Saving Money

 

 

Saving money is always nice. Here’s a list of tips on what you can do. The first part of this page gives general tips, the second part tips specifically for students. For ways to estimate cost of living in Germany, see the finances and taxes page.

 

General Advice

Travelling

  • Travel by bus. Deutsche Bahn’s (DB) monopoly has been dissolved, creating competition between private bus companies and resulting in very cheap intercity bus lines. These buses are usually modern and comfortable. Flixbus is a popular intercity bus operator.
  • If taking the train between cities, book your tickets early to get the “Sparpreis” fare. If you’re travelling by train occasionally, check whether a BahnCard 25 is worth it - but make sure to cancel it in time, or else it will auto-renew!
  • An alternative to buses is travelling with someone else who goes the same direction. Less reliable, but also even less expensive. Look for rides some weeks ahead of your journey at mitfahrgelegenheit.de or BlaBlaCar.
  • If you can avoid it, don’t own a car. Public transport in Germany is very good and students get heavily discount season tickets (many employers also contribute to the costs of a public transport ticket). A cheap bike (to make it less likely to be stolen) is also a good way of getting around most cities.
  • Get longer public transit passes. Yearly public transit passes are much cheaper than daily, weekly or monthly ones. Some cities offer special tariffs for students and seniors. There are also limited time tariffs for people who never travel early in the morning. The price difference can be massive - hundreds of euros per year!

Groceries / Food

  • Drink water from the tap. The water quality in Germany is really good, and especially so in Bavaria. Buy yourself one high-quality sports bottle, fill it up in the morning and carry it with you when out and about to avoid giving into the temptation of buying a small bottle of water when feeling thirsty. If you absolutely must have sparkling (fizzy) water, invest in a CO2 system (for example, SodaStream) and make your own fizzy water - although you’ll have to regularly pay to fill up your CO2 cartridges.
  • Buy groceries from supermarkets. Most of them even bake their own bread. These self-service stations might be cheaper than a normal bakery. The bakeries at supermarkets, however, are often more expensive than regular ones.
  • Aldi is probably the cheapest discounter in Germany. However, do not buy booze there - the beer is sold in plastic bottles and the spirits are no-name products. The wine might be okay. Go to a beverage store or to Netto, Real, Toom to get some proper stuff.
  • Many supermarkets sell a combination of branded and no-name products. “Gut&Günstig” and “Ja!” are very cheap brands.
  • Don’t buy organic (“Bio”) food. Although it is considered to be healthier than normal food, it is also more expensive. Germans are obsessed with organic food, just as the Brits are with fair-trade stuff.
  • Buy unprocessed foods and cook your own meals. Avoid single-serving portions and ready-to-eat meals.
  • Buy fruits and vegetables when they are in season; out of season, they can be eye-wateringly expensive.
  • Go dumpster diving, if you’re into that.

Other shopping

  • Look out for Facebook groups where you can buy second-hand stuff, such as furniture or clothes. Some people want money, some want to exchange it for e.g. a beer crate, some might offer their stuff for free. Ask a local student. They might know the name of your local group. “Fair-Teiler” is a group name that is quite common. See for yourself if they have a local “branch”.
  • Get cheap clothes at H&M, C&A, or at a thrift shop.
  • Buy furniture at IKEA, second-hand shops or those “Fair-Teiler” groups. It’s very easy to find cheap second-hand IKEA furniture, because it’s in every home.
  • Look for local ads on platforms like eBay Kleinanzeigen, where people are often looking to sell second-hand stuff for very low prices - although you’ll need to pick it up yourself.

Recycling

  • Recycle bags. You can use them over and over again.
  • Plastic bottles, aluminium cans and beer bottles have a deposit. You can return bottles and get that deposit back. There are bottle return machines in most supermarkets. The deposit is 0,08€ for beer bottles, 0,15€ for small plastic bottles, and 0,25€ for large ones. It’s around 3€ for beer crates. However, not all stores accept all drink brands, especially when it comes to glass bottles and beer crates. This guide shows you how the bottle deposit (Pfand) system works.

Free Time / Culture

  • Instead of going to the Oktoberfest in Munich, enjoy a local “Kirmes/Kirchweih/Volksfest” where one “Maß” (= 1l of beer) doesn’t cost 10€. Almost no tourists, more locals, more intimacy.
  • Get familiar with the local bar/nightlife cycle. In the town where I am from, each nightclub had its own day of the week with good deals on drinks. Some nightclubs also offer free entry before e.g. 10 p.m. However, you will also have to put up with 16-to-18-year-olds who are allowed to stay in till midnight.

Living

  • Live in a shared flat (“WG”, Wohngemeinschaft) as opposed to a flat/room by yourself. Not only will it likely be cheaper, but you will meet new people more easily.

Taxes, insurance, rent etc

  • Depending on your situation, there might be cheaper forms of health insurance. Don’t just look for the cheapest option. Talk to an independent health insurance broker (preferably one that works with expats), and see what your options are. Joining the KSK is a good example.
  • Every year, 3 months before your electricity, internet and insurance contracts renew themselves, start looking for cheaper options. You can save a lot by jumping between different providers and pocketing sign-up bonuses. This is common practice, and tools like Verivox automate it.
  • Make sure your rent is not illegally high. The rent is capped by the Mietpreisbremse. If you pay above the legal limit, you can get your rent reduced AND get money back for the past months.
  • Dare to live outside of cool, central areas. It can be much cheaper, quieter, and barely inconvenient. Germany has great public transportation, so living outside of the city centre is not a big problem. It can be nicer and quieter there.
  • Pay your insurance yearly, not monthly. It’s cheaper.

Source: How to save money in Germany

Tips for Students

  • If you are an exchange student: Many universities offer trips to their exchange students which are cheaper than usual.
  • Get yourself a “Semesterticket”. Most universities offer it. It is valid for one university term and usually gives you free rides on public transports within the town you’re studying in. Some Semestertickets even allow you to use the train for free in the Bundesland you’re in. Or free rides to the next major city and its surroundings. Or discounts on tickets within your Bundesland.
  • A student card will give you discounts at swimming pools, cinemas, etc.
  • Join local student associations for free time activities. Many universities offer free language courses and sports. By “student associations”, I do NOT mean “Studentenverbindungen” or “Burschenschaften” (=fraternities). Fraternities in Germany are often traditionalist, require fencing practice (and sometimes even fights) and many of them mingle with far-right groups (especially the “Burschenschaft” type. You do not want to be associated with those latter ones.
  • Eat your meals at the university canteen (mensa), but avoid the single-serving snacks (e.g. chocolate bars) sold at the cashier.