What I spend in a month as a freelance writer in Ireland

It’s a miracle I can barely pay the bills

Always on the lookout for deals at the supermarket. All pictures: Paola Bassanese

A popular feature in Irish newspapers is “what I spend in a week” and similar types of money diaries^¹. These articles are real eye-openers on many levels:

• they show the huge income disparities in Ireland, with frontline workers struggling to make ends meet while high earners live comfortably

• some people have no discretionary income after paying the bills and essentials, but others can afford holidays, meals out and investments

• the cost of food is almost prohibitive in Ireland and so is housing.

To give you an indication of how much people earn in Ireland, examples of money diaries that have been published anonymously in early 2024 include one from an early years educator on 25k euro salary a year and an HR specialist on 94k euro per year.

More than 1 in 10 people in Ireland risk poverty

The average rent in Ireland was 1,544 euro in 2023². The average salary in Ireland is about 45,000 euro in 2024³. That’s about 3,000 euro a month after tax or 36,000 euro net a year. The risk of poverty rate in Ireland in 2022 was 13.1%⁴.

Compare these figures against the 2024 report from the Economic & Social Research Institute⁵, which stated that the Irish GDP is growing at 3.5% per year in 2024 and is predicted to grow by 3.8% in 2025, with 4.3% unemployment rate in 2024 and predicted 4.2% unemployment in 2025.

However, inflation has eroded the spending power of ordinary people, with consumption figures slowing down since 2022 while prices have increased.

Yes, that’s a pair of jeans reduced to 2 euro.

I talked about my strategies to save money on my food shopping in a previous post, and even though I bargain-hunt on a weekly basis, I still spend way too much money at the supermarket as food prices have gone up. Additionally, bills have gone up, with providers raising their prices in line with inflation.

Seeing how other people spend their money can be a useful exercise as it can help us make necessary adjustments such as reducing our non-essential spending and putting more money aside for our pension (if that is realistic and feasible, of course).

Spending categories

I have been using a spending tracker app since 2018. It’s a free app so it’s basic but it does the job. It displays how much you spent by day, week, month and year, and you can search by category.

These are the categories I use (some were pre-filled, some I have added myself):

• shopping (food)

• house supplies (non-food related plus garden supplies)

• mobile phone

• broadband

• electricity

• heating

• waste collection

• taxes

• eating out

• coffees

• entertainment

• bank charges

• clothes

• general

A few things to consider about my situation: since I adopted my dog in 2022 I have spent slightly more on food than before. On average it’s an extra 30 euro per month.

I am a homeowner without a mortgage and no dependants (well, apart from my dog!) and I don’t have a car. As a freelance writer I don’t have to be in an office and I don’t need to spend money commuting to a place of work.

Essential bills

Essential bills include mobile phone, broadband, electricity, heating and waste collection. In Ireland households don’t have to pay water rates (but businesses do).

Ever since I moved to Ireland I have been switching electricity suppliers⁶ on a regular basis to save money on tariffs. This is a habit I had developed when I lived in London and has been so useful to reduce my outgoings.

For my heating I use electric heaters plus a bioethanol heater, so I go and buy a bottle of bioethanol every few days in winter. However, I prefer to wear extra clothes indoors and save money when possible. Many Irish households still use fossil fuels for heating: for example, 1,000 litres of heating oil⁷ costs approximately 1,000 euro and that will last for about two months during winter.

Here is the breakdown of what I pay per month:

• mobile phone 36 euro;

• broadband 35 euro;

• electricity (estimated 40 euro, currently in credit);

• bioethanol for heating 24 euro (only if when outside temperatures go below zero);

• waste collection 25 euro (I’m on a pay-as-you go contract).

In Ireland there are a few companies that will do curbside waste collections and you can choose to pay annually, monthly or “per lift”, which is a pay-as-you-go contract where you pay a small service charge plus a fee by weight each time your waste is taken away.

When I lived in the UK the waste collection fee was part of the Council Tax each person pays to their local council. The charge was calculated based on the property tax band your house or flat was in.

I personally think that the Irish waste collection model is fairer than the British one because it is directly linked to the amount of rubbish you produce. Waste gets divided into general waste and recycling (this includes plastic, paper and aluminium). Since February 2024, aluminium cans and plastic bottles can be returned via reverse vending machines and you get a small cash deposit back.

Food waste can also be collected, but I opted for composting in my garden to save money.