Author Topic: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35  (Read 3164 times)

graciax452

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Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« on: August 15, 2018, 06:48:08 AM »
My first post!

I have been lurking and reading since 2015 when my FI journey started and I usually find what I need and can apply it to my situation, but now I’m stumped. Let's start with the numbers then go into all the background:

I am 35 ( nearly 36) single, no debt.

I earn 91200€ per annum/ U$D 103200  (7600€ per month/ U$D 8600) I moved to Germany mid-May and am currently in a company flat for 6 months so my expenses are little as I am settling in. Then I have to hunt for my own place.

SAVINGS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Retirement Annuity: South African ZAR…. R361,928.00…………..21,935.03€   
Cash Balance: South African ZAR…. R525,288.47…………………..31,835.66€   
Bitcoin: South African ZAR……R22,000.00……………………………….1,333.33€   

SAVINGS IN GERMANY
Contribution to German state Pension…………………………………..…1,571.00€
Cash in Germany…………………………………………………………………….31,951.82€

TAX
About 3600€ in tax, yep crazy high, it covers mandatory health, obligatory pension scheme, unemployment insurance solidarity tax, church tax
         
Current Total savings…(ZAR909,216.47) 55,104.03€+33,522.82€……. 88,626.85€


   CURRENT Expenses (till Nov 2018)
Groceries, household costs etc……………150.00 €
Public transport…………………………………….80.00 €
Entertainment and Leisure ……………………70.00 €
Studies - uni courses, online………………….10.00 €
Bank charges etc (SA)…………………………..15.00 €
Donations, Church…………………………………20.00 €
     Current Total Expenses ………….350€   / U$D 400
Savings rate (of nett)   91%
Savings rate (of gross) :(   48%

        PROJECTED Expenses (from NOV 2018)
Accommodation per month ………………………….700.00 €
Utilities - water and electricity, radio………………80.00 €
Internet……………………………………………………………30.00 €
Groceries, household costs etc………………………150.00 €
Clothes…………………………………………………………….50.00 €
Public transport……………………………………………….40.00 €
Entertainment and Leisure ………………………………50.00 €
Studies - uni courses, online ……………………………10.00 €
Sports fees, subs - fencing + dance…………………30.00 €
Music, strings, lessons etc.………………………………30.00 €
Bank charges etc…………………………………………   
Donations, Church……………………………………………50.00 €
Holiday savings and gifts………………………………….50.00 €
Parents Mortgage, dependants…………………………100.00 €
Liability insurance………………………………………………10.00 €
House insurance…………………………………………………20.00 €
Musical Instrument insurance, 2 harps, violin……..20.00 €
Car Insurance and bicycle…………………………………..60.00 €
Petrol/ Travel Costs, toll gates etc.………………………80.00 €
Vehicle payments - maintenance/ servicing………..33.00 €
Vehicle payments -  cost buying   
   Projected Total Expenses ………….1,593.00 €    /     U$D1805

Savings rate (of nett)   60%
Savings rate (of gross) :(   32%

Now with the numbers out of the way Some background info:
1. I have no debt
2. When I began my FI journey in SA I figured I could hit my target of R4,5mil by 40 to 43 or so especially as my salary was increasing quite a bit and my savings rate was about 80% and life in SA is dirt cheap. I've moved and this no longer holds true and I need a new plan ASAP... more like yesterday....
3. I was planning on getting a small flat to rent out in SA before I moved, hence the reason I have so much as cash because it was in a managed fund I took it out to pay for the flat cash (about R300k) and then reinvest the rest, and then I planned to move to Canada in 2019. I then got headhunted by a German firm and it seemed an amazing offer, well job wise it is coz I was beginning to hate my job….
4. Now it seems impossible to reach FI early because life in Germany is expensive ( projections are looking like 16 years :() Rent alone will cost me about 700€ in SA I paid about 270…I had hoped to not have vehicle costs but I am finding that places close to my place of work are a bit expensive and I can’t get to the stuff I want to get to, symphony choir, a place to play music, church, fencing, dance. So if I move it makes sense to get a car as the trains here are not that cheap either (and maybe I’ll be able to start playing at weddings again and the harp pays for its own costs). Could not bring my car from SA as we drive on the left over there… I plan on learning how to cycle and then use that to get around till November and reduce car costs that way as well after November.
5. I think I’ll stay here for about 2 years till mid 2020 (unless I get married or something like that) Plan is to move to Canada (have family there) or some place in Asia like Japan.
6. A lot of rentals here have no fitted kitchen… it’s crazy but it means quite a bit of money is used up just to rent
7. Buying property here is a nonstarter….

