No Christmas this year

Laptop1

We have to cancel Christmas this year. It is too expensive for us. We cannot afford gifts as some of us are on Social Welfare and that covers very little. SVP did come to our aid about three weeks ago but we are now alone again. We eat over the weekends and then we make sure the kids are fed from Sunday onwards and we go without food until Wednesday. Anyone else in this situation???? http://static.boards.ie/vbulletin/images/icons/icon9.gif

MagicMarker

Maybe food is more important than the internet?

You don't need gifts to have a good xmas.

Shockingly difficult to believe this story.

Don't suppose you'd care to tell us how many are in your household, what each person's income is, whether they're on welfare or otherwise and what your outgoings are monthly?


I'm on Welfare and as much as I'd love to say that it's impossible to live on, it's not.
I get by OK (thouh in saying that, Just OK! Not living like a god here). I'm in debt to the sweet tune of €6,000 and live week to week. Not ideal for a 21 year old, as I can't do really anything at all with my life at the moment, except repeat the same 24hours over and over and try not to become too mentally dulled, but I managed to sort out christmas presents for about 10 different people this year.

I didn't go over the top with the gifts, and no one getting anything amazing. The most i've spent is about €120, and thats on my dad because he looks out for me, but everyone else got a decent gift for little money.


Having to cancel Christmas? Sorry... I don't buy it. Not without much more info anyway.

argosy2006

whats your address, lets all send them a euro, i know i would if your for real!
isnt that what xmas is about helping others,

argosy2006

.

Absurdum

sell your laptop

ninty9er

If you think this Christmas is going to be tough, start saving now for next year.

freelancerTax

i find it hard to believe that you cannot feed yourselves on this countrys social welfare payments.

what are your outgoings?

Dr_Phil

Laptop1 wrote: »

We have to cancel Christmas this year. It is too expensive for us.

I always thought that to gather with your family in the atmosphere of love and Christmas costs nothing.

muboop1

Child Benefit Monthly rate
One child €166
Two children €332
Three children €535
Four children €738
Five children €941
Six children €1,144
Seven children €1,347
Eight children €1,550

Now i know this has to cover food and cloths to but still...
The dole for a single parent assuming worst case is approx 204?

rent allowance etc...

Unless your in some **** big debt, u cannot be that bad off!

But if you are in some big ass debt... keep the money that comes in for your kids... for your kids!!!

Do not spend it on clearing your debt... thats your prob, not your kids...

For 166 a month plus other benefits, i could keep a child fed and clothed. Medical supplies wud be covered by medical card... shelter by rent allowance. heat by bill subsiderys...

granted the child wont be wearing designer clothes or getting gourmet meals.

Shop in LIDL, ALDI wherever... make all meals yourselves... totally doable!

argosy2006

if u were in that situation wouldnt you want someone to help you,?
there are people in ireland who go with out food just so there kids can eat, its ****ed up in 2009 that this happens

ninty9er

argosy2006 wrote: »

if u were in that situation wouldnt you want someone to help you,?
there are people in ireland who go with out food just so there kids can eat, its ****ed up in 2009 that this happens

There are people who do this, but there is nobody that NEEDS to do this. Even after a 4% cut next week, our welfare payments will STILL be too generous.

Jarren

OP can you elaborate please?
I really find this hard to believe.....
Describe your situation and so we can give you proper advice

Mr.Micro

Lenny Scrooge will probably dish out more misery this coming week in his Christmas Carol budget. I would say to the OP, stuff Christmas its a load of Boll**ks and as long as you and your family have enough to eat and a roof over your heads that's the most important.

ParkRunner

Do you have Sky?? Just curious from your previous posts

mikemac

You'll have to forgive me for copying in your previous posts OP but people here want to help so it's done with the best of intentions.

In October you posted:

Laptop1 wrote: »

This is unbelievable. We are a family of 4 grown up teens and we live on €400 per week social welfare money.

Your first post here mentioned you feed the kids. Have children moved in since? What's your situation

Kensington

Cancel your internet.
Have you got pay tv?
A mobile phone?
What about tesco/dunnes own brand food?

They'd all be things I'd be seriously considering if I wasn't able to feed myself...

Flamed Diving

The OP's silence is deafening. Anyway, shouldn't this be in PI?

triple-M

Flamed Diving wrote: »

The OP's silence is deafening. Anyway, shouldn't this be in PI?

he must have taken absurdum's advice and sold his laptop :;)

krankykitty

You can get value bags of pasta (500g) in Tesco for 55c, tins of tomatoes and beans for 20c or less - and I'm sure you can get them for much less in Lidl/Aldi.

Unless you are spending your money stupidly, there is absolutely no reason why you need to go hungry for half the week, particularly with the very generous allowances you get from the state.

A Dub in Glasgo

Sounds like bull**** to me

In LIDL you can get those frozen dinner things for €2 a pop. Fcuking lovely they are, too.

No one's starving in 09, and if they are, they really need to rethink their money-handling strategy.

Duiske

krankykitty wrote: »

Unless you are spending your money stupidly, there is absolutely no reason why you need to go hungry for half the week, particularly with the very generous allowances you get from the state.

Thats what I was thinking.

Actually, there seem to be quite a few people with kids mentioning that they are struggling to make their benefits last for a week, although few as desperate as the op. Is there something wrong with the system ? You don't see as many single people having the same problem.

I dunno. Maybe the whole system needs to be overhauled to make it fairer.

Just a quick example. It was mentioned last night that the Social Welfare cut was going to be an across the board 4% cut in rates. A disabled friend, (who goes out for a few pints a couple of nights a week) laughed the cut off, saying if he had 1 pint less than usual when he goes out, he would actually be up a couple of quid after the cut. He thinks that if things are as bad as they say, rates should be cut by about double that.

