Energy and food in particular have become significantly more expensive. Inflation averaged 6.9 percent last year. bei ntv.de People from all income groups regularly reveal what this means for their everyday lives – what they earn, how much money they spend on and what is left over at the end of the month. Today:
An assistant in a press department
Surname: I would like to remain anonymous*
Age: 43
Place of residence: Berlin center
Education: Industrial clerk, evening studies in economics
Recent Activity: Assistant to the press department
Working hours per week: 39 hours
Monthly gross salary: 3817 euros
Holiday and Christmas bonus: a total of 4896 euros gross holiday pay and 13th salary
Marital status: single
Household net income per month: 2585 euros
Monthly rent for a 2-room apartment with 59 square meters: 747.57 euros warm (582.03 euros rent; 125.48 euros operating costs; 40.06 euros heating and hot water)
Monthly costs for heating: 40.06 euros as an advance payment for additional costs for district heating (combined heat and power)
How much these have increased during the energy crisis: Dropped by almost 8 percent, I deliberately heated less and saved water.
Monthly electricity costs: 54.96 euros
How much these have increased during the energy crisis: by almost 4 percent
Further fixed costs per month:
- Private pension provision 85 euros
- Insurance: 117 euros for liability, accident, legal protection and private additional dental insurance
- Cell phone 9.50 euros
- Internet 28 euros
- Music and TV streaming 20.50 euros
- Broadcasting fee 18.36 euros
- Sports club 66 euros – that would be the biggest cost factor that I could avoid, but it also serves my mental balance and my health. I am not an outdoor or online athlete.
- Car – I still have that as long as it passes the TÜV: 55 euros for fuel, tax, car insurance, ADAC. Workshop and TÜV are on top. I need it for trips to the surrounding area, i.e. trips or visiting family. But this is still cheaper than car sharing.
- Donations: 6 euros for animal protection
- (My employer covers the 49 euros for the Germany ticket)
The bottom line is discretionary household income for food, hygiene, leisure time, clothing, vacation, etc.: around 1,380 euros
How much of it I put back: I also count 200 euros as my fixed costs, which goes into a savings account for vacations, car repairs, large household purchases such as a washing machine, etc.
How much more I spend on groceries today than I did a year ago: I can’t estimate, I spend around 285 euros a month. I cook with Hellofresh, which costs me around 46 euros per week. I have the feeling that I spend less money, don’t waste any food and eat more variety than if I planned and sometimes only had to buy large packages at the supermarket. In addition, there are around 100 euros in the supermarket for bread, fruit, dairy products and drinks.
What I spend the most money on: For leisure activities and restaurants. We have all reduced our prices considerably among our friends. The entrance fee for clubs is between 20 and 35 euros. A cocktail costs on average 10 to 12 euros, beer 5 euros. Cinema costs 14 euros, in the restaurant it is now more like 40 euros for an evening of food and drink. Concert tickets in advance cost at least 80 euros, my maximum is 120 euros. In total, I spent a good 380 euros on leisure activities in the first few months of this year, but I have now reduced it to around 150 euros per month. I also spend a lot on solo travel holidays because single rooms are more expensive per person compared to two people sharing a double room.
Other editions:
- Household stuff: around 60 euros for plants, decorations, textiles, furnishings, etc.
- Drugstore 50 euros
- Contact lenses 50 euros
- Clothing: 150 euros in the first months of 2023, now reduced to 80 euros
- Gifts: around 50 euros for friends and family for birthdays etc.
How much I spend on vacation: For a six-day package trip to Spain in May I spent around 800 euros plus around 200 euros on site for food and drink etc. Previously the same package trip would have cost less than 600 euros. I travel three to four times a year for a weekend or a week, before Corona and the other crises for around 600 to 700 euros each.
Where do I save money due to high inflation:
- I have reduced TV streaming subscriptions to currently 13 euros.
- I save on my social life, go out less, meet fewer friends. Instead, I spend my time doing sports or at home.
- Of course, I would have further savings potential on clothing, new purchases for the apartment and, thirdly, my sports club membership. But I’m not the type of person for a cheap gym, outdoor or online sports – I like going to classes.
How much is left at the end of the month: Nothing for the first few months of 2023 because I spent too much on my leisure activities. I hope that there will now be 100 to 200 euros left per month.
Wishes for politics: I belong to the middle class, but if I have to start counting my expenses, I fear that if things continue to develop like this, the middle class will be part of the new socially disadvantaged class. And at some point you will be on a similar level as the socially disadvantaged, with the only difference being that the middle class receives no support because the socially disadvantaged are even worse off and rely on support, which in turn is financed by taxpayers. Where will this end? It hurts the economy. If the middle class no longer consumes, production is shut down, products are taken off the market, companies close, jobs are lost – which leads to even more socially disadvantaged people.
The information on these most important income and expenses is based on self-reports and does not claim to be complete.
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I hope that politics, as it is actually intended, acts in the interests and for the good of its people and sees itself as its representative, enters into dialogue with the citizens, and looks at reality instead of from its high horse just to impose bans and punishments, to spread fear instead of hope and to push through their ideologies. This is how I feel about communication since the Corona pandemic. Media plays its part. The politicians have simply lost all connection to reality and to the people. Citizens’ consultations like those of the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, give hope.
And I would be in favor of politicians only filling positions for which they actually have experience. Best example: A man who studied philosophy, philology and German is our economics minister? He has no idea about it. It’s the same as if I were to work as a doctor with my economics degree. In real professional life, you need to have experience in the area you want to work in. Why doesn’t this apply to politics? There are just so many examples where you grab your head and are just stunned, worried about where it’s going to lead, and have no idea how it’s going to develop. I feel unguided, unsupported, unnoticed, unappreciated by our politics.
*The name is known to the editors
