Home financing ever possible? Probably not!

The bitterness in our circle of friends and colleagues is really intense, even among those who financed their houses with 1% a few years ago. They calculated with lower living costs, as if things could only get better.

I also somehow wonder what I did wrong (or right?), that most people around me, including us, neither go on vacation x times a year, nor just for fun replace all their furniture or constantly go out to eat and shop.

That may be true. There are different groups of people who spend their money differently. But I would argue that on average there is a lot more consumption because there are simply more leisure options (amusement parks, XXL furniture stores, shopping centers, outlets, variety shows, musicals, concerts). What you can spend money on there, not necessarily have to, is really crazy. By the way, I don’t do that either. But I see it in my circle of acquaintances. Ski vacations are taken multiple times, almost every weekend there are concerts or musicals, or even during the workday coffee or a sandwich roll is bought at the bakery every day. That adds up. And vacation demands keep growing steadily (discovering the world by ship, airplane, etc.). But the acquaintance lives in a semi-detached house, not a single-family home. Everyone sets their priorities differently. I mostly don’t need that either and it’s enough for me to eat out 1-2 times a week (otherwise it stops being something special) and if I buy a nice piece of furniture, I keep it for about 20 years now (wardrobe, etc.). There is also a portion of people who consume a lot, a portion who consume little, and the normals (to which I count myself). They occasionally eat out, shop, go on vacation, but don’t consume excessively and can afford their single-family home.

It's nice when you can blow money on consumption. You just can't whine afterward that you can't afford a house. I have so many young colleagues who go out to eat every lunch for 10-15 euros instead of ordering the subsidized meal from the caterer for 3.50€. It adds up. And there are many other examples. The most frugal people in my bubble are actually the higher earners.

If I ever stop being the sole earner in long-term part-time parenting, then the money will just be thrown around. That will be great with an extra 2000€ fun budget every month :D

That is precisely the problem of today's spoiled affluent society. Compared to what is considered standard in this forum, we probably live at the poverty line. Consumption nowadays is synonymous with "buying yourself happy." But isn't something already wrong if you have to consume your way to happiness? My wife and I are apparently very content. As a result, our monthly expenses are limited. The TV is 12 years old but still works. So why buy a new one? Cars are replaced at the earliest every 10 years. However, these are bought as used cars (about 2 years old and around 20k kilometers). The most important thing is that we don’t feel like we are sacrificing. That allows us to obtain the one thing you can’t buy, which is time. We both work "only" 30 hours a week, and I have no intention of ever working full time again, even though I am only 34. Adjusted for private health insurance, we earn €4,400. The loan installment is €734. However, the monthly reserves for retirement amount to around €500, and at the end of the month there is still €1,400 left for vacations, new purchases, etc. By the way, we mainly buy groceries from the baker, butcher, and farm shop, but that seems to be significantly cheaper in the village than in urban supermarkets, as we spend less than €400 a month on food (2 adults and 1 child).

I agree with you that you don't always have to buy the newest/largest. But personally, I already really enjoy the big TVs and couldn't watch on a screen that small anymore. And I also want to treat myself to something from my salary. Of course, there always has to be something left over. That is clear. And I fully understand the thing about working hours. Work-life balance and enough free time are just as important for being happy as financial security. What good is a lot of money if you have no time to spend it.

And I totally understand that with working hours. Work-life balance and enough free time are just as important for happiness as financial security.

Am I actually the only person who enjoys work? I am in part-time parental leave, but if it were up to me, I would work more than 40 hours a week.