The cash many fork out on a couple of rounds of drinks in a Front Street bar is all ‘Mr A’ can afford for his weekly groceries.The 89-year-old former Government employee has between $50 and $70 left for food and household essentials once rent and all his bills are taken care of.It’s a good job his doctor is kind enough not to charge him any more than $20 when he makes his frequent visits for prostate cancer treatment.Like many elderly people in Bermuda, this man is thankful for any help he can get; as in many cases when the state’s support system falls short, the health service provider steps in.He agreed to interview with The Royal Gazette as part of our The Cost of Living series, under the condition that we protect his identity.Every bill is meticulously accounted for by Mr A, who operates by a simple rule of pay bills first and spend what’s left on groceries.He lives alone in a very small, tidily kept, one bedroom flat in Devonshire, where his most luxurious possession is an old television set on which he watches the local news every evening.Of his $946 monthly Government pension, $604 goes on rent while, in his most recent bills, $87 went to electricity, and $34 to his telephone.For this particular month, that leaves little over $200 for everything else, which makes frugality a way of life for Mr A.“I do my shopping on Wednesdays, because it’s five percent off at the supermarket,” he said.“A couple of times I haven’t gone because of the weather, so I went on Thursday instead and had to pay more, which made it much more difficult.”His diet usually consists of cornflakes for breakfast, fruit such as grapes for lunch, and something more substantial for dinner. On the day this newspaper visited, that meant last night’s leftovers.“I got a meal from Hamilton Pharmacy for $4 yesterday,” he said. “I try to make that last.”He said he would be eating it with a whole-wheat roll he bought as a treat for $4, but added: “I don’t make a habit of that.”But he retains a positive approach to life, saying: “I still get along. I’ve got to live somewhere. A lot of places may look topsy turvy but I try my best. I’m not going to make a lot of fuss about trying to get extra. There’s enough here.”Life would be much more difficult if his doctor charged him full price for cancer treatment.“I don’t know how much it would cost if they weren’t helping me,” he said. “They just ask for $10 or $20, which is all I can afford. I don’t know what I’d do if they asked me for full price. You can’t not got to the doctor’s if you’ve got cancer.”And in any case, there are some much worse off than himself, he noted as he reflected on the plight of ‘Mrs O’, the widow who came to national prominence when it was reported she was living alone with dementia and diabetes.“I just think about that poor woman, 98 years old,” he said. “That’s bad, man. It’s getting this Country a bad name.”