Private retirement provision, occupational disability insurance (BDI), savings rate

I keep reading lists of income/expenses, savings rates, etc. I notice that often nothing is mentioned about private retirement provision and BUZ. [...] We rarely save more than €1200.

So, what? Do these €1200 now include retirement provision, etc., or is that already deducted beforehand?

For us, it roughly looks like this:
+ Gross income
- Social security contributions (provision against old age, illness, unemployment, need for care)
- Company pension scheme
- Private retirement provision (Riester product)
- Capital-based life insurance (my wife’s youthful mistake)
- Disability insurance for the (almost) sole earner
- Term life insurance for the (almost) sole earner
- Free savings (long-term in stock ETFs)
- Free savings (bank savings plan)
- Regular reserves in overnight money
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- Taxes and other levies to the authorities
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- Private liability insurance
- Accident insurance for the children
- Other living expenses
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What remains has strengthened equity in recent months.

By the way, the number of lines is not meant to give the impression that large sums are behind them ;-).

If at some point in 2016 we exchange rent for an annuity, one or another of the above points will be adjusted again. Free savings (beyond a certain basic level for reserves, etc.) only make sense if the secure after-tax return is higher than the mortgage interest rate. So practically, it is always better to pay down the loan than to save freely ;-).

What if, thank God, nothing happens to you and the money you paid into your disability insurance would be available at a certain point as a special repayment for your house?

Risk is one thing and provision/saving is another. I wouldn’t mix those. The return is modest, the flexibility is lost.