So here are some expenses I am expecting to have by November…
Upcoming costs         
Bicycle…………………………………..300.00€
Car……………………………………….5,000.00€
Kitchen + furniture……………….5,000.00€


The questions:
1. That money sitting in SA is no good, but I have no idea how or where to even begin looking to invest in Germany, everything is so confusing and my day to day German does not cover financial stuff yet, any idea where I can get good simple information? So far it seems that taxes are the one thing that will kill me.
2. Any ideas on how best to move my cash out of ZAR? End of May I could have gotten about 36k euro but now the Rand has dropped so am looking at about 32k so it does not seem like a good idea to keep it there…
3. Or should I just look to reinvest it as previously intended in SA as moving it out will kill me with charges and exchange rates…?
4. Is there a way for me to invest ‘internationally’ so that regardless of which country I end up in I don’t get hammered by stuff like capital gains tax? If yes what should I start investigating, I have seen some Vanguards in the UK/ Ireland but how would those work?
5. What is the easiest stuff to start with, I keep seeing stuff about EFT’s and Bonds but I’m not sure I understand them enough to know what I should go for?
6. Everyone in Germany is insured to their necks, I’m not sure what to take or not, because repairs here would kill me - is household insurance, loss of work etc insurance necessary in Germany? I am thinking if I get a car then I get insurance only for car and personal liability and little for my musical instruments, but if I can get out of paying insurance I welcome any possible alternatives.
7. I want to help my mom pay off her mortgage (about U$D 15000) in Zimbabwe and had thought to just do that, but with the Rand Dollar exchange rate not being in my favour at the moment not sure anymore about doing that now. Good or bad idea to use the SA money for this?
8. Anything that I’m doing that is totally dumb? Any ideas are welcome, I’m totally out of my depth and this stuff is making me feel stupid coz I can’t figure out what to do.

I know most of y'all are in the US but still hoping to get some good information. Thanks in advance :)

graciax452

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #1 on: August 15, 2018, 11:51:47 PM »
Any ideas?

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2018, 12:21:16 AM »
Yes! Marry me!*

Hmmm...Probably not helpful...  Someone will likely respond, give it a couple of days. It can take longer for people to respond when there are trickier elements like multiple countries or currencies involved.

*Because you live in one of my all-time favourite countries and play instruments.

reeshau

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2018, 01:22:35 AM »
I don't have any specific advice relative to your situation in Germany, but I do have this observation: it seems you took the job offer without doing enough research on cost of living and lifestyle in Germany, so now you have found out that this opportunity was not what you imagined.  (to state the obvious)

However, you also say you only plan to stay in Germany for two years, and are looking to move elsewhere.

So, my advice is two things:  first, do not worry about bringing all your resources to Germany for such a short period.  Moving investments in and out of funds (forget countries) will increase your risk of bad market timing, and will likely cost you quite a bit, too, since fund and brokerage costs in Europe are generally higher than the US or Canada.

Rather, I would advise you to take this time and deeply research all your current questions for your next country, assuming you will be there for longer.  (and maybe forever, for Canada)  The real lesson you have learned is that moving country is a complex decision with a lot of assumptions that you made, and were proven wrong.  For now, just worry about stability in Germany, and use the 2 years to plan your next move to be successful in advancing your big goals.  As you complete your research, you could look into moving investments there, or someplace that is acceptable / advantageous there.  But do not make decisions in a hurry, at the risk of making a further mistake.

For specifics, I would definitely look at one of several cost of living calculators available online.  You should be able to compare South Africa, Germany, and potential new home locations for comparison.  The good news is you now know what HCOL looks like (not really, HCOL, compared to New York, Toronto, London, etc. but on a global level)  so you have a frame of reference for places in between.

