During the last recession, Infosys founder Narayan Murthy published an article in TOI on ‘How to save money during recession’. Many read that and felt a strange anger that what does a wealthy founder of Indian tech giant know about cutting corners. Others felt motivated by the workable examples like use public transport and ditch the car. I am quoting this example as I followed this advise until things became fine again and they did get better. It took time but it was better.

This advise was reminded today by my subconscious state of mind when I started to realize that there are things which are finishing off at home and we are faced with the challenges which are more real than anything we have gone through in the longest time possible. There are many ways we anyways should money right now as obviously we are very much sprinting towards a recession in my view. Like maybe good idea to use toilet papers only when very very essential instead use water for cleaning, reduce the food wastage to minimum (its strange that people waste food but it does happen) and when you buy groceries then maybe its good idea to stick with the basics.

Side Note: please do not hold yourself from helping someone. Please help.

Today, I had to make a decision which was more powerful than saving my rickshaw money. So, many of you know that I use Insulin to survive and I test my blood sugar atleast 5 times a day( which is a part of prescription).

The cost of my monthly Insulin is somewhere around 5000 and my test strip which used to cost 550 for 50 strips now comes at 870 for 50 strips. Do the math, I use 1 bottle of 50 strips in 10 days alone. So its heavy money when I am not certain about anything. More than money, I am worried that I might not be able to find the Insulin and test strips easily in lockdown. Its a kind of fear I can not explain.

Its like oxygen for my body and the only thing I can do right now is ration my insulin and test strips. And the only way to do that is to regulate everything I eat like a hawk. This means, avoiding any snack unless very necessary and eating limited food at all times which thus will reduce my need of insulin on daily basis. Its not easy to do at all. I am at home, stressed with work and I can not eat chai and biscuits and a meal till satiation? yeah I can not. But its fine. Its for the better.

So many people out there are surviving on such less food so I should really not be complaining right now.

BTW, if any reader has T1D then do you also feel that this is a rich person’s disease? Isn’t it expensive to manager? And no in my country this is not covered in medical insurance. Leave me your comments please and share your story. What are you doing to keep yourself safe and healthy?