Accountant (62) describes his income as follows: “I am an economical person, I do not heat the house above 18 degrees.”

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My person: I was trained as a textile merchant. Today, I work 70 percent as an accountant in an optician. My kids moved out a few years ago and are on their own. This gives me a whole new freedom.

In the past, as a family, we had to survive on very little money. My ex-husband comes from abroad, his education is not recognized here and therefore his work is poorly paid. I was running the house and raising the children. Sometimes our budget was so limited that we only had enough rice, lentils or soup for days.

I come: My net salary is a good figure of 4,200 francs.

My expenses: Living: Five years ago I bought a house in a village in Appenzell. Two rooms upstairs, two rooms downstairs, quite old and quite basic, but suits me very well. Its price was 450,000 francs. Monthly mortgage interest, heating, insurance, etc. I pay 700 francs for it. There is also 350 francs for occasional repairs.

Since I was single, I still had the money for the house. I grew up under simple conditions. Even after completing my apprenticeship, I always saved my salary. So, when I got married, I set aside a large amount of money. We never touched this money even in the most scarce times. At one point we used it to buy a family flat. I sold them after the kids moved away. With this money, I could now buy my house.

Health: My health insurance costs 526 francs. General with the addition of alternative medicine and free choice of doctors throughout Switzerland. I chose the lowest discount because good health care is important to me. I’m a pretty sensitive person and have gotten sick often in the past. Since I started living in the countryside, I have been able to regain my health.

Telephone, Internet, Mobile Phone: My subscription for everything costs 125 francs a month. I don’t have a television. Despite this, I have to pay a Serafe fee of 335 francs a year.

Mobility: I have an annual subscription to the Ostwind tariff association. I need this on my way to work. I complete my daily errands by bike, walking or by bus and train. I spend a total of 1,600 francs a year on public transport. When traveling I book super-saving tickets if possible. Traveling to friends in Germany now takes six hours instead of three. But it doesn’t bother me that much. Sometimes I would like to have a car, it makes things easier and saves time. I could afford it now. However, I’m leaving it because I don’t really need it and I won’t be able to finance it after retirement anyway.

Retirement provision: I have been paying 2,400 francs a year for the third column for several years. When my children were little, I did not work for a long time, but now, due to my health, I can only work part time and I want to do it. So I have very little money in the retirement fund and my pension will also be small. But I’m not afraid of it. I know how to live modestly and I will find my way.

Direction: Last year I paid 5,600 francs in taxes. My taxable income increases because the mortgage on my house is low and therefore the interest burden is low and the imputed rental value is added to my income. Accordingly, my tax bill is quite high compared to my salary.

Make a donation: I donate about 7,000 francs a year to various charities such as the Beat Richner Foundation, Mothers in Need, Doctors Without Borders, Aid to the Blind, as well as church organizations. Why so many? I see donations as a thank you for all the good things that have come my way in my life. People who feel slightly less well should also experience relief.

House: I buy a lot of things from the farm shop. For the rest, I go to Kumes and buy mainly organic food. Eating healthy is important to me. As a rule, I spend around 800 francs on household expenses. I also include the cost of visiting the hairdresser, new shoes or a restaurant.

Clothes: As a rule, I sew as much as possible myself, this is my favorite hobby. I even sewed ski clothes and backpacks for my children. I am a textile artist at heart. I have a fabric warehouse at home and I occasionally buy gift fabric. Every now and then I use my house money to buy a beautiful fabric.

Luxury: Yes, I can even afford luxury. I use a fresh, clean towel every morning after my shower. Fundamentally, I am an economical person, I do not heat the house above 18 degrees and environmental protection is important to me. But I offer myself this luxury; like a princess in a hotel.

Save: I have no standing orders. After subtracting all fixed costs, I have about 1000 francs a month left to live on. At the end of the month, I put aside whatever is left in the account. Sometimes this is a few hundred francs, sometimes nothing. If I plan to go on a trip or make a major repair at home, I first save this amount separately from the house money and place the order only when I have money aside. If possible, I do not take anything from my savings. Over the last few years I have accumulated an emergency cushion of about 40,000 francs, part of which comes from the apartment I sold.

How do I feel inflation? I see things getting more expensive but it hasn’t affected my life yet.

Here’s how I feel: Wonderful. Never in the last 30 years have I had as much financial freedom as I do now. As a family we were always close, sometimes too close. I still think we didn’t have a bad time. He helped us a lot. Our friends gave us the clothes their children were wearing or their bikes that were too small. Childhood shapes. Mine left me humbled, satisfied and grateful. Financial abundance is not life’s lucky charm. If there is enough money, then this is of course reassuring. But true wealth is the satisfaction found in charitable exchanges with the people around you. He who has degrees gives degrees to those who need them. I’m lucky to be in a position to give right now.

*Name changed, real name known to editors

by Raphael Brunner

Source :Blick