Special repayment, saving or consumption?

One must also say that they are probably very frugal. No high demands on technology and cars and presumably not on the property either.

I don't think we are frugal. We are just not wasteful. Things (TV, smartphone, etc.) are replaced when they are broken and not because I feel like having something new. For food, meat is exclusively from the butcher, fruits and vegetables from the farm shop, and baked goods from the bakery, but still, it is anything but expensive when you shop consciously, regionally, and seasonally. You are right about the property. But we renovated everything ourselves. Including electrical, plumbing, and heating. Fortunately, there was experience in the family, and things like drywall, plastering, painting, wallpapering, etc. can be done by anyone who wants to. Our attic conversion cost only €20,000 inside. For that, there were 3 bedrooms and a bathroom including an infrared cabin.

Yes, the high demands thing is, I believe, a problem many have. I don't know if, with apparently about €5,500 net income and each only working 70% positions, you can still talk about a middle income. I consider that quite luxurious.

Of the current €5,500, €220 is child benefit and €600 is the partnership bonus from the parental allowance office. Additionally, you have to deduct €600 for private health insurance. Starting in August, the €600 will drop, but there will be a generous 2.2% salary increase and I will reach the next experience level. Then from August on, about €5,100 will remain. So that is more average, but there is still more than enough left over. The gained lifetime is worth more than any money in the world.

I do not foresee any inflation adjustment for my salary in the foreseeable future. The last one was 1.3% at the beginning of 2021 and the next one will be 2.8% in December 2022. Hooray, the 65 or 70€ more net will make all the difference... (TVL). I received 50% of the Corona bonus. So I have substantial real wage losses and I am very glad to still have "old" contracts for electricity and gas at moderate conditions until the end of the year. Food and diesel are already hitting me now, of course. I am already looking forward to next year... then I will really celebrate when inflation devalues the debts...

Sarcasm off, I was able to significantly reduce the term of my car loan through a gift (Grandma). So I made a special repayment there, not on the house. I want to get rid of this installment as soon as possible for the sake of financial flexibility. Otherwise, I will manage with inflation, but it does "hurt" me to some extent because it simply reduces the leeway. At the moment, however, I still look to the future with a somewhat optimistic outlook.

you no longer have any obligation or creditor on your back

Come on, you act as if the bank employee collects the money personally every month and bothers you.

Be glad that you have to pay the GEZ in advance, otherwise you would have them permanently on your back :D

I do not foresee any inflation adjustment for my salary. Last time it was 1.3% at the beginning of 2021 and the next time in December 2022 2.8%. Hooray, the 65 or 70€ more net will make all the difference... (TVL). I received 50% of the Corona bonus. So I have significant real wage losses and am very glad to still have "old" contracts for electricity and gas at moderate conditions until the end of the year. Food and diesel are already hitting me now. I am already looking forward to next year... then I will really celebrate when inflation devalues the debts... Sarcasm off, I was able to significantly reduce the term of the car loan thanks to a gift (grandma). So I made a special repayment there, not on the house. I want to get rid of this installment as soon as possible for financial flexibility. Otherwise, I will manage with the inflation, but it does hurt me somewhat because it simply reduces the margins. At the moment, however, I still look into the future with some optimism.

Welcome to the club - TVöD - there just was no Corona bonus. I am curious to see where this journey will go. However, there certainly will be no wage increase. If tax revenues flow, there is no more money, and if they don't, there is also no more money. Probably there will be a longer working week, then we won’t need to heat so much. Sarcasm off.

Welcome to the club - TVöD - there just was no Corona bonus. I’m curious where this will go. However, there definitely won’t be a wage increase. If tax revenues flow in, there’s no more money, and if they don’t, there’s also no more money. Presumably, there will be longer weekly working hours, then we won’t need to heat as much. Sarcasm off.

Same here. TVH. At least in Hesse there is still a bit for the children. But no big wage jumps or salaries like in the private sector, instead security in times of crisis. My boyfriend is a civil servant. The bank really liked that, so we were able to finance over 100% at a very favorable interest rate. It all has its pros and cons.

Same here. TVH. At least in Hesse there is still a bit for the kids. But no big salary jumps or wages like in the private sector, instead security in times of crisis. My boyfriend is a civil servant. The bank liked that so much that we were able to finance over 100% at a very favorable interest rate. It all has pros and cons.

Well, in the private sector where I am, there was 2.5% in April. For everyone from the assembly line to the director. But then we have the luxury of being sent into short-time work at any time because VW is closing the plants. I don't really see the advantages right now, surely there are other positive examples, but especially now there are quite a few examples of companies shaken by crisis. Let's see what happens in the near future. I think we will enter a phase again where everyone wants to work in the public sector because security counts more than possibly a bit more salary. By the way, I know both sides, I was once in TV-L E13 3 as well. The salary now is quite a bit higher (comparable to E15Ü 5) but the risk and tasks are adjusted accordingly. On the subject of "the house is now worth 500k instead of 300k": The 300k from 5 years ago also had significantly more value. For example, I could have bought 250,000 liters of diesel. From the 500,000 EUR house value today I can also only get around 250,000 liters and have to pay much more at restaurants ;-)