W
hen Pat Purkiss’s state pension lands in her bank account each month, she immediately puts £200 into her savings account, which she says is about a third of what she gets. She has to work hard to make the rest stretch, but the former medical secretary says she simply “has to save”.
“I don’t even know what I’m saving for really. I wouldn’t enjoy spending it,” said Purkiss, 86, from Christchurch in Dorset. “It’s ingrained in me that I must put money away. I’ve always paid a proportion of what’s coming in into a savings account and a cash Isa, and I’m still doing it now — the money comes in and goes back out the same day.”
Purkiss traces her lifelong savings habit back to when she was a child. She remembers being about five and owning a “very heavy” Post Office savings book, which had holes that you poked notes through. Her mother kept the key.
She was only young, but the lesson was learnt. She remained a diligent saver her whole life, squirrelling away some of her pay cheque every month, and missing out on holidays and meals out to bolster her finances.
