“For many older people, food is a way to welcome their family, and if they can’t afford it, they either don’t eat, or they eat less for themselves later in the week. I appreciate it.”
Some people, who had avoided restaurants and crowds during the pandemic, were eager to go out to dinner with friends, but that night out became expensive.
“I started going out to lunch once or twice a week, and it turned out to be $20 for lunch. That’s a lot of money,” said Sharon, 73, who has owned a telecoms business for decades. Cohen said. Instead, Cohen and her friends go for walks and invite friends to book club gatherings. Occasionally I meet people at my local hub for an egg and bagel sandwich.
“As we get older, especially after COVID-19, it becomes very important to go out and be with people, even if it’s just for a walk or a cup of coffee,” she said. rice field.
Cohen and her husband, Jean-Henry Maturin, 80, have a retirement savings plan from their employers, but they put that money away in case one or both of them need to stay in a medical facility. Meanwhile, they’re trying to pay their bills, including repairs and upkeep on their 300-year-old home in Newtown, Connecticut.
To defer Social Security checks, Cohen and her husband have been looking for ways to cut costs. They kept the heat down and the phone bills down. She buys less beef and her favorite, her late July potato chips, only when they’re on sale. Cohen also loves scallops, but she avoids them for cheaper seafood such as flounder and cod fillets.
“And I’ve probably eaten more tuna than I ever have in the past year,” she said with a laugh.
But after suffering from cancer twice in the past five years, Cohen said he’s also conscious about eating healthy.