By the way,this guy had his own contribution to rent raised from €13 to €24 a few weeks after the last budget, and in march it was raised by a further €5 because his invalidity pension was €5 more than the basic rate of SW.

This means a cut in the cash in his pocket after rent of €16pw this year already.

BlueLepreachaun

Actually having trouble buying food is not something I've heard of, though for all of you closed to the possibility, the richest country on earth, the USA, has 30 million people on food stamps at the moment, and 11.9million went hungry last year.

The only conclusion I can come to is that something else is squeezing their budget massivly, and my main guess would be debt. My sister's credit card debt is in 5 digits, added to credit union loans etc, many people are in the same situation.

MagicMarker wrote: »

Maybe food is more important than the internet?

You don't need gifts to have a good xmas.

Yeh giving up the internet could save a whopping...20quid a month...

Be realistic, of course you need gifts to have good christmas, we live in a totally consumer driven society, try telling kids they're not getting christmas presents, see how that goes down!

Unless your in some **** big debt, u cannot be that bad off!

You do remember the drunken debt orgy that was the celtic tiger right? LOADS of people are in **** big debt.

ninty9er wrote: »

There are people who do this, but there is nobody that NEEDS to do this. Even after a 4% cut next week, our welfare payments will STILL be too generous.

I've two questions for you:
1. Too generious compared to what? Most western european countries are far higher than ours, the only one I'm aware of thats lower is the UK
2. The average wage in Ireland is triple the basic rate of Social Welfare and even when you add in fuel allowance (20quid a week) and allowances for kids its still nothing compared to a wage.

Kensington wrote: »

Cancel your internet.
Have you got pay tv?
A mobile phone?
What about tesco/dunnes own brand food?

They'd all be things I'd be seriously considering if I wasn't able to feed myself...

:eek: Do any of you people actually live outside mammys house? How is saving 40euro a month from the phone and net going to help much if the situation really is that dire?
I'm always amazed in these sittuations people go right to the classic "deserving and undeserving poor" line and start assuming the person is poor because of their own stupidity, half of you would be bringing back workhouses!

In LIDL you can get those frozen dinner things for €2 a
pop

No doubt with the nutritional value of liquified plastic.

MagicMarker

BlueLepreachaun wrote: »

Yeh giving up the internet could save a whopping...20quid a month...

Well that's just silly, €20 is quite substantial when it comes to going without food!!

BlueLepreachaun wrote: »

I'm always amazed in these sittuations people go right to the classic "deserving and undeserving poor" line and start assuming the person is poor because of their own stupidity, half of you would be bringing back workhouses!

Indeed...

BlueLepreachaun wrote: »

My sister's credit card debt is in 5 digits, added to credit union loans etc, many people are in the same situation.

BlueLepreachaun

Well that's just silly, €20 is quite substantial when it comes to going without food!!

I spent just over double that on food every week as a single person, an extra 5euro a week issn't going to help much, it would barely buy you a single ready meal in tesco ffsake.

Indeed..

Yes credit card debt is a result of consumer stupidity, not the economic climate of the time, not marketing techniques appealing to peoples inner child and irrational sub conscious... people being "pre approved" , hidden clauses in credit card agreements..all stupidity..I hear poverty is caused by lazyness too, and that you can tell if someons going to be a criminal by examining the size of their cranium.

MagicMarker

BlueLepreachaun wrote: »

I spent just over double that on food every week as a single person, an extra 5euro a week issn't going to help much, it would barely buy you a single ready meal in tesco ffsake.

Well if you're buying ready meals then it most certainly will not last long.

BlueLepreachaun

I actually don't eat ready meals.
I was just giving an example of how little it would buy.

A Dub in Glasgo

BlueLepreachaun wrote: »

I've two questions for you:
1. Too generious compared to what? Most western european countries are far higher than ours, the only one I'm aware of thats lower is the UK
2. The average wage in Ireland is triple the basic rate of Social Welfare and even when you add in fuel allowance (20quid a week) and allowances for kids its still nothing compared to a wage.

I got made redundant about 5 years after 11 years working... Guess what the dole was?.... £59 per week. I could not believe how generous it was in Ireland. Admittly the cost of living was higher but

:eek: Do any of you people actually live outside mammys house? How is saving 40euro a month from the phone and net going to help much if the situation really is that dire?
I'm always amazed in these sittuations people go right to the classic "deserving and undeserving poor" line and start assuming the person is poor because of their own stupidity, half of you would be bringing back workhouses!


No doubt with the nutritional value of liquified plastic.

When I was on the dole, I drew up a budget and cut cut and even more cut all the unnecessary ****. Out went my Celtic season ticket, the internet, the Sky sub, the newspapers, the mobile, the drink, the branded food etc

I know folk who complain they have no money but still find the time and money for the bookies and that ole favourite - ciggies & drink!

Without further info from the OP, excuse my while I call it bull****

Dannyboy83

Deleted User wrote: »

Shockingly difficult to believe this story.

Not hard to believe at all.
I know a few people on minimum wage who will be doing similar, and I'm sure for a lot of people out there who will be going home for xmas, they would probably be doing the same.

Personally speaking, I make a fairly decent wage, but my partner is unemployed and doesn't qualify due to means so we can't afford to do anything really, will be going to my parents and skimping big time on presents (doing my bit for private sector reform I hope;)).

oh well

Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueLepreachaun
Yeh giving up the internet could save a whopping...20quid a month...

and


How is saving 40euro a month from the phone and net going to help much if the situation really is that dire?

saving 20 or 40euro can be a decent amount towards bags or rice, pasta, bag of flour (homemade bread), etc. Good nutritional food. Sorry, but I think the OP in this case isn't for real.