For investing, I have found, having moved recently to Ireland, that I very much miss my low-cost mutual funds from the US.  (I still have them, but not in my DC pension plan)  It seems common here for people to use Charles Schwab for US investments, as they do not refuse accounts due to paperwork for non-US account holders.  But, having foreign accounts means learning their tax structure, too, so again I would hold off until you a) know more and b) know where your next stop is.

graciax452

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2018, 02:27:41 AM »
I don't have any specific advice relative to your situation in Germany, but I do have this observation: it seems you took the job offer without doing enough research on cost of living and lifestyle in Germany, so now you have found out that this opportunity was not what you imagined.  (to state the obvious)

Thaks for the comment, very helpful. Oh if you could see my spreadsheets with analysing to the last cent, believe you me I did and even used the relocation agency and the company HR to verify my online findings, thing is I asked them to verify high-end numbers or at the very least averages but they clearly gave me low end and seem shocked when I keep asking why the numbers they sent me don't properly add up. They literally said, but no-one saves that much here, and don't understand why I want to live on less, to them I'm being 'crazy and difficult'. For instance, I asked repeatedly as I kept getting conflicting information online, what price cars  I'd be able to fit my harp in would cost, they kept saying if you buy 2nd hand you can get something from 2 to 4k... I'm yet to find that unicorn. Same with housing they were so sure I could find something within walking distance to work that would cost me 600 including utilities... yet another unicorn... Case in point someone will show me something within the range and it will be a shitty place to say the least, where I won't be able to play my instruments or with cigarette smoke billowing in through the windows from the neighbours.  And Germans just don't seem to put information online! Researching the town is crazy hard online, and all the work I did was clearly just not enough. But point taken, never trust what the people paying you are going to say because they don't want to pay you too much.

My research helped but not enough, my intel was OK but clearly not great, it's mainly those two expenses I can't reconcile in my head I guess, housing and car, the rest I have managed to bring into what I would call reasonable.

  But, having foreign accounts means learning their tax structure, too, so again I would hold off until you a) know more and b) know where your next stop is.
True so I am hunting furiously for information, preferably about international type investing 'borderless' if such a thing even exists as I have never seen myself settle in any one place forever my home base will likely be Canada or South Africa or Zim... maybe. I guess I have to make some sort of decision about this soon. Question is what is the best to do in the meantime before I do decide?

graciax452

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2018, 02:30:54 AM »
Yes! Marry me!*
*Because you live in one of my all-time favourite countries and play instruments.


Haha LOLs still trying to figure out if it's all it's cracked out to be, I'll let you know if I'm in a position to accept  :D. I was last here 12 years ago some things are as I remember, others not so much LOL

reeshau

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2018, 03:11:49 AM »
My research helped but not enough, my intel was OK but clearly not great, it's mainly those two expenses I can't reconcile in my head I guess, housing and car, the rest I have managed to bring into what I would call reasonable.

I did not mean to imply that you did no research, but you have to look at the results.  I would not fault your colleagues; the difficulty in research by interview is that you not only deal with your assumptions, but also theirs--things they don't think to mention, or things outside their experience but they still try to be helpful.  Internet resources can also be dubious, particularly if they use old information.  But I found this website helpful:

https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living

Question is what is the best to do in the meantime before I do decide?
The core of my advice is not to rush anything.  A quick decision can cost you a lot in fees or taxes.  And, at worst, you miss out on two years of gain.  As a caveat, I do not know if currency exchange rates are good or be for you now; that is another risk that I only know through USD/Euro rates.  But I would wait to make the right long-term decision, even if it costs you a year or two of gains.

Maschinist

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #7 on: August 16, 2018, 04:22:44 AM »
Hi. As a german citizen and living in the US for several years before moving back to Teutonia some bullet points below:

1. As an expat you need a worldwide operating broker and all your investment problems are gone!
Look for Interactive Brokers. You can operate this account from nearly all over the world, connect checking accounts from nearly all over the world and invest in passive Vanguard ETF. There is no need to wait. Just open an account. Buy ETF and later when you move you dont need to sell anything. You can even buy already the US-versions of the Vanguard ETF. They are threated slightly different regarding taxes in Germany but when you move anyway in some years that doesnt make a real difference.

Done!

2. Suggestions for lowering your expenses:

- Go to the City council "Stadtverwaltung" and officially leave the church by signing a document. That will safe you the church tax and has nothing to do with your religious beliefs that you can freely continue to honor. Savings: 20 Euro per month

- Change from the public health care system to a the private health care system. With your higher salary you can choose freely one of the two systems.
The public health care system makes no sense for you if you are a young single with higher income and especially only plan to stay for a few years. (the public system makes a lot of sense when you are married and with kids because your cost would not go up in this case). Savings about 150 Euro per month.

