Helping Henry take control of his money
Henry (not his real name) was a 25-year-old autistic man who had been one of my martial arts students. He was a genuinely nice young man, but life had been difficult. His father had left, and his relationship with his mother had broken down during his teenage years. Living on benefits, he was constantly short of money and regularly found himself in debt.
Knowing his financial situation, I never charged him for classes. As I got to know Henry better, I decided to help him look at his finances and find practical ways to make his money go further.
We started by looking at his spending habits. Henry often bought things on impulse, purchasing items he didn’t really need. Together, we worked on recognising these habits and thinking more carefully before spending.
Next, we looked at where he shopped. Henry would take a taxi into town to buy his food and then pay for another taxi home. I pointed out that, although some items at his local shop were more expensive, buying them locally could still work out cheaper than paying for two taxi journeys.
By making these relatively simple changes, Henry eventually reached a point where he was saving around £200 a month. That was £2,400 a year—a significant amount for someone living on a limited income.
The lesson? You don’t have to earn a fortune to make a difference to your finances. By understanding your spending habits, questioning impulse purchases and looking at the true cost of everyday choices, even small changes can add up to meaningful savings.
At PEMS Life, we believe that practical changes can lead to lasting improvements. 💚
