Savings beginner with questions about the plausibility of the "rough" plan

That's true. However, in my current opinion, that is still a simplistic calculation. Because my costs also increase accordingly when a child is there. (Alone daycare 400EUR and more fuel costs).

My cold rent amounts to 766EUR

By the way: Thanks for your patience! Really nice of you!

As far as the starting salary is concerned, one should also keep in mind that the woman will eventually only work 20-30 hours and will accordingly earn less.

In that case, it’s actually no longer worth it for the lady to work at all. You are already planning for €850, which basically only serves to enable "both" of you to work. If the second income then only comes to around ~€1400 net and you factor in the spouse splitting, in the end there isn’t even a surplus in the household budget.

Edit: If you currently save €2500 and pay €766 rent, you initially have a theoretical €3266 "free" for the later installment. From that you subtract all future costs (daycare, car, lower earnings) and whatever remains is your maximum installment. Take a buffer off that if you want, but then you end up well above €1200, don’t you?!

Then, however, with a lower salary. So when considering whether I can afford a house, I rather assume the "worst case" (realistic). Or how do you do it?

I understand. It is different for us in this respect: children are already here. Assumption that income increases parallel to the increasing needs of the children. We are still entitled to child benefits for many years, I don’t worry about the time after that ... (after all, it will be paid off at some point...). Therefore, we calculated with what was available at the cutoff date. Worst case: house gone. Worst case is the loss of my income. Realistic (optimistic?) I expect an uninterrupted employment history and then financing is not an issue. (Financing + Maldives + premium car is not possible, it’s not that great after all.) Yes, only you can really know ... We are rather confident, so we won’t be done in 15 or 20 years but only at retirement (at least!)(calculated term without special repayments). IMHO it is not the installment that’s the problem (inflation helps you), but the term is the critical issue (do you need 10, 20 or 30 years at rate x to fully repay?). When I see how my salary has developed just since the initial approach to the house/loan topic, this view is confirmed .... Only one thing is certain: predictions are uncertain, especially when they concern the future!

If then only about ~1400 net remain from the second income and you consider spouse splitting, in the end there is not even a surplus in the household budget.

What does the splitting have to do with that?

What does the splitting have to do with this?

I assume that the two are not married and both work under tax class I. If his (then wife) stopped working and he chose tax class III, he would have about 500 euros more per month with a current gross income of ~5400 due to the tax class.

Vanben is right in assuming that we are not married and have no children.

I currently earn x850,-EUR and the madam x950,-EUR.
In addition to these salaries, she also receives Christmas and vacation bonuses. So a total of 13 salaries.
I receive a bonus as well. Since this varies, I do not want to include it in the calculation. It then serves as a buffer. (You have to have that! At least that's what I read in every thread here.).

I will calculate how much remains if we get married and if a child is added...

It then serves as a buffer. (You have to have one! At least that's what I read in every thread here.).

You can also overdo the buffering. The reason it is generally advised here not to include Christmas bonuses, vacation pay, bonuses, or side jobs in planning is because they are usually not very secure. However, if such things are more or less "fixed" (e.g., for civil servants the special payment, contractually or regulated by collective agreements), I see no reason not to include them. Conversely, no one would think of mentally reducing their salary by a special payment just because their employer does not pay one.

The forum is also just a reflection of society, and we Germans have an issue with the topic of "security" (I do not exclude myself here ). But if you then exclude Christmas bonuses, vacation pay, and special payments, leave the 30,000 inheritance from grandma as an "iron reserve" in the account, build reserves for maintenance, budget 200 euros per month for "unexpected expenses," take out disability/professional disability/legal protection, household, accident, glass breakage, and supplementary health insurance, plan for additional special repayments, and set the installment a "bit" lower, in the end you don't even notice how you calculate yourself poor.