Surviving for a month on a small pension of less than 400 euros seems like a magic trick in the face of rising food and utility prices.

However, there is nothing magical about it, and the illusion of a magic trick is nothing more than the illusion of a dignified life for one in four pensioners in Croatia.

It was recently reported that one in four pensioners in Croatia, around 300,000 people, live on a pension of no more than 374 euros.

Singles with the greatest risk of poverty

Pensioners who live alone face the greatest challenges as they have no one to share household expenses with.

In general, people over the age of 65 are more at risk of poverty and social exclusion. This risk is estimated at 33 per cent and increases even further for those living alone. According to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, the risk of poverty for people over 65 living in a single-person household is as high as 59.9 per cent.

Beyond these statistics, the question arises as to how these people make ends meet and how they cope with unexpected expenses, how much they spend on utilities, food and medication.

Apart from these three items, they have practically nothing else. They rarely buy clothes or shoes, don’t travel anywhere and no longer count on small pleasures like a coffee in a café.

Getting through the month on 400 and a bit euros

Mrs Ivanka is 75 years old, has been a widow for several years and lives in a village near Pakrac. She receives her late husband’s pension, which amounts to just over 400 euros. That’s only a few dozen euros more than the lowest average pension, which doesn’t give her much comfort.

I can’t remember when I last bought something to wear. I have a pair of shoes that are like new, but they’re over 20 years old

When asked how she gets through the month on this € 400 and a little more, she immediately tells us the most important thing: “If I didn’t have my son to help me, I don’t know how I could survive. I really don’t know.”

Half of her pension goes towards living costs and medication. Even more in winter. Her son and daughter-in-law help her a lot, but they live in Zagreb and are not always available.

“I spend a lot on medication, I save on food”

“I have to go into town at least once a month to withdraw my pension, buy medication and pay the bills. Then I have to pay someone to drive me. It costs at least 50 euros there and back,” she says.

She has a heart condition and spends a lot of money on medication.

If I didn’t have my son to help me, I don’t know how I could survive

“My son often pays for them, otherwise I wouldn’t make it through the month on my pension. I have a garden, but the doctors say I shouldn’t overexert myself because of my heart and I shouldn’t use a hoe. I’m very careful not to spend too much on food,” she tells us.

“I can’t remember the last time I bought clothes”

When asked when she last bought something to wear, she answers after a short pause and some thought:

“Oh, I can’t remember. I have a pair of shoes that are like new, but they’re over 20 years old. I keep clothes and shoes and don’t throw them away. I only have a few clothes, but they are of good quality, bought a long time ago, and I still wear them. When my father died 30 years ago, I bought a black blouse. It’s still hanging in my wardrobe on a hanger, like new,” says the pensioner, who is forced to be thrifty in her old age.

Croatian pensioners rarely buy clothes or shoes, don’t travel anywhere and no longer count on small pleasures like a coffee in a café

She repeats it again: “If it wasn’t for my son, I don’t know what I would do. I can’t go to an old people’s home on this pension. And even if I could, who knows when I’d get a place.”