Assessment of financing scope with 4620 euros net

So 20€ for clothes is more than enough for me. My T-shirts (black, nothing else) have gone up in price and now cost 30€ for a 10-pack instead of 22€ last time (outrageous inflation!), but they last a few years until they turn gray. You can get jeans for 20€ (store brands from clothing chains and for me the only reason to still go "into town"), etc. So clothing is certainly not the category that has been optimistically calculated ;)

But you are more the exception than the rule, right? You simply need more than just jeans and T-shirts. I'm mainly thinking of the bigger items that come up more often. For a good winter jacket, you're quickly spending 200-300 euros. For a pair of good shoes, also quickly 100 or more. Then there are: underwear, bras, socks, sweatpants/home suits, slippers, summer shoes, sweaters or hoodies, scarves, gloves, hair ties, hats, rain jackets, rubber boots.... Of course, not everyone needs everything on that list, but I find 20€ really unrealistic. Even if you could manage with that — do you want to live like that? Will you be happy in the new house if you have to go into overdraft because you need insoles once in a while? I don’t think it’s a good idea just because it’s possible. What I still find missing in these breakdowns, quite generally, is a kind of "miscellaneous" category. Things that don't fit neatly anywhere, but you still need/buy. The pack of rechargeable AAA batteries. The new meat tongs because the old one is rusty. A waxed cloth tablecloth. Filters for the vacuum cleaner. Pen refills. A gift for the second cousin at their silver wedding anniversary. A new keyboard because you spilled coffee into the old one. Maybe it’s just like that with us, but such "miscellaneous" items add up too, and I budget at least about 50€ per month for them. Or rather, I tend to calculate the other items more generously and with buffer to cover such stuff as well.

Jens is already available for €20

But I wouldn't even buy Jens for €20. Not even if someone gave me €20, I wouldn't take Jens with me, the old womanizer. He would have to transfer his million-dollar villa to me first. On the topic @TE: So my financing looks much tighter. But when it comes to expenses, you really have to be honest in planning and strict in execution. I can say that from experience.

But you are more the exception than the rule, right?

I don’t know. As for me, I also don’t spend 300€ on a winter jacket. The current Primaloft was once available as a Bergfreunde deal for about 70€. It’s also warm, and if something breaks, it’s no big deal. The big savings on clothing don’t come from quality anyway, but from foregoing putting a brand name on a T-shirt. That’s the jump from 3 to 30€. The production costs of all clothing are negligible. I also don’t feel like I have to or would have to give up anything. Buying clothes is just unnecessary stress and also a huge waste of money in stores without getting any added value for it.

What I still miss in these breakdowns, in general, is a "this and that" item.

I don’t know if such an item is necessary. More important is that at the end of every calculation there is a healthy surplus with which you can manage, for example, if fuel rises to 2€ or electricity costs go from 30 cents to 50. A calculation aiming for break-even would not be good enough for a house build.

I personally have bought almost no clothes for 2 years. My wife occasionally brings home a T-shirt or socks and once forced me to buy two pairs of pants (for me) and once a sweater. Otherwise, the employer occasionally gives us a set of clothes as a gift. For my wife and child, I have to spend about 200 EUR once a quarter. So more than 20 EUR/head/month, but also significantly less than 200...

I guess it generally depends on expectations. Of course, you can buy a winter jacket for 300 EUR. If it lasts at least 5 years, that's fine. Or you buy three for the same money, then the chance that at least one lasts that long increases... My winter jacket is a ski jacket that I got as a leftover item through a shopping club (one of those green ones, I don't know if it still exists). I think it cost 90 EUR and I've been wearing it for the fifth winter now. I always buy my work pants at discount stores, where there is at least one offer under 20 EUR every few weeks. None of them are broken yet, despite a lot of work.

Detailed breakdown or not...

- Total income under €5,000
- Effective construction costs of around 700k
- 1 child + 2nd child on the way
- Already over 35 years old
- No equity

--> For me, it is very, very clear that no single-family house is in sight here - not even a house purchase.

You would definitely be taking on too much and would not be happy in the end - no matter how much personal labor you could put in here (everyone generally overestimates themselves anyway).

Either: Very, very small house (no basement at all) and a small plot of land... Possibly feasible with a lot of frugality, overtime, and personal labor

Or: Wait, save, or unfortunately come to terms with the thought of not being able to become a homeowner anytime soon --> Not everyone can just build, unfortunately... :/

I personally have hardly bought any clothes for almost 2 years. My wife occasionally brings me a T-shirt or socks and once forced me to buy two pairs of pants (for me) and once a sweater. Otherwise, the employer occasionally gives us a set of clothes as a gift. For my wife and child, I have to spend about 200 EUR once a quarter. So more than 20 EUR per person per month, but also significantly less than 200... I guess it generally depends on expectations as well. Of course, you can buy a winter jacket for 300 EUR. If it then lasts at least 5 years, that’s okay. Or you buy three for the same money — then the chance that at least one lasts that long increases... My winter jacket is a ski jacket that I got as a clearance item through a shopping club (one of those green ones, I don't know if it still exists). I think it cost 90 EUR and I’m now wearing it for the fifth winter. I always buy my work pants at discounters, there’s at least one offer for under 20 EUR every few weeks. None of them is broken yet despite a lot of work.

Yes, I see it exactly the way you do. Unfortunately, the clothes/brand hype keeps growing immensely... One thinks that just because you buy "Boss" or something else, it’s higher quality or "Fair Trade" merchandise (believe me — it definitely isn’t)... In the end, it all comes from the same place.

My best winter jackets/shirts are sometimes the cheapest things from the discounters or HaaundEmmm...

20 EUR is very, very tight, no question... Three digits is, in my opinion, totally exaggerated, especially if you don’t value "brands."