Quality of life here. How is yours?

It depends on what measuring tool you use as quality of life. I have my own flat, a good job, am healthy and enjoy connections with my family. I have access to clean water, warm clothes and have the opportunity to travel. So on paper my quality of life is high.

However, if i use social media as my yardstick, then im a complete loser as im single and only have 1 close friend. Thats why i try to stay away from instagram etc. as there is this whole other side of what life "should" be like- birthday parties, daily goals, hiking each weekend and all the polished pictures of smiling couples and families. I know a lot (but surely not all) of social media is fake and people only show their good side but its an extremely influental and powerful platform and has shaped a lot of our culture nowadays.

Its an odd one. My life is a million times better than people who slept rough lastnight or those looking for shelter from Ukraine..but at the same time its a million times worse than the lads and ladies on sociap media "living their best life"!

Yea I'm definitely fairly prudent with my finances with little debt. yet i seem to have less spending power year on year and it's a worrying trend to be honest.

As somebody who returned from a well functioning state with pre 'market competition' ideas I can see a stark difference in some parts of my quality of living.

Healthcare access and expense probably 5x worse

Electricity and fuel costs 3x where I was.

Insurance 5x

Eating out 2x

Renting 3x

Schooling access getting very difficult in many areas due to large population increase but lack of investment .

Pay lower than what I was getting overseas and much higher taxes.

Yeah I am feeling the stress lol.

Only thing significantly cheaper are good prices in the supermarkets (milk and eggs and cheese half price) along with excellent quality locally produced food.

Along with the above poster, I noticed very early the weird scam of pretend competition in the phone, broadband , energy and insurance markets. You have to spend hours and hours wasting time and comparing and switching just to save a few pennies in an already crazily inflated market and then repeat every year. None of this new fangled market seems to have reduced prices in the slightest! It just gives the illusion of competition.

Quality of life things that have improved in Ireland would be nicer towns, cleaner air, Dublin bus, better range of food in supermarkets, better internet (but still poor mobile internet) pedestrianisation and much better roads than years ago . For me I'm working as hard as I ever have, that hasn't changed.

I noticed my friends with steady jobs and houses seem happy enough with their settled lives in the suburbs , those trying to purchase a house definitely more stressed , obviously.

The older in laws on pensions I could see their worry level ratchet up hugely regarding heating and energy costs. They haven't adjusted their lifestyle massively yet but I could see it happening. They enjoy their lives the most still with loads of free time and plenty of hobbies.

Happy days compared to a few decades back or what my parents had to endure. Comfortable living, enough free time, family time not a problem, ample food available, an active social life. All in all quality of life is just where I'd want it to be.

If chasing up temporary savings on phones or broadband is a measure of quality of life, people need to look at what they value in life.

The question was asked and answered. So it doesn't suit your view: Tough.

Well you did say that people who are trying to save money should ask them selves what they value in life.

That makes no sense.

Maybe they are trying to save money so they afford the medication they need or keep warm or or

My quality of life is great tbh. In social and economic terms at least, I/we are good. Financially secure, a good circle of friends and able to pursue my interests rather than worrying about earning.

In just lifestyle terms I do have a few serious ongoing medical issues and while they are controlled? On a bad day, it can mean a lot of pain meds in addition to the stack of meds I need usually, but I get on with it. My mobility and stamina is quite restricted these days but we manage to deal with it well.

I was medically retired a few years ago and I am lucky in that prior to that happening I was mortgage free and in a relatively secure financial position. That security, the lack of worry about needing to pay mortgage and balance income/outgoings has allowed me a huge amount of peace of mind.

My son has started Uni this year and that is expensive but, it was something I'd long being building a pot for.

The other thing that I'm thankful for regarding my position and my QOL is that earlier this year my wife was diagnosed with Breast cancer. She started her treatment in July, has had 2 surgeries and is starting chemo next week. Our experience of the HSE through this has been brilliant, empathetic, supportive and really great at addressing any concerns. We do have private health insurance but throughout the diagnosis/treatment she has been a public patient and there has been no difference in the quality of care.

