I call it thrifty. Others may describe it as mean. For those with bonds who enjoy a high standard of living but are currently struggling with declining savings and rising costs, there seems to be only one sensible answer. Stop buying things.
Throughout my life, Ireland has gone from a poor and relatively backward country to a consumerist American society where a broken dishwasher or no running tap 24 hours a day is seen as a family disaster. I was.
So today I’m formulating a set of house rules — if I dare to enforce them — some of my adult children will leave the house and end up with such walls terribly. You might be forced to take refuge in an overpriced Celtic tiger apartment built so thin you could hear your next-door neighbor pulling the curtains (and whatnot).
Before we get into the microeconomics of households, let’s start with the big ticket items.
energy cost
The heating doesn’t last until November, but we might allow the wood stove to light.
We live in an old, poorly insulated house, but I’ve always had the idea that if you want to stay warm, you can put on a jumper or walk around the block and you won’t feel cold when you get home.
No heating until 5 PM. For some people who work from home, this should be a good incentive to return to the office where their employer can shoulder the burden of keeping them warm during the day.
Frankly, we live in one of the warmest countries in the world. The idea of staying warm all the time is neither healthy nor economical.
I don’t want to seem callous to the old or infirm who may need more heat than others, but the idea of young and fit people complaining about “fuel poverty” is the most alive. The Irish people lived in humid and airy houses, heated only by direct fire.
car
ditch the car. OK, it’s a no-brainer for me who’s spent most of my life on bikes and public transport.
But think about the price of the car, the cost of buying the car, the depreciation after it leaves the showroom, taxes, insurance, parking, and the annual cost of gas.
If you haven’t already realized, “they” (the gray bureaucrats who dictate our lives) have already decided that they don’t want people driving cars, and they want people who do. I am making it as difficult as possible.
If you don’t really feel like throwing it away, cut it back. Keep the car you were planning to trade in for a few more years. Get a bike (electric or otherwise) and walk the kids to school.
Save lots of cash by walking to shops and other places.
Michael O’Leary tried to convince us that we are one of the wettest countries in the world. he was wrong Either way, a worthwhile investment in good rain gear will get you through some of Ireland’s worst weather.
toiletries
Too much laundry is done in this country.
A long time ago, Brendan Behan recalled that once a year, Grandma would wash her body “whether it was dirty or not.” It’s a rebellious thought, but her pendulum has certainly swung the other way.
Before I dealt with it, members of my family tended to drain unused hot water down the plughole until they remembered to turn the shower on and then wander around the house to shower. Those days are gone.
We’re entering the realm of the three-minute shower. If you can’t clean it in that time, you’re in trouble.
Supermarket shelves are crammed with things that smell like a whore’s handbag, as my old boss used to say. You don’t need it—choose a bar of soap instead.
We spend billions of dollars on chemical cleaners and horribly over-hyped drugs that kill 99% of germs. We need bacteria. they are part of us.
Why does this generation have to wash once worn? It costs money and is bad for the environment.
And you can really save money by disabling the tumble dryer and hanging your laundry to dry.
People want to save the planet, but they leave the lights in their homes on and switch them off.
clothing
All new purchases are prohibited. Our homes are moaning with unused clothing arriving from courier caravans during the pandemic. Charity has brought unused clothes to her shop and clothing bank, but the wardrobe is overflowing. I also found a product with the tag attached.
The world groans under the weight of cheap clothing. My (unreceived) advice over the years is to buy less and buy better.
It’s clearly not going well, so the only solution is to suspend new clothes altogether.
to drink
I have to say that I experienced the birth of bottled water, but like the internet, I never thought it would take off. Another environmental disaster.
I remember an advertising agency running a “Wearable Water” campaign. It’s as if walking around like an idiot with a bottle of water makes you somehow more attractive.
The water that comes out of the tap is the same, if not better, than what you can buy in a plastic bottle, thanks to the very infamous Irish Water. So buy one of these fancy containers and start using what left-wing madmen are guaranteed to get for free.
The thorny subject of alcoholic beverages is no easy feat, but what is widely referred to as the “hospitality sector” is starting to look priced out of the market.
I recently sat outside a trendy pub in Ballsbridge, Dublin, and ordered a pint of stout and a branded gin and slim tonic, €17, said the server with a smile. Hmm.
It’s easy to save money on drinks. Here are a few friends lost in that short sentence, but the truth is it’s good for your pocket and your health.
food
Liver is one of the things I no longer have at home.
Modern families turn their noses to organ meats and canned foods. So I’m probably going to work on this part of saving cash on my own. I don’t shop so that’s the weakest link.
I went to C&N Meats on 8 Meath Street, Dublin, and for less than €7 cheaper than trendy coffee and scones, I got enough liver for three healthy dinners. Only me and Bertie (the dog) had fun.
Then I went to my local Aldi and bought 10 cans of sardines and mackerel fillets for 45 cents.
OK, my breath may have had no scent, but it was ten lunches (with a little salad) for less than a cup of tea and bread.
Like many people growing up in humble Ireland, I was raised on cheap cuts of meat such as pork and bacon (ham once a year), vegetables, potatoes and stews.
My kids eat only breasts or fillets of meat of their choice and think nothing of pre-cooked meals (drowning in all sorts of wicked sauces) or expensive, poorly nutritious takeaway food. not.
There are cheap foods that are delicious and healthy. you have to find it.
Conclusion
While there are many ways to save money, there are no easy answers to the disposable consumer society that has engulfed Ireland in the last 50 years.
Before you complain about the rising cost of living, start thinking about how to avoid it and do what you can to save the planet along the way.
The only real problem is: If we all ditch the car, live on liver and sardines, soap he washes himself for three minutes a day, and generally stop buying things, the economy will probably collapse in shock. system.
