Cost of living

gettingold2013 · 10-02-2022 8:32pm #1

Just need to let off some steam 😤

We have 3 people in the house, 2 over 60, and on disability payment, for heart problems and our son with Autism. We live in a 200+ old cottage up a mountain, the only heating we have is an oil heater which our son has in his room, my husband has a blanket, and I use a hot water bottle. Our last bill for esb was over 600 euro. We have to have a car to get to town to get food, so our 20 euro we used to put in doesn't cover the miles that is used to. We will not be able to afford another bill from the ESB for 600 + so we look forward to the government heating discount.

Ok Rant over

Dempo1 · 10-02-2022 8:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058232389/cost-of-living

I live on the side of a mountain, in a 200 year old cottage also and I hear you .

It's just been announced €200 rebate on your electricity bill coming in march/April and a one off payment of €125 for those in receipt of fuel allowance, payable in mid march . It might allievate some of the pain 🤔

amber2 · 10-02-2022 8:39pm

But they are cutting public transport fares by 20% so that will huge help to you seeing as we have a magnificent rural transport infrastructure.

edit : you probably couldn’t even avail of the fibre broadband to book your seat if you tried in many rural areas, something they have been promising for probably 10+ years.

touts · 10-02-2022 8:39pm

Good news! The government have arranged for a 20% price cut on the Luas for you.

Dempo1 · 10-02-2022 8:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612428#Comment_118612428

Yes I noticed that , not much use to rural dwellers, Paschal being quizzed on that little nugget now

Dempo1 · 10-02-2022 8:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612429#Comment_118612429

🤣🤣, what's a Luas 🤔 asking for all my neighbours 😁

gettingold2013 · 10-02-2022 8:43pm

Lol, I need a car to drive to a bus stop, or I suppose could walk the 6 miles to it. Luckely we get the free travel, should we ever need to get the Luas

amber2 · 10-02-2022 8:46pm

And you have to pay parking when you get to the bus stop or train station.

BorneTobyWilde · 10-02-2022 8:47pm

How can an electric bill be 600. Very high

touts · 10-02-2022 8:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612438#Comment_118612438

Watching it now on RTE news. They are xxxxing dillusional. They have announced nothing for the average person. Pascal is waffling about the European Unemployment Rate being the lowest ever and how we have a robust recovery.

Bring back Tony Holohan and put him in charge. At least he knew how to take actions.

gettingold2013 · 10-02-2022 8:53pm

Great that it has gone up to 200 euro, should help with the April bill. Hopefully the weather gets better, finding it very cold this year. One day government will realise that there are people out there that don't live in towns. No flashy high speed broadband, fibre, what is that, have to pay for a landline, that costs a fortune, haven't used it in 2 years but need it for emergencies incase our mobile phone goes down.

Furze99 · 10-02-2022 8:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612438#Comment_118612438

Trouble ahead - one of the basics of measures like this is being seen to be fair. Do I detect the Greens hands in the public transport measure?

If so, they really know how to piss people off.

Yurt2 · 10-02-2022 8:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612467#Comment_118612467

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/european-commission-doubles-growth-forecast-for-irish-economy-1.4725846?mode=sample&auth-failed=1&pw-origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Feuropean-commission-doubles-growth-forecast-for-irish-economy-1.4725846

Comments like the above from Paschal frustrate no end. Our economy is set to report a 15% growth rate according to the Commission. You can't feed a family on GDP figures. We don't exist in aggregate like the Minister wants us to believe. We have a huge unacknowledged structural problem of a vast swathe of our economy working in low-wage employment (defined as 40% less than the median income I think). I can't be arsed digging out the figures, but we're among the worst in the EU for the percentage of the population in low-wage employment, and since Brexit, we're the worst in Western Europe on this metric by quite a margin. There's something amiss with the Irish economy.

SCOOP 64 · 10-02-2022 8:56pm

Just seen what help people are getting, the €200 fuel rebate, fares reduce and bringing WFP increase forward but that's about it or have i missed something, ,disappointing

touts · 10-02-2022 8:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612444#Comment_118612444

All Irish people have a Luas running outside their door. At least all the Irish people Eamonn Ryan gives a damn about.

touts · 10-02-2022 8:59pm

McGrath just said "we can't predict the future with certainity".

Well you don't have to be Nostradamus to predict that after tonights sh1tshow there will be fewer than 10 FF/FG TDs outside the M50 this time 2 years.

touts · 10-02-2022 9:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612519#Comment_118612519

You missed nothing. Basically if you are not on welfare and not living in Dublin all the government are going to do for you is give the energy companies €200 for you.

So basically you missed nothing and you get nothing.

Multipass · 10-02-2022 9:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612495#Comment_118612495

Meanwhile the daily parking in my nearest town has gone up from €5 to €6.50. No bus connection, the first 40 min of work each day is to pay the parking. Miserable.

angel eyes 2012 · 10-02-2022 9:20pm

Drug payment scheme reduced to a cap of €80 per month. It was €144 per month only a number of years ago. As a cancer patient undergoing treatment this is a welcome development.