- Try to find a shared housing flat in a cool district of your city with students or young educated professionals. This is a very good option in Germany as shared housing is safe and popular for young university educated professionals. Next to saving several hundred Euro per month in rent and also budget for furnitures you get to know new interesting people in your new country. That can bring you a lot of happiness compared to living alone and not speaking the language at the beginning! This is not a poor people thing. Many young professionals are doing this after career start to get to know new people in their new city. Just look for the good districts close to the University.

Later when you can speak some German you will also find many German FIRE blogs like mine to get to know more like minded people:
https://freiheitsmaschine.com/

I wish you a great time in Germany! Innitially the Germans can appear a bit dry and rough at the beginning but when you get to know them better you may find some great and trustable friends for life!
« Last Edit: August 16, 2018, 04:33:23 AM by Maschinist »

Spruit

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2018, 04:26:06 AM »
Maybe these folks can help you? I think it'd be okay if you ask in english, eventhough the thread is in Deutsch.
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/mustachianism-around-the-web/mustachianism-applied-to-german-way-of-life-deutsche-mmm-ratschlage/

Linea_Norway

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #9 on: August 16, 2018, 05:07:58 AM »
About car insurance... If you have a cheap car, you don't need to insure more than the obligatory insurance. Here in Norway we also have an option of insuring cars partly, for damage that is not your own fault. That is cheaper than all risk.

As mentioned above, you should indeed move into some form of collective living, of rent a place and take a roommate, who likes harp music.

Could this be a solution for transporting your harp?
https://www.bakfiets.nl/


graciax452

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #10 on: August 16, 2018, 06:51:09 AM »

The core of my advice is not to rush anything.  A quick decision can cost you a lot in fees or taxes.  And, at worst, you miss out on two years of gain.  As a caveat, I do not know if currency exchange rates are good or be for you now; that is another risk that I only know through USD/Euro rates.  But I would wait to make the right long-term decision, even if it costs you a year or two of gains.

This is good advice, I guess the opportunity cost is weighing on me a bit, do something now or do nothing and be ok with 'gains' not gotten later. But I need more perspective and this reminds me of that. thanks

graciax452

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #11 on: August 16, 2018, 07:03:29 AM »
Hi. As a german citizen and living in the US for several years before moving back to Teutonia some bullet points below:

1. As an expat you need a worldwide operating broker and all your investment problems are gone!
Look for Interactive Brokers. You can operate this account from nearly all over the world, connect checking accounts from nearly all over the world and invest in passive Vanguard ETF. There is no need to wait. Just open an account. Buy ETF and later when you move you dont need to sell anything. You can even buy already the US-versions of the Vanguard ETF. They are threated slightly different regarding taxes in Germany but when you move anyway in some years that doesnt make a real difference.

Done!

2. Suggestions for lowering your expenses:

- Go to the City council "Stadtverwaltung" and officially leave the church by signing a document. That will safe you the church tax and has nothing to do with your religious beliefs that you can freely continue to honor. Savings: 20 Euro per month

- Change from the public health care system to a the private health care system. With your higher salary you can choose freely one of the two systems.
The public health care system makes no sense for you if you are a young single with higher income and especially only plan to stay for a few years. (the public system makes a lot of sense when you are married and with kids because your cost would not go up in this case). Savings about 150 Euro per month.

- Try to find a shared housing flat in a cool district of your city with students or young educated professionals. This is a very good option in Germany as shared housing is safe and popular for young university educated professionals. Next to saving several hundred Euro per month in rent and also budget for furnitures you get to know new interesting people in your new country. That can bring you a lot of happiness compared to living alone and not speaking the language at the beginning! This is not a poor people thing. Many young professionals are doing this after career start to get to know new people in their new city. Just look for the good districts close to the University.

Later when you can speak some German you will also find many German FIRE blogs like mine to get to know more like minded people:
https://freiheitsmaschine.com/

I wish you a great time in Germany! Initially the Germans can appear a bit dry and rough at the beginning but when you get to know them better you may find some great and trustable friends for life!

Thanks so much! Will definitely look for Interactive Brokers! They sound like what I may need.

So my thing with opting out of the Church tax, is if it's ethical? What I have done instead is just reduce my usual donations by that amount, since I don't get a tax rebate for them here and in SA I did get a tax rebate for them so that's I worked that bit out.

I'm struggling with finding comprehensive information on insurers be they health or other. They are a gazillion! Deutsche Bank has offered me private health through a partner, DKV, but I'm wary of products sold via a bank, so still in the research stages, just wish the stage could go faster, any ideas of good comparison sites?

