Budget 2026: 'I can’t fathom the amount we're spending on essentials' 

Despite living in a solar-powered home, a Killarney couple say soaring energy and grocery bills are pushing them to the limit

In recent years, many households have found themselves struggling under the weight of astronomical energy bills.

However, the Real family from Killarney came in for quite a shock after being hit with electricity bills peaking at €500, despite owning an environmentally low-impact home.

Actor and father-of-two Matt Real, 34, has had to supplement the family’s income by taking on a full-time job outside of the arts. He is now also working in the call centre where his wife Rosie, who is also a screenwriter, has a management role.

The couple, who share two children together, Charlie, 7, and Jackson, 9, were forced to take the measures due to rising costs impacting everything from groceries to energy bills.

Rosie, 33, spoke about the mounting pressures associated with the cost-of-living crisis.

“The money wasn’t going as far as it had before,” she says. 

“Matt decided he would have to get another part-time job in addition to the acting. He was having to act and also work part-time. He eventually had to get a full-time job with the acting. 

"Even now, with us both working full time, it is a stretch trying to meet the bills. I write screenplays, so all the writing, acting and directing has to be done outside of work, resulting in us being crazy busy all the time. 

"I don’t think we’ll ever lose that drive in spite of the struggle that comes with it. 

"Even if we were living in a box we would still be pursuing our dreams.” 

Hikes in everyday essentials have taken their toll on Matt and Rosie’s bank balance.

“I can’t fathom the amount we are spending,” Matt said. 

“We are forking out €200 a week in addition to the small shops in between, which mostly consist of stuff for the kids’ lunches. 

We used to shop in Dunnes and avail of discounts and vouchers. In the end, we came to the conclusion that the prices were pushed up so far that the special offers and discounts didn’t make a difference.

Energy costs have also put a dampener on their spending. 

“Our provider is Airtricity. We are in arrears now but we are paying it off little by little. When we moved over to pre-pay we had a bill that was really high," Rosie says.

"We have arrears now of €600. We were getting bills of €400 every two months. Our highest bill was €500. That was just under a year ago.

"We live in an eco-house where there are solar panels and a heat pump. Before moving in we were told that we would be paying very little on electricity, but our experience has been different. 

"We switched over to pre-pay to try and curb the costs and I have to top it up. We find this helps us keep an eye on our costs. A positive is that the costs are consistent. 

"The bills stay the same throughout the year. It doesn’t end up being more in the winter like in many other homes. Even just having people over heats the house. They were built that way. We don’t have to spend extra to heat it.” 

Rosie admits the cost of living crisis has taken its toll on the whole family.

When I got promoted to the position of manager where I work it didn’t change my lifestyle. The reality is that while my wages went up so did the cost of living. 

"It’s difficult working so hard to get somewhere only to achieve your goal and find that the prices have gone up. Sometimes the kids notice when we’re having money worries. 

"They’ll ask us if we’re okay. I always hate when they accidentally hear us talking about money but we’ll always reassure them that everything is okay.”