Everybody feels it but there are very few in my opinion actually not able to eat.I think that's what the thread is about.

There are lots of countries in the world where people actually can't afford to eat,Ireland is not one of them.

Irelands problem is whether you work your hole off or live off the state there's not much difference in your quality if life.

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Dublinandy3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121683917#Comment_121683917

Ok, cool, well I do. See what I'm saying, perception is king. Just like I believe Audis are crap cars, but other strange souls seem to like them?

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058333506/media-cost-of-living-crisis

I don't find Ireland that expensive what the daily life is concerned. Food prices in the supermarket can be even lower than in other EU countries. The main problem in Ireland is only rent and housing in general. Rents are way too high and offer little value. Some landlords are friendly but deep down, I feel they are all greedy bastards.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121686339#Comment_121686339

Indeed you don't but it that's what you choose, all that's left is an ignorant and callous generalisation about vast swathes of people.

NIMAN

The taxpayer is shelling out €345,000,000 this week to give a lot of people a double benefit payment, to help with the cost of living crisis.

We can't say the government isn't trying to ease the pain for those people.

And don't forget the double child benefit all parents received, as well as the €450 to help us heat our homes.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121688490#Comment_121688490

Yeah no problem with that. Fair play. The taxpayer pays that and I'm fine with it.

The issue I have is making work pay. If someone works minimum wage and can't make ends meet, then that's a problem. The question is HOW you want to pay for it. You can either pay for it through increasing those people's wages so costs go up and you pay at the point of service. Or you pay for it through tax when the government gives those people benefits to top up their pay (housing benefit, medical cards, and these cost of living payments the poster above highlights).

Ireland is a well off country. People who work should be able to live with a basic standard of living. The working people, even on minimum wage, should be well clear of those who don't work.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121688490#Comment_121688490

This is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Ivor_Guddon

i personally know somebody on €80k a year , single mother of 2 kids under 15

pays her morgage , bills , pension etc

and yet her credit card is maxed out

she works in the medical field and has studied many years and lectures sometimes in UCD and yet hasn't a pot to pee in

to me that isn't right at all and yet my neighbour who is a single mother and has 3 kids and works probably 10-20hrs a week and has a government house etc , get's her holiday away every year and kids decked out in good clothes etc , that's whats wrong with this poxy country

the people who actually get educated and work and contribute to society get screwed and they gougers like my neighbour get an easy ride

makes me sick

Ivor_Guddon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121688873#Comment_121688873

free housing or whatever you call it for single parents has to stop , its a massive expenditure no matter what way you see it

my parents had 4 kids in the late 70's & 80's and guess what ?? they got no help whatsoever

there is no deterant these days , and don't give me this bs " im in he housing list x amount of years etc " don't have kids if you can't afford them , sounds harsh but if they knew 100 % that they wouldnt get a house they'd think twice about having kids etc

we are too soft on this issue

i'm a single dad of 2 kids and i have a mortgage and i get no help whatsoever towards my mortgage etc yet i pay over €400 a week in tax / prsi / usc etc

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121688980#Comment_121688980

Ah here. The person on 80k needs to learn a thing or 2 about budgeting from your neighbour.

But that's not the whole story either. Some people who earn less than me have bigger TVs than me. But I don't prioritise my TV. I prioritise saving for a house. I would like a house in a middle class area in a catchment area for good schools for my child, so that's an extra cost. I also put money aside for his Uni fees if he goes to uni. We have a car and we go on cheap trips to interesting places and museums to stimulate his mind and give him an interest in the world.

So I don't have money for expensive clothes, TVs or regular holidays. But I'm happy with how I spend my money on investing in the future and giving my child the best chance I can with the income I have. I doubt the single mother working part time has money for that so we just prioritise different things.

But christ if you have 80k income and can't make ends meet, then you have a budgeting issue because 80k is a decent wage. The part time worker doesn't have more than 80k in income, does she?

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121689009#Comment_121689009

The 80s were a different time. There were houses available back then. Assuming your parents bought their house and never used council housing, they were still buying a house in a time of high housing supply due to the abundance of social housing.