Also found your site yesterday :) So yeah busy improving my German as I go (when a word stumps me ggogle translate helps) and realising I need to start a financial course to understand all the machinations...

I find I'm not a great person to share with, probably also because the last time I did was a few years back, that was with 1 person and before that with 6 people so I'm all shared out. I a bit of a neat freak and dirty dishes and floor bug me, plus I love to practice my music till 11pm or at 6 am... not always great for sharing, but I may do it short term as I hunt for that underpriced gem. I got a suggestion to check out Salz&Brot and will do so tonight.

Thanks!

graciax452

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #12 on: August 16, 2018, 07:08:46 AM »
About car insurance... If you have a cheap car, you don't need to insure more than the obligatory insurance. Here in Norway we also have an option of insuring cars partly, for damage that is not your own fault. That is cheaper than all risk.

As mentioned above, you should indeed move into some form of collective living, of rent a place and take a roommate, who likes harp music.

Could this be a solution for transporting your harp?
https://www.bakfiets.nl/
Cool I'll look into that.
I saw those cargo bikes, and though they were epic, even measured my harp to see if it would fit, it would need some interesting mounting. :) They are a bit expensive and also not great for a person who can't even cycle yet, so I am hunting to see if there are like addons I can have to add behind me... like a trailer one day. But one step at a time... first learn to cycle!

graciax452

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #13 on: August 16, 2018, 07:13:39 AM »
Maybe these folks can help you? I think it'd be okay if you ask in english, eventhough the thread is in Deutsch.
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/mustachianism-around-the-web/mustachianism-applied-to-german-way-of-life-deutsche-mmm-ratschlage/
Thanks, have begun reading it. I am finding some of it a bit difficult to follow as I had always kept my stuff super simple in SA in managed funds, need to get myself educated.

bwall

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #14 on: August 16, 2018, 07:14:10 AM »
I'm from the US, but lived in Germany for a few years in the past, and still have contacts there.

The first thing that I thought when I saw 93k EUR per year in income, is holy f*** that's a lot of money. You should be able to save a *lot* more than in SA.

Depending on where you live (and your job), you can easily get by without a car. You can thus cut your budgeted expenses by 10%, or more, every month. Cycling is very popular among all age groups and public transport is very safe and reliable.

Taxes are higher in Germany, but in exchange, the crime rate is very low. You can walk alone outside at any time of day or night without fearing for your life. No need to lock and unlock each door in your apartment anytime you want to leave/enter a room, and no way in h*** anyone will shoot you in your own apartment (a la O. Pretorius) You can sleep with the window open at night, no need for burglar bars, carjacking is unheard of and home invasions nonexistent.

Are you counting your 1571 EUR contribution to German state pension as 'expense' or as 'savings'?

graciax452

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #15 on: August 16, 2018, 08:06:29 AM »
I'm from the US, but lived in Germany for a few years in the past, and still have contacts there.

The first thing that I thought when I saw 93k EUR per year in income, is holy f*** that's a lot of money. You should be able to save a *lot* more than in SA.

Depending on where you live (and your job), you can easily get by without a car. You can thus cut your budgeted expenses by 10%, or more, every month. Cycling is very popular among all age groups and public transport is very safe and reliable.

Taxes are higher in Germany, but in exchange, the crime rate is very low. You can walk alone outside at any time of day or night without fearing for your life. No need to lock and unlock each door in your apartment anytime you want to leave/enter a room, and no way in h*** anyone will shoot you in your own apartment (a la O. Pretorius) You can sleep with the window open at night, no need for burglar bars, carjacking is unheard of and home invasions nonexistent.

Are you counting your 1571 EUR contribution to German state pension as 'expense' or as 'savings'?

Yeah, except I was well paid in SA so...so far it's about the same even though exchange rate says I'm getting paid more. the Euro is stronger so there is that. It's finding ways to be badass without losing quality of life that I'm looking for I guess. I lived in a pretty safe space but yeah one could say it's relatively safer here. Thing is I live in a town where not much goes on so if I want to go to stuff (choir, sport with adults and not kids, like right now my fencing class is all kids)and get on the train it's about 6eur one way, that will make my costs shoot up considerably. And still takes over an hour to get to due to station changes or the last stop being 2km away from where I need to get so I end up walking half an hour. It's good for fitness, but means that you can't really do much when you have to plan at least an hour travel time back home when it's late.
Guess I'm just spoilt, hence the questions so I can figure out what people here do and I can try that out too.

