At the age of 70, she is forced to share a house with strangers: “I have 400 euros left to live on for the rest of the month” [vídeo]

The housing crisis is no longer a problem exclusively for younger people, but has now hit the senior population hard. Skyrocketing rental prices, combined with pensions that do not keep up with the cost of living, are forcing many seniors to make drastic survival decisions. It is the portrait of a new social reality where privacy and retirement give way to sharing forced by strict economic necessity.

Tomasa’s case is the visible face of this precariousness that affects more and more pensioners. At 70 years old, this woman was forced to rent a room instead of an entire house to avoid being homeless, sharing a roof with three people in Móstoles, on the outskirts of Madrid.

The story is advanced by the Spanish portal Noticias Trabajo, which cites an interview where the elderly woman exposes the cruel mathematics of her daily life. With a renovation of just 650 euros and a rent of 250 euros for the room, the bill is simple and painful: “I have 400 euros left to live on for the rest of the month”, he confesses, admitting that the amount is scarce to cover all the remaining food and health expenses.

Extreme Savings Strategies

The same source indicates that Tomasa’s budget management requires radical cuts in basic consumer products. The elderly woman bluntly admits that, to make money, her meals often consist of mortadella sandwiches, ensuring that she survives on this restrictive diet.

Inflation in the supermarket forces savings tricks to be taken to the limit to avoid financial collapse. The retired woman confesses that she always looks for the lowest prices and, when the milk starts to run low in the packaging, she even adds water to increase the quantity and make it last longer.

Coffee and vacations have become luxuries

Even coffee has become a luxury item that is practically unaffordable for your wallet, requiring work in exchange for this small pleasure. Tomasa helps with cleaning at a cultural center for the elderly and, as compensation for the service provided, he is allowed to consume whatever he wants in the institution’s bar.

The aforementioned source explains that leisure and rest outside the home were completely crossed out of the plans due to lack of funds. During the summer months, the alternatives are limited to going to the municipal swimming pool when you can pay a symbolic entrance fee of one euro or taking showers at home to beat the heat.

Despite the financial difficulties and lack of privacy, home sharing brought an unexpected benefit in combating social isolation. The elderly woman shares the apartment with a nursing assistant and two boys, with whom she claims to have an excellent and close relationship.

Evening moments have become the favorite time of the day, transforming the living room into a space for sharing experiences between generations. Tomasa takes on the role of confidant and advisor, helping her younger housemates deal with everyday work problems.

Refuses to live alone out of fear

The experience of living in a community proved to be so positive for her mental health that the retired woman made a surprising decision. Even when she was offered the possibility of an apartment where she could live alone, she chose to refuse the offer in order to stay with someone.

It also explains why the fear of loneliness and depression speaks louder than the desire to have a private space. Tomasa prefers to maintain his sharing routine and space restrictions rather than face the silence of an empty house, finding the family he needs in his roommates.

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