People

Rising cost of living: ‘We moved into one room to cut energy costs’

Readers share their experiences of ever-increasing rent prices and domestic bills

‘Giving back €100 is a nice gesture but it is like a lollipop handed to a kid to shut up for a while.’ Photograph: iStock

Thu Feb 3 2022 - 16:00

We invited Irish Times readers to share their experiences on the rising cost of living.

As expenses increase, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the Government is looking at measures to “enable people to cope with the cost of living increases” and to protect disposable incomes “during this difficult time”.

Alongside a €100 support for utility bills that has already been announced, additional measures are being considered by Government to tackle rising costs.

This is a selection of readers' responses. Add yours here.

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Bills

The cost of living has greatly affected my family in a very negative way. We recently got an electricity bill for over €900. The price of food is rising faster then I have ever seen and unfortunately we are struggling to get by with our €500 weekly income. There is no extra money for clothing, holidays or savings this year. We are barely making our bills and have all moved into one room to cut down on energy costs. We sleep under three duvets and try and only do laundry during the evenings when the rate is cheaper.

My husband has recently started a new job which will bring our weekly income to about €600. However, with the cost of diesel, food, electricity and unpredictable expenditures (we just had to spend €800 on our car in order for it to pass the NCT ) it will be a real struggle for us to get by. We were able to save some money and get our grocery bill down by giving up meat but to be honest the Government needs to step in and raise the minimum wage to the living wage. People shouldn't have to choose between heat and food. Something needs to change. Roxanne, Co Roscommon

My Bord Gáis bills for three people have been circa €400-500 per month during Covid-19. Nobody came to read the metre for two years but just before Christmas 2021 they came and read it and then without any warning whatsoever they charged me almost €5,000. They took my mortgage money from my bank account. No Email, no phone call, nothing. I almost had heart failure.Fiona, Co Dublin

I am a single parent working full-time with two children. We are a single income household and I don’t receive any other source of income, just my wage. As I am earning over the income limits to receive any kind of help, I am finding the cost of living extremely challenging. I think the Government have to look at new ways to support single parents.

My rent is €1,000 a month, I have applied for social housing only to be told I am over the income limits. I am on to my second fill of gas this winter which has cost me €1,300 so far. My savings are being depleted as I am having to dip into them way more frequently than I would like. It's not fair, I am working hard and contributing to the economy. I am living from pay cheque to pay cheque. It's very worrying and so disheartening. Without savings , I am too scared to think what could happen in the future if inflation keeps on rising.Anne, Co Cork

Housing

We have absolutely no grip on our cost of living right now. Rent has increased again and so did the electricity bill, food and even getting a simple take-away seems like a luxury now. The price of housing has gone up so no matter how much we try to save after paying everything we cannot afford a mortgage, even if we end up getting an approval, good luck getting a house with greedy investors and bid wars. We cannot even afford a car as you end up paying extra amount for parking on top of the atrocious rents.

There is no breathing space or opportunity to live without stress. It's like someone is punching you from all directions. Giving back €100 is a nice gesture but it is like a lollipop handed to a kid to shut up for a while. We have worked hard to build our lives in here but packing our bags and leaving the country to settle somewhere less expensive seems tempting right now. Alisha, Co Dublin

Buying and owning a house as a single person it really struck me how financially disadvantaged I really was. The property, stamp duty, lighting, heating, maintenance, internet – these things all cost the same for a single person earning €70,000 as for a couple jointly earning €70,000 even though the couple has significantly more spending power. But that couple needs that extra money as the cost of childcare is essentially a second mortgage. The crèches need to charge these fees because their insurances is so high and they have to pay their staff a living wage.

Why is insurance so high? Because we have limited caps on personal injury claims and the actual costs of such claims (court fees, solicitors on both sides etc) is much more than the eventual pay-out. The Government could reduce VAT on day-to-day bills –they are not luxuries but essentials.As well as supplying additional funding for parents of small children to cover creche fees, reducing the stamp duty for single buyers and a reducing the property tax for single occupied homes. Catherine, Co Dublin

Energy and fuel prices are at the top of our increasing costs. This could be temporarily fixed if the Government would look at reducing the VAT on these items temporarily or as long as required. This would make a huge difference to many many households and businesses. Housing is the next big thing. We have been saving for years and have finally reached a position of financial stability and better wages, it was a long battle after the previous recession of getting ourselves up the ladder.

Now that we finally saved a deposit together, what we can get for our money is depressing. How about taxing empty properties? The Government could raise a high tax on all suitable living properties lying idle for more than a year. It will encourage owners to rent them out, sell them off, repurpose them or renovate them. If people don't do any of the above, they will pay an empty property tax, which should be high. By all means, building should continue, but there are fixes available right now too that should be harnessed. Els, Co Louth

Like all households we have seen prices increases. Mainly energy but also utilities, groceries, waste collection and broadband. However, the one that has really annoyed me and has no justification is yet another increase for both house insurance and car insurance. This is despite assurances given by the industry to the Minister to pass on savings.

This is even more annoying as the insurance industry has had significant Government supports during Covid-19 and reduced claims due to new rules on the book of quantum. I have written to the minister providing examples as this is unjust enrichment and also flies in the face of commitments given by the industry last December. John, Co Meath