I remembered!

Some times I get so used to having my blog available to share my thoughts that I forget that I actually set it up to chart my journey to a more simple life, but also a more frugal life. So today I get back on track.

Beloved had a heart attack when he was in his thrities. That changes your outlook in life in an instant but it has a more material effect on life as well. Because he was so young at the time the doctors give him quite a lot of medication each day. He takes 6 tablets each evening and 2 in the morning. This equates to 8 prescription charges every couple of months. This would cost £330 per year even if he didn't have any other prescriptions. However as a swimming teacher he catches all sorts of other things during the year and has at least another half a dozen prescriptions from end ot end of the year.



For the last 5 years we have bought an NHS pre payment card for around £100 and this pays for all of his prescriptions for the year. I think we can safely assume that this saves us around £300. When he had less medication we bought a four month card and ensured that we were prescribed at least 8 months medication during this time. This seems to be perfectly legitimate as it was suggested to me by the pharmacists in our local supermarket. I could still do this I know but he gets enough 'in between' illnesses that a 12 month card is a good investment.

Secondly.I was talking to a friend of mine at work this week. He is unhappy with how our work is going. He doesnt like that we merged with two other organisations (me neither but that just because I really liked it when we were very very good at what we did whereas now we seem to be in chaos)or that we have a new computer system. He is mid fifties with only £5000 left on his mortgage. He has been saying £5000 left on his mortgage for some years. 'So', say I, 'why don't you make a concerted effort to clear your mortgage and take the redundancy offer then you can do what you like instead'. No, he cant afford to. 'But ofcourse' say I, 'since you wont have a mortgage to worry about any more you wont need much money'. But apparently its 'too much of a faff' to be a little frugal. Too much effort to shop around for goods or services. A real effort to shop somewhere other than Sainsbury. There is no point to me making suggestions as being unhappy and sqandering cash is the decision he has made. I enjoy my work (which is just as well when you consider how much mortgage I have left to pay) but if I didn't then I wouldn't stay at work a hour longer than I needed to. and I am damed if I would spend an extra 5 years at work just so that I can shop is Waitrose and John Lewis instead of Lidl & Ikea. He has no idea of how to find his freddom and I think that is really sad.