Couple of options for the OP. Switch energy provider, we did it and it was very straightforward with significant savings for the first year. There is also the option of attending the Community Welfare Officer but I appreciate this may not be a feasible option.

Best of luck anyway.

Dempo1 · 10-02-2022 9:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612467#Comment_118612467

I'm sure I heard Michael Mc Grath say 400k households will benefit from the fuel allowance bonus payment, given only one person in any household gets this is he seriously saying 400k homes in Ireland get fuel allowance, that can't be right.

But yes, they are completely deluded, our unemployment rate would be over 500k if they weren't still paying PUP and EWSS, and watch this space when those payments are withdrawn shorty.

A few days after announcing an €8 billion retrofit scheme few will be able to afford, now this 🙄

Few if any small businesses have been able to deal with legacy debts built up during the pandemic, there's a pile of economic shyte coming.

Nothing for renters, nothing for mortgage payers (Highest interest rates in Europe)

I'm greatful for the few bob towards my electric bill but not at all sure they've done enough.

Dempo1 · 10-02-2022 9:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612495#Comment_118612495

A bunch of clowns , Eamonn seems to think people will borrow 10's of thousands of euros to keep up with the Jones and have cosy homes .

It's already been disclosed the estimates used were based on prices from over a year ago, perhaps the greens don't understand what inflation is. Its now estimated at a minimum 70k will be required and the grant is not linked to inflation and capped at €23.5k approx. A Wonderful idea in principle, utterly unachievable, particularly if mortgage interest rates rise as is being suggested.

Dempo1 · 10-02-2022 9:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612676#Comment_118612676

I'm sorry about your illness and hopefully on the road to recovery 😏, I've a long term illness and have a full medical card for which I'm greatful.

Just re changing energy supplier, its not quite as beneficial as it once was. All suppliers have hiked prices, I went on to Bonkers and they essentially told me, I'd be Bonkers to change. Admittedly, I'm a low usage customer but government could have looked at the outrageous levies and standing charges. Rural customers actual pay a higher standing charge than urban customers, I actually pay more in levies and standing charges than I do for electricity.

cena · 10-02-2022 10:01pm

When is the rent coming in? Landlord is trying to put up the rent

10-02-2022 10:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612558#Comment_118612558

In fairness, public transport doesn't work for everyone who lives in Dublin either. I can't use public transport to get me to work - it would take me 3 hours each way by the time I change buses a couple of times.

I'm not on welfare either, so all I'll get is the €200 towards the energy company as well.

kerryjack · 10-02-2022 10:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058232389/cost-of-living

You need to have a look at that ESB bill that's mad family of 6 here and I have an equiizer payment of 130 a month so I pay 130 a month for 12 months. No way should your bill be 300 a month.

Dempo1 · 10-02-2022 10:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612519#Comment_118612519

You've missed nothing I'm afraid, Renters , completely ignored and pretty much middle and low income earners.

10-02-2022 10:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058232389/cost-of-living

Does your son not receive any payment?

Dempo1 · 10-02-2022 10:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612956#Comment_118612956

Your looking well @kerryjack 😁 yes the bill is a bit wild alright Albeit OP mentioned two people on disability so might be additional heating required/ medical equipment etc .

Purple Mountain · 10-02-2022 10:16pm

It always makes me sad/mad when I go to a southern European country like Spain and they don't even have chimneys in their homes.

They have zero heating bills and don't even need to use a tumble dryer to get clothes dry.

I was in a house share once with an Australian girl who thought we were asking her to contribute to buying olive oil when we told her the oil had run out!

There should be an EU hardship grant for northern countries to cover the absolute hardship of heating our homes and getting our clothes dry.

As someone who lives in a house 70 years old, this €200 is obviously welcome but will be swallowed up in one bill.

Perhaps the Government would like to acknowledge people like myself in rural Ireland who don't even have a water scheme to their home and who have to cover the cost of running a well pump in our monthly electricity bills.

We also don't have access to broadband so the reduction in public transport will have zero impact on my life because..well if we don't have water or broadband, we certainly don't have transport.

I'd love a government minister to come live in deep rural Ireland in an old house for a week and watch their disposable income disappear on electricity/briquettes/oil.

Dempo1 · 10-02-2022 10:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613017#Comment_118613017

I know a number of pensioner's who have worked it out that's is cheaper in the thousands for them to do a long term, off season rental on the canaries which they do from October to April , come home for Christmas for a week and back. Return to Ireland for summer. The cost of living , food, etc a fraction of what it costs in Ireland. Obviously it's not feasible for everyone but I'd definitely do it If I reach retirement age 😁

Purple Mountain · 10-02-2022 10:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613059#Comment_118613059

Me too, if I can afford it then..but it's a long way off (thankfully!)