Broke Nation: 1.9 Million Irish People Struggle to Pay Their Bills Every Month

Okay so according to a new survey, despite the recession, we’re a nation of positive, happy people. Great, right? What’s not so great is the news today that almost 1.9million Irish people have €100 or less left each month after they pay their bills.

Reports today are flooding in that Irish homeowners and renters alike are struggling to keep themselves afloat during these difficult times. In fact, almost a quarter of Irish homeowners say they have no money left in order to pay the controversial property tax.

A survey conducted by the Irish League of Credit Unions revealed that 1.86million of us now have less than €100 left over from our wages every month after we’ve paid our debts, compared to 1.64million last April. Even more worrying is the fact that the number of Irish adults left with nothing after paying their bills has increased by 28,000 since June of this year.

Money, money, money: Millions of Irish people are struggling to pay their bills.

In the past 12 months, 42 per cent of Irish consumers had to actually borrow money just so they could pay their household bills. According to the survey, mortgage and rents continue to be the biggest cost for 70 per cent of adults, followed by general utility charges.

The weekly shop comes next, followed by car and transport costs. However, people are also worried about further rises to come including Budget cuts and the property tax.

Do you struggle when it comes to paying your bills every month?