BrightFIRE

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #16 on: August 16, 2018, 12:20:45 PM »
Yeah, except I was well paid in SA so...so far it's about the same even though exchange rate says I'm getting paid more. the Euro is stronger so there is that. It's finding ways to be badass without losing quality of life that I'm looking for I guess. I lived in a pretty safe space but yeah one could say it's relatively safer here. Thing is I live in a town where not much goes on so if I want to go to stuff (choir, sport with adults and not kids, like right now my fencing class is all kids)and get on the train it's about 6eur one way, that will make my costs shoot up considerably. And still takes over an hour to get to due to station changes or the last stop being 2km away from where I need to get so I end up walking half an hour. It's good for fitness, but means that you can't really do much when you have to plan at least an hour travel time back home when it's late.
Guess I'm just spoilt, hence the questions so I can figure out what people here do and I can try that out too.

You might want to consider that for all the good suggestions, your response, is "yes, but". Yes, but I don't like having roommates. Yes, but the exchange rate makes it the same. Yes, but it takes an hour to take the train. If you want to be badass, you're going to have to be flexible. Maybe you get over the practicing at 11pm for a few years in exchange for a cheap rent.

Buses exist in Germany - learn the bus network and see if you can do a train/bus combo, or just take a bus. Is there a nearby town that is more of a transit hub, so that living there would make all of your commuting shorter? When you say your ticket is 6eur each way, that says to me you haven't bought a transit pass. Usually resident's passes are much cheaper than the visitor passes or cash purchases.

For cost of living comparisons, check out https://www.theearthawaits.com/

graciax452

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Re: Case Study - Clueless! What do I do now? Expat, Germany, 35
« Reply #17 on: August 16, 2018, 02:40:07 PM »

You might want to consider that for all the good suggestions, your response, is "yes, but". Yes, but I don't like having roommates. Yes, but the exchange rate makes it the same. Yes, but it takes an hour to take the train. If you want to be badass, you're going to have to be flexible. Maybe you get over the practicing at 11pm for a few years in exchange for a cheap rent.

Buses exist in Germany - learn the bus network and see if you can do a train/bus combo, or just take a bus. Is there a nearby town that is more of a transit hub, so that living there would make all of your commuting shorter? When you say your ticket is 6eur each way, that says to me you haven't bought a transit pass. Usually, resident's passes are much cheaper than the visitor passes or cash purchases.

For cost of living comparisons, check out https://www.theearthawaits.com/

I'm sorry I'm coming across as if I'm complaining and not considering peoples advice. I had hoped to clarify. I apologise I was not clear from the get-go as to what I had already looked into as being feasible from where I am. I have looked into moving to a village between here and the city, which looks like it will be best with regards to transport, I did look into transit and monthly cards, students cards etc but because of what I earn I don't qualify for most of those, and because I currently walk, it would be waste to buy a monthly ticket as it costs more than the once or twice a week that I do use the train at the moment to get to the city (card only reduces cost by about 12% for daily use). The city has a better bus and train network, but flat rental is way more expensive. The first month I got a month card for my town, but then realised I could walk to work in half an hour, and that the card could not get me to the city, I want to do more and be active so I'm looking into ways to do that without breaking the bank, hence the hope to get help here. I was just hoping to find out what other people are doing that I had not considered, I did consider sharing and here a big BUT will come, been there done that, got the t-shirt would really not like to go back, I may do it in dire circumstances, mainly because I sometimes work late or sometimes start early, I also have exams so am studying before I get home, if I do have a concert coming up I have to practice before and after work. The two months I have been here I've only practised over weekends because I want to be considerate to my neighbours, but I'd really love to get playing by November when I move hence the reason it looks like living alone is the only viable option. It could also be another income stream, which makes practice necessary.

My main concern is how do I make my savings work for me and not just sit and how do other FI people work it out this side of the world. I apologise that it seems like I am not considering people suggestions, I am and they are all great, and I'm looking into all of them, it's just unfortunate I can't take or implement them all. The past two months has seen me get new sneakers because I have been walking everywhere trying to figure out where it is best to live, within what I want to pay and would allow me to have a life on the cheap since I am all alone here... else I may as well stay in every day which means I am not integrating. I hope I have clarified and not come across as being negative at all, that's not my intention, I see this as an adventure and a challenge that I WILL win, just hope not too make too many mistakes in the process due to my ignorance, hence the reason I am asking for advice. I'm here to learn so do teach me.