Inflation

Time will tell if I made the right decision but I've just locked in my mortgage for the next 10 years at 3.3%. I think low interest rates are gone for a good while (5+ years) and I'd rather the security of knowing how much I will be paying for the next 10 years.

12 years ago we fixed our mortgage for 10 years at 4.85%! The gamble didn't pay off for us as rates fell well below that. At the time we fixed there was talk of rates going up. We currently have our mortgage fixed af 2.35% for the next almost 5 years. Mortgage will be paid for in 6 so happy with that rate. I'd say your rate will be a bargain in a few months. Would agree that low rates are gone for a while so I'd say your on to a winner. But the security is also worth considering. You've nothing to worry about (re rate rises) for the next decade.

I noticed that too, I must have a look at mr price, it's usually a bit cheaper in there.

yes and Dealz (if you have one near you) - or any of the Euro saver type stores..

I looked on argos today to get a kettle. The last time i got one (admittedly about 18/20 mths ago) it was €9 odd for the cheapest basic cookworks one. Now same one is €18. 100% increase. Other small electronic appliances have gone way up too. They can't possibly justify doubling the price in a year and a half.

price of some of my usual groceries were up today in Tesco eg: grapes - usually 1.99.. now 2.39.. sweet chilli sauce - usually 2.99.. now 3.49.. ekk

scary times

You may not exactly understand what sustainable living actually means.

I do the odd trip north too combining with visiting family near the border and it is worth stocking up on certain items, usually go to Asda. If you only shopped in somewhere like super valu down here you’d be spending a fortune on just groceries

And yet many farmers in Ireland have never been better off. They can also get part time jobs and their land is worth a fortune. If they can't make it work sell it to another for a handsome price.

Suffice to say inheriting a farm is not a hardship but a gift.

1 acre now worth 12,000 Euro.

Disagree with what? Many farmers are doing well in Ireland and inheriting a farm is very fortunate, most folks don't inherit anything.

They come from China, cost of freight has skyrocketed, cost of inputs, global population growing, etc. Currys is €13

dont waste your time explaining to someone with such a simplistic view…..get a part time job, sell it up.

They don’t and can’t understand as they have never experienced the hardship of drawing water to cattle (or cattle to water) as the water pipes in the shed are frozen.

They don’t understand most can’t sell due to the fact that the farm house you live in is surrounded by the farm and would require the house to be sold also.

And mostly they don’t understand that and payments to farmers are not farmers subsidies. But consumer subsidies. To make food affordable for the masses.

You couldn't sell the farmland or lease it?

Not believable , I'm from a farming background myself.

Farmers moan a lot but the fact is there are plenty of subsidies, grants, milk prices are as high as ever and Farmers own a valuable asset that most were gifted. A hundred acre farm is easily worth a million euro.

Not exactly hardship is it.

Yeah, I was thinking the same so I locked in for 10 years at 2.85%. I think, that at least in the medium term, interest rates will increase and stay high from some time. As you say yourself though, even if I'm wrong at least I have certainty about what I am paying for the remainder of my mortgage (I also reduced the term to 10 years). I can't see rates dropping so low that it will make it fell like a bad mistake anyway.