Why my Mrs having cancer is relevant to our QOL? Well as I'm medically retired? I get to spend all my time being available and supporting her without needing to book time off, worry about letting down clients and similar issues that would weigh on us if I were still working FT.

The inflation of energy and food prices has been very stark and noticeable. It has certainly made life a lot more expensive.

That said? It's manageable and even with my Mrs off sick for the foreseeable? It won't make a difference to our QOL as we are lucky enough to be in a position where even were she unable to return to work, we can stay quite comfortable living within our means.

That's a far better position than many are in and its something that I'm very grateful for. I was lucky enough to have a successful period in my 20's & 30's that laid that foundation. If I could however change 1 thing from that period? It would have been to get myself an income protection policy.

Most people here seem to equate quality of life here to finances but that's not the only relevant measure.

It's more a mental health aspect actually, but if someone has the financial resources not to be affected by the constant attempts to rip them off, then it probably won't affect their mental health.

Personally, I can probably pay the unreasonable demands, but I don't like myself, or vulnerable family members being taken advantage of, and I resent the increasing time and effort required to avoid it... particularly when there are government persons and agencies appointed to apparently look after my interests as a consumer, but they are failing to do so.

Unfortunately, the ability to enjoy the softer aspects of quality of life measurement, like friends and family, for most people, is also largely dependent on managing your limited and probably decreasing financial resources, while also trying to prepare for an increasingly uncertain future.

It's like the old saying.... money doesn't buy happiness, but it certainly makes it more attainable.

My QOL is pretty good here, comfortable house, enough job opportunity, enough income, schools / education are good. Food supply is good quality. Healthcare is good. Loads of leisure activities available with sports, music, pubs. Security is ok, no invading state, but street crime is a nuisance.

It could be better.

• I still need to maintain a car, even though I live in a city because public transport is not well developed. Civic facilities are not plentiful or accessible by public transport. (Parks, playgrounds, forests, lakes, beaches etc)
• Air quality and pollution is bad. That's again part of the lack of clean public transport, but also attitudes to burning turf / wood, littering is a problem.
• Highly regulated Nanny state. It's very difficult to redevelop housing or commercial property for example, a lot of red tape and barriers. Smaller irritations like inability to buy a bottle of red wine to make a stew in my morning shopping, can't buy a packet of ibuprofen or paracetamol without a cross examination. And in parallel, the expectation of some of our citizens that Mammy Govt will provide all their worldly needs and desires.

Speaking as someone who emigrated here, I'd consider my quality of life as generally good. Okay, there are some things that could be better, public transport in particular is lightyears behind what it could, and should be, but in general, I'm in a pretty good spot here. I live in a nice flat with enough space not to feel cramped, and more importantly, I'm able to afford this flat by myself and don't have to share it. My finances are a bit too tight for my liking but honestly, I don't think that situation would be any different back in Germany, certainly not if I wanted to live in/near a city of similar importance to Germany as Cork is to Ireland. Massive inflation & cost of living crises aren't simply Irish issues. What's more, a recent hospital stay left me pleasantly surprised with the public health system here, which is not something I'd ever thought I'd write.

Most importantly though, I have a job that I like, with a great team, and career options that I never would have had in Germany. I'm a school dropout with a CV that doesn't fit into any conventional category, so my options in Germany would generally have been either living on social welfare or low-level jobs in security or call centres, both of which I did stints in. Ireland's job market, for all its faults and problems, is a lot more open for "oddball" candidates like me, especially when you're bilingual. Recruiters here just aren't as hung up on having certs, forms, diplomas and other forms of paperwork as their counterparts back in Germany would. Experience does actually count for something here.

Having said all that, I am worried about the future. The world seems to be going to hell in a handbasket, between pandemics, worsening climate change, the Ukraine war, rampant and pathological individualism and numerous other issues. We seem to be hell-bent on forgetting the lessons that were learned the hard way 70-80 years ago and I can't see this situation changing anytime soon. I'd say that worry and trepidation has the biggest negative impact on my quality of life at the moment.

goverment should be doing more