2007 Minimum Essential Standard of Living Budgets

The following is presented for each household:

• The cost of a Minimum Essential Standard of living for full-time worker without entitlements to secondary benefits (the costs of housing and car ownership are excluded)
• The expenditure for specific households in the same category
• Details of total weekly income and expenditure for each household and the weekly shortfall or discretionary income.

• Two adults and two children (3 year old girl and 10 year old boy)
• Two adults and two children (10 year old and 15 year old girl)
• One adult and two children (3 year old and 10 year old)
• (A) Pensioner couple - Contributory Pension (age 66-69)
• (B) Pensioner couple - Non-Contributory Pension (age 66-69)
• Lone female pensioner (age 70+)
• Single adult male (age 25+)

2007 Minimum Essential Budgets for Six Households

Introduction
A minimum Essential Standard of Living – What is it?
‘A Minimum Essential Standard of Living is one which meets a person’s physical, moral, spiritual and social wellbeing’ (UN definition of an adequate lifestyle).

2007 figures
The findings of the 2006 study were updated to allow for changes in social welfare payments, threshold levels and changes in taxation. Inflation for each expenditure category was also taken into account.

For Further Information
For more information on the budget standards process and the contents of the 13/14 expenditure categories, see Minimum Essential Budgets for Six Households 2006 pages 40-43 (publications)