How do people live off low wages?

Homelander wrote: »

Doesn't shock me. Don't know what field, but I know in mine, I had to do a Masters to get in, only to find out that the ceiling in the position was around 32K regardless of performance or ability. I just left and pursued another field, life is too short.

antimatterx wrote: »

I don't mean to offend people, but I'm wondering how people live off low wages (20/30K), buying houses, raising families. It seems impossible to me.

I'm 23, I make 32K as a software engineer, but I live with my parents so I can save a good chunk of money every month. I realize I'm lucky and I'll probably be on 50-70K in 2/3 years, but for people who won't get great raises, how do you live (especially in Dublin)

Cyrus wrote: »

You also have people who do accounting technician exams in industry, then maybe go and do the full qualification, but that can take 7/8 years + and you are on much lower pay. Its rare for people who take this route to ever catch up with the cohort above.

lainey_d_123 wrote: »

I do a weekly shop for myself and very rarely spend more than 35 euros in total. I shop at Aldi or Lidl, look out for special offers and bargains and have a basic 'staple' shop of the same things each week (loaf of brown bread, milk, cheese, spuds, etc.) and then get a few different things so I don't get bored. I eat very well, almost always get my five fruit and veg every day and buy plenty of nice things like parmesan (one block lasts me almost a month), have a nice coffee every day before work (Italian moka pot bought for 3 euros in a charity shop with nice coffee and frothed milk...works out at pennies per cup) and a few nice treats/snacks (chocolate, kettle crisps, whatever).

I in no way feel like I am depriving myself. I have in the past been forced to live off much, much less for food. There were plenty of times in my twenties and even early thirties, when I was earning sh1t money and desperately poor, that I'd end up eating spaghetti aglio e olio (just spaghetti, garlic and maybe cheese) several times a week and value baked beans on cheap white toast the other days. Now I can make lovely dinners and decent packed lunches for work and never spend over 40 euros a week at the very, very most, and I can often include a decent bottle of wine in that.

I am constantly blown away at how much other people just throw away on food without even batting an eyelid. People who are constantly moaning about how broke they are turning up at work every single day with a Starbucks latte and pastry, then out to buy a sandwich from O'Briens for lunch and another takeaway coffee, picking up ready made mashed potato and overpriced meat from expensive small shops on the way home. A lot of people my age seem to feel entitled to total convenience and feel put out by having to make any kind of an effort to learn basic cooking skills or put a packed lunch together. Fair enough to live like this if you can afford it, but a lot of people can't and don't seem to be able to see any other way. Just look at all the people on this thread thinking it's normal for a family to spend 1000 euros a month on food. It's completely insane.

I'm not saying there aren't people who are truly on the breadline and can't cut back, but even on 21K and working ridiculous hours, I was managing an alright lifestyle. I work with people on about 28K and living at home rent-free who tell me they can't afford a weekend away in Europe, which is totally ridiculous. I can have a decent weekend away with the difference in what I spend on food/coffee and what they spend, but people refuse to believe it. 35 euro a week on food/coffee vs about 100 euro is hundreds of euro saved in just one month. I went to Madrid last month to see a friend, had an amazing time, went to a show, museums, had amazing food and wine, met interesting people...I certainly don't see it as a hardship that I went without Starbucks for a month and took packed lunches to work to be able to do that.

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Meat isn't expensive. You can buy a large chicken in Lidl for 4 euro. Would last a single person 5 days.

Antares35 wrote: »

I really could do with some tips from you! Food is generally my biggest spend and I simply cannot figure out how to get it down. I will try doing a "big shop" to get in stuff that can be used in meal planning over 10 days so I can avoid the shops in between - I end up with food wastage. If I do little "as I need "shops I spend a fortune. I rarely buy pre-packed/ ready made stuff - it's like the dark arts I just cannot get it right

I hear you on people spending stupid money. Here's my mother constantly beating her pensioner drum and telling me at every opportunity how broke she is, yet she will refuse to shop at Lidl or Aldi, preferring instead to gift 250 quid to Dunnes Stores each week for overpriced "goodies" for the 40 year old man child living in their attic - frozen pizzas, cans of soft drinks, dessert yoghurts, litres and litres of milk to go with the boxes and boxes of sugary breakfast cereals. Doesn't matter how much I tell her Lidl and Aldi are cheaper (oh and kick your loser son out), she still parts with the guts of a grand each month to feed 3 people :rolleyes: Idiot.

BDI wrote: »

Everybody in the country is studying computer stuff. In five years the qualifications will be as common as an Eastern European building site worker.

If computers havnt already started making their own computer stuff it’ll be a 40 grand a year job at best.

I know taxi men studying programming degrees part time. Love it they do.

lainey_d_123 wrote:

I usually do a 'big shop' once a week and find that's generally often enough that food isn't going off before I get to use it. I try to meal plan so that the short date stuff gets used first and make good use of my freezer (frozen veg is brilliant because you can just use what you need, no wastage, and it's almost as healthy as fresh). I also usually have a loaf of wholemeal bread in the freezer so I can make toast without worrying about the bread going off halfway through the week. I try to make meat stretch a few days for financial, time and health reasons - if I buy a pack of 2 chicken breasts, I might use one in a noodle stir fry on the Monday with loads of veg and then the other in a curry with loads of veg and rice, which then lasts me 2 days. I usually have 1-2 meat-free meals each week (often pasta with loads of veg and homemade tomato sauce, a filling minestrone soup with crusty fresh bread, vegetarian pie of some sort with spuds and 2 veg) and then usually some other kind of meat for the remaining days (500g of mince does me for several portions of spag bol or cottage pie).

Dravokivich wrote:

When younger, I used to do my groceries when I needed to go to the toilet. No lingering about when you've got to go and if you missed anything, it really wasnt all that important!