Someone who owns their own house and has 4 children nowadays needs to be pretty high income. Were your parents on a pretty high income?

Ivor_Guddon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121689026#Comment_121689026

80k when you pay tax and prsi , person is left with about €4k a month , sounds alot

then mortgage of €1500 a month , €120 a month tolls to their job , €250 a month fuel , pension , electric , gas etc

not alot left to live a comfy life , but yes could be managed better i agree

Ivor_Guddon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121689064#Comment_121689064

no my dad had 3 jobs , suffered with clinical depression at the time because he had 4 kids and house to pay for

point im making is still valid , wouldnt be as much a demand for housing if we weren't giving them away to people who spread the legs and just get them

no incentive to not have a kid

all to easy these days

Packrat

Stupid thread.

Of course there are working people who were already stretched before this who are now in deep deep trouble after about 1k/month of an uptick in cost. Which of us have an extra 12k a year that we wouldn't miss in our budget? To argue that this isn't badly hurting some people is utter stupidity.

However, some are insulated from this change abd for some of these, times have never been better.

There are the people in the example above, - one working on 80k who can't manage and another on welfare who appears to be flying. It's to be pointed out that the one on welfare probably isn't paying down what will eventually be an asset she will own. Also - she probably prioritises whete she can get a lifestyle win: - clothes and cheap holidays. Lots on welfare do that. The other woman prioritises her childrens education and owning an asset to hand on to them.

(You could make a case as to which strategy is better in the long run, but that's for a different thread as it involves a very complicated set of actuarial calculations)

Every situation and person is slightly different.

But on average, - yes, the cost of rent/mortgage repayments, and fuel/electricity alone have made it very difficult for a significant number of people.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121689066#Comment_121689066

Yes, after tax and expenses. The point of your post was that the part time worker lived better than the woman on 80k. Do you think the part time worker has a combined wages+benefits income of more than the equivalent of an 80k wage?

Ivor_Guddon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121689305#Comment_121689305

not a hope of wages , she's a cleaner so i'd immagine €15 p/h

but government handouts have made her life alot easier than a person contributing to the exchequer hugely

that's my issue , too easy to hand out money

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121689085#Comment_121689085

So no council housing or social housing of any kind? And did they own the house?

Do you think a person with your dad's 3 jobs could raise 4 kids now and own a home today?

You haven't said if they owned their house so I'm assuming.

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Ivor_Guddon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121689322#Comment_121689322

they own it now obviously

i know times have changed from the 80's but they never received help

had this discussion with my dad , he was saying we are a welfare state , the longterm dolers get away with staying on it and newly unemployed get hounded to get a job or re-train etc

if single parents were not been given houses so easily , the demand wouldnt be as high and maybe prices not so high ? i don't know

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121689390#Comment_121689390

Yep, people should mind their own business.

Honestly if you think someone is scamming, then report them instead of complaining here.

And all these "I know someone on x wages and they're struggling" most people can't manage money. That's blatantly obvious.

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121683818#Comment_121683818

The latter there doesn't stack up with reality, or at least the understanding of what the word "worries" means. Everyone worries.

There is a huge amount of absolute discretionary spending in Ireland, and the amount of TV subscriptions is highly indicative of that. Equating worries with actual or near difficulty is wrong and is a distortion.

Sleepy

I can see where the impression that the Cost of Living Crisis isn't as bad as the media makes it out to be comes from if you consume a lot of UK media. While there are certainly issues with some welfare recipients taking the piss and gaming the system, it's to our credit as a nation that unless there are serious addiction or health issues, the welfare payments people receive are enough to ensure that the kids are fed, clothed and educated if the household budget is well managed. Our nearest neighbour certainly can't make the same claim.

If you think life on the dole in Ireland is hard, just try to imagine what it's like trying to raise a kid in a council flat in somewhere like Harlesdon or Brixton (a young single parent on benefits there would be entitled to all of about £130 a week under the Universal Credit scheme - about half of what they'd get in Ireland).

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121689319#Comment_121689319

If your neighbour has more children, lower income and lives better (in your view) then how did you not conclude that your neighbour is better at budgeting than your friend?

Would you be happier if your neighbour was less good at budgeting and struggled more?