NO MATTER WHERE you look these days, it seems like everything has become more expensive. 

Whether it be the price of your weekly shop, filling the car up with petrol, going for a night out with friends or even grabbing a takeaway coffee while you’re on the go, the rising cost of living means that some things have simply become unaffordable. 

We asked our readers to share what things they can no longer afford, or have given up on having.

Thank you to everyone who got in touch. Here’s some of what you told us. 

‘I can’t remember being this tight for money’

A woman in her 40s from Co Mayo who earns €42,000 said she started working six days a week to try not to fall behind on bills, and dreads any unexpected costs coming up because “we don’t have the money to cover it”. 

“I can genuinely never remember being this tight for money,” she said.

I literally spend my waking hours when I’m not at work trying to figure out if there’s anything else we can cut back.

“We have already cut out holidays, meals out, the weekly takeaway, cinema outings with the kids and other days out.”

She said that after she ended up in hospital for two weeks, statutory sick pay of €110 per day only covered the first week.

“I had to go back to work the day after getting out of hospital, even though I knew I wasn’t well enough.”

Another reader said they can no longer afford to buy new electronics as the prices on so many tech gadgets have doubled.  

When they decided this year to replace their phone and laptop, which were more than ten years old with cracked screens, they said they “had no choice but to buy second-hand everything, which obviously has its own risks”. 

They said they do not buy any type of insurance, describing insurance products as “rip-offs”. 

‘I learned to cut my own hair’

A single mother of three adult daughters got in touch to say that while she was “never flush with cash”, she worked full-time and there was “always enough for little treats along the way”. Now, she has had to cut back on a lot.

Where she used to mainly shop in Tesco and pick up some things in Lidl, now Tesco “is only for special treats” while Lidl and the Euro shops are where she gets most of her groceries. 

“We have also given up on nicer cuts of meat. Stewing beef and mince only. Decent coffee and fabric conditioner or fancy shampoos and stuff got the cut too,” she said. 

She got rid of Sky television and has given up on having many different subscriptions at once, now rotating monthly between Disney+, Netflix and Now TV.

I cannot remember the last time I ate out. Even McDonald’s is out of reach these days. Four burger meals comes to over €50, that’s more than half my weekly food budget.

She said she only buys clothes on Vinted or from secondhand shops, and gave up on going to the hairdressers.

“I used YouTube to learn how to cut and dye my own hair and I’ve actually got pretty good at it!”

She also said that where the family would try to get away on a sun holiday every year, the last one they had was in Croatia in 2019. Her passport is out of date, and she does not see a reason to renew it.

The woman said her eldest daughter has decided to stay in the UK for Christmas this year, “which I’m heartbroken to say has made the financial aspect of the season easier to bear, but I guess it also means hosting family gatherings are now also becoming too expensive.”

‘We can’t justify overpriced Santa visits’

A woman from Dublin who earns €96,000 said she has given up taking her children to Halloween and Christmas outings, like going to a pumpkin farm or an “overpriced” visit to Santa. 

“We just can’t justify the €100+ on them, or the hassle of booking them when they sell out so quick,” she said. 

The cinema is also one we are giving up on. It cost us €70 for food and tickets for two adults and one child the last time we went.

She added that she has also “had to ration what luxuries go in the weekly shop” due to the cost of groceries. 

‘Our rainy-day fund is completely gone’

Joe (40s) in Co Kildare said he is earning €44,000. His wife works full-time at a local café, they have two teenage children, and they own their home outright. Despite having no housing costs, he said the cost-of-living crisis has hit them hard. 

It wasn’t one sudden decision to cut back, but rather a slow drip effect.

“Our weekly grocery shop looks completely different now; we rarely buy beef or alcohol. Chicken fillets have been replaced by thighs, minced beef has been swapped for cheaper pork or mixed mince, lamb is off the menu entirely, and a whole chicken is a rare treat.”

He also said their social life “has stopped” and they can no longer afford to go out for a family meal once or twice a month like they used to. 

“Even smaller things have changed: my sons get their hair cut every 6 to 8 weeks instead of every 4, takeaway coffees are a thing of the past, and we’ve cancelled our gym memberships to ensure we can still afford our kids’ sports club fees.”

Joe added that their rainy-day fund, which used to cover things like heating oil, holiday deposits and Christmas presents, “is completely gone, swallowed up by basic everyday expenses”. 

“We always believed that owning our home outright would protect us from financial hardship. Instead, we find ourselves significantly less financially secure today than we were five years ago, back when my wife was a stay-at-home mum.”

‘I can’t afford to drive to see friends’

A 29-year-old from Co Tipperary said they are currently studying for a diploma, but as they recently moved back to Ireland after 10 years abroad, they are not entitled to the Susi maintenance grant. 

The biggest impact of the cost of living has been on their social life. 

I live in the countryside and can no longer afford to drive down to the city regularly to see friends or go to events. Everything beyond the commute to work and college for my partner and I has been restricted.

“I have had to give up all streaming subscriptions and my gym membership. My partner and I have to plan and meal prep for every day of the week,” they said. 

“I was working a part-time job, but was let go due to my starting college. Because I’m not entitled to Susi maintenance and haven’t heard from the dole, the situation got this bad around September.”

They said they felt less financially secure when they were studying abroad, but only because they didn’t have family nearby in case of emergencies and had no savings.

“I’m currently living off my own savings, but I have about €3,000 and it’s not going to last for the rest of the academic year, much less if there’s an emergency or unplanned cost.”

‘I have to refuse medical appointments’

A woman in her 20s living in the midlands said she gave birth at the end of August. She was receiving Jobseekers Allowance but had no medical card and as she was in hospital, she was unable to collect her payment.

She said she was sent home after a complicated delivery with a large prescription of medication, which cost over €125 in the pharmacy. She borrowed money from a family member and submitted an emergency Drugs Payment Scheme form to pay for them.

Six days later, she had a “major issue” with the wound healing, which left her “in agony”. But she said she did not receive support from the maternity unit and did not have €70 to go to her GP.

“I waited three days until my next Jobseekers payday, collected my money and made the appointment. I got referred to the hospital immediately due to a severe decline in health. I was borderline septic at that point.

That admission took half of what was in my bank account and the new medications I needed took the other half.

The woman said she had to discharge herself against medical advice because she could not risk “being stuck in hospital again with no money”. It left her alone with a one-week-old baby “and not a penny in the bank”. 

“I sobbed, heartbroken that I had to pay so much for healthcare. I felt incredibly vulnerable that I had to delay a life-threatening medical event as I didn’t have the funds to pay for it. It is a moment in my life I will never forget.”

A man in his 40s who had to stop working when he developed myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) said he only buys essential food and avoids buying treats or going to the cinema or café. 

“I have to refuse medical appointments with consultants to explore my ME/CFS because I can’t afford the consultations. My ADHD prescriber has also retired and I cannot afford more consultations, although I need to be medicated.”

He said he has been without medication for over two years, which “makes daily life and just reading and writing very difficult”.

“My present and future are bleak, but I’m especially concerned that so many others are in the same boat.”

Some contributions have been edited for clarity.