Another family dreading Christmas

Christmas should be one of the best days of the year for families.  Instead, while children are getting excited, their parents are desperately wondering what the December Budget will do to their fragile finances, and where they will find the money to make Christmas special this year.  


Another mother tells her story:

We are one of those middle income families with 'irresponsible consumer debt' as they're now calling it. We're struggling to pay a car loan that we took out before the recession as a necessary part of rural living with no public transport. The car was needed as my husband drives a three hour round trip to work to an area that has no bus or rail service. The cuts and levies that have already been imposed are already leaving us struggling. The child benefit is used in our home for grocery shopping. The children already wear hand me down clothes and we rarely go out, either as a couple or as a family. Neither my husband or myself smoke and we've cut back on pretty much everything we can at this stage. The only things left to give up are our bin collection and the TV. We have no savings and the thought of Christmas leaves me with a feeling of dread.

I know we're lucky in that my husband is still employed but the constant worry is for how long. We have no family here and my husband works irregular shifts so even if part time work for me was an option, there aren't any jobs out there for me to do.

I wonder if the government truly knows how bad it is for many of us?

Middle income families need child benefit too

As explained in a letter to Minister for Social Protection Éamon Ó Cuív T.D. by a Cavan mother of four:

Dear Sir,

I wanted to contact you directly, because at this time I am extremely 
worried and annoyed at the prospect of the impending budget and what 
that might do to my child benefit.

I and my husband are law abiding tax paying citizens, we have never 
claimed for anything that we were not entitled too. It seems our only 
crime is having children, which it is clear that this government does 
not value. The greatest crime of all perhaps is that 3 of my 4 children 
are triplets. Whilst I know that we receive an enhanced payment for our 
children (currently €1198 per month) I would implore you that this money 
is not used to pay for a lavish lifestyle or shoes and handbags. Every 
cent of that money is used to pay for schooling (including the non 
voluntary contributions!) feeding and clothing, I would also used this 
money to pay bills. At the end of each month I don't have money left 
over, indeed I shop in Lidl to make my euro stretch as far as it can. If 
there is €10 in our account at the end of the month I am lucky.

My husband is a "middle income worker" currently on middle 50'sK and 
the only income coming into the house. We do not qualify for medical 
cards. My children cannot see the dentist, I simply do not have the 
money per child to go and I am unable to go either and I seriously need 
to! I dread it if we need to go to the doctor, how or where will I find 
€45 plus prescription money, that's half of a week's grocery shopping. We 
have an averaged sized house and whilst we carry a mortgage we are making 
those payments.

However, if you slash our benefit, and introduce higher taxes or 
property and water charges, I simply do not know how we will make ends 
meet. Whilst I can appreciate that perhaps that sounds dramatic, it is 
the truth and Christmas will be a very poor affair in this house.

Next year we have communion for our triplets, how will I afford even the 
dresses which I know they would like? Forget holidays there won't be 
any. Saving money for a rainy day...there isn't any.

My question then is this, how do you expect us to cope? A whole swathe 
of middle class people have simply become the working poor, and if you 
as a government constantly tax and take money from us, just how do you 
expect to stimulate the spending and thus get us out of a downward spiral?

I know I am not alone, there are families all over Ireland like mine, 
fearful of the budget, fearful of whether they will be able to continue 
to live in their homes, be able to make ends meet.

Finally I am angry that this country's wealth has been squandered on the 
banks. I am livid that this government rather than look to streamline the 
quangos, committees and inefficient running of state departments, which 
are rich for being targeted as a first line of spending cut. The 
government would rather seek to take from the families of Ireland. Thus 
perpetuating the story that cronyism is alive and well in Ireland. I 
have lost my respect for this government and my faith in the country. 
What have my children got to look forward too? Certainly not an 
opportunity rich future.

Sincerely,

Sarah