when the daily life of retirees becomes a battle

Dominique was a postman, Ginette a cashier. Both are now retired. At the supermarket, they hunt for bargains and prefer less expensive distributor brands. Between them, they receive 2,500 euros per month. The couple does not allow themselves more outings, more restaurants and no travel. “Friends ask us [pourquoi] we don’t leave anymore, but we can’t, if we don’t have the means”, saddens Dominique. Before adding: “It still does something to us, that we are told that and that we cannot do it”.

At 64, Juliette receives a pension of 950 euros per month, and her husband receives 1,000 euros. In the apartment, which they rent for 700 euros per month, the winter has been cool. “It would have to be -5 for us to turn on [le radiateur]”she says. “It’s living by calculating everything. I wasn’t used to it”, confides Juliette. To stick to her budget, the retiree has taken up a job: she corrects copies for a training organization. “I ask myself the question: ‘Until when am I going to work again?’ While I would like to have some time to enjoy retirement, as long as I am still a young retiree”, she adds. Like her, 500,000 retirees have a professional activity.