It's actually sort of amazing how cheaply you can live, in Germany, so long as you avoid cities and negotiate good utilities contracts.

I mean, in comparison to income.


Do I understand you right that you cover all your material needs with ALDI?


You can haggle with utility companies? 👀

In UK cost of living very much depends on the area you live in which is great for public sector employees, because a Nurse in central London is paid the same as a Nurse in the Outer Hebrides


Yeah. LOL. I get a 1 or 2-year fixed price and then switch after the lock-in. For gas and electricity.


And Lidl.


We got a cheap deal from 1&1 for phone and internet, and mobile is all ALDI or Edeka prepaid contracts. And we all use Deutschland Ticket for the public, instead of buying more cars.


So you categorically pick at "Feinkost Edeka" what's on sale? This supermarket has always been the most expensive compared to all the others in our neighborhood. But I want learn from you, seriously. What's the hack?


I haggle with insurance companies, too.


Even Lidl applies this unfair shrinkflation trick.


They're responding to their customers. People can't pay more, but production prices rose, so they make the portions smaller.


Shop the sales and buy the store brand or cheapest brand (at the bottom of the shelf), same as in America. Also shop their off-date baskets.

I save money the Ami way, by buying enough at each sale that I don't need more before it comes on sale, again (they rotate).
And then I just arrange my weekly menu according to the sales. I am a good cook, so I am very flexible.


Here's a strange thing, for the first time ever, we've just gone down to one car in the family.

My Wifes' lease Tesla just got returned and rather than buy a new car, which is what we were going to do this time, we decided to stack sats.

We live in the country, so public transport is very limited here.


We live in the country, gas doesn't reach us here, we get oil delivered about once a year.

Another funny story, I have a friend who works for a utility company as a salesman. When I asked him for a quote from his firm for electricity, he advised which of his competitors to use instead 😂


Same in Switzerland, as long as you: don't live in or near large cities, or nowhere near the French or Italian speaking areas, or not in higher tax Kantons and you never do activities in Switzerland itself but travel abroad to spend less on holiday and even groceries.

Easy!

Beside that I full agree on negociating everything, 2-3 times per years you have deal on mobile subscription and fixed internet that are at least 50% below normal prices and if you ask to quit, you often get a call for a deal to convince you to stay, which you can also negociate (hundred if not thousand of saving per year), you can also negociate non-mandatory insurances.

If you heat with a gas tank you can also fill it up when it's cheaper.


Yeah, same, but you just make do.

One of the reasons I don't grocery-shop discounts at 5 different stores every single day, like Germans usually do, is because I hardly ever have a car and I'm buying for 4 adults, so I just drive to the closest store and back.


When our trusty Hyundai finally gasped it's final wheeze, I suggested we just not replace it, and Hubby thought I was nuts, but we've both gotten used to it. Just have to plan a bit more. 🤷♀


Good friend. 😂👍


Our next home has a big oil tank, a wood-burning stove with a cooktop, and passive solar (hot water), but it's harder to heat in the winter, so our costs will stay about the same.


i'm never going back to living in the city

everyone is just more chill and friendly, they don't like the bureaucrats, and they help you out when you can

i mean, there's some odd morons here and there, like one neighbour here who owns a patch just next to me and he occasionally is making a racket doing dumbshit but i pity him more than hate him... and even straight up downs syndrome types, but they mostly don't get in your face if you don't waste your time trying to have a conversation with them

dense urban living environments make people toxic, if you ask me, or at least, the toxic ones hold sway


A little 110 - 125cc scooter is plenty for anything other than super slab, you are missing out, it's fun.


Ultra based


We have electric scooters, which are illegal in the UK, but a lot of fun 😄


We mostly shop online for groceries.


We used to get the ökokiste, but we have so much produce from Oma and the neighbors, that it became less interesting.


can't even get delivery here in madeira, it was so weird after living in UK and on the continent

still, riding 10km round trip to pick stuff up 2-3 times a week isn't that onerous, i just wish there was some decent beef

i still have a heap of goat chops in the freezer, probably starting to get too old by now though, but i really don't like the 9 month old, still too stringy and pink for my taste


We’re thinking of moving to Madeira (WW3 and all that stuff).

Been to Funchal several times, but not ventured outside of that area. Where would you recommend we look?


on the island? it's hard to say... I think the northeast region is the nicest, out past seixal and towards calheta in the higher altitude parts around there... most of the high altitude areas of this island are declared reserves, here in Sao Vicente, for example, there is basically no residences above about 500m above sea level

in the case of disaster, the north side is where you want to be because it is naturally high rainfall and a lot of water, whereas if there is disaster, it will hurt the densest populated areas, which is ribeira brava/camara dos lobos/funchal and caniso, roughly speaking, where probably more than 2/3 of the population is located, and is entirely dependent on the levadas that bring water from the northern side and the big wilderness areas of the two main peaks of the island, east and west (the tallest one is 1.8km)

honestly, i don't think it's the greatest place for natural disaster but for simple WW3 and other similar nazi germany style situation anywhere here is probably great


i meant... northwest... from calheta around to seixal/porto moniz, it's highest altitude, best weather overall, but still god rain


Thanks, very useful information. Apologies nostr:npub1m4ny6hjqzepn4rxknuq94c2gpqzr29ufkkw7ttcxyak7v43n6vvsajc2jl for my learned frens references to historical events involving your nation.


Don't mention the war.


Not even the current one?


It's a universal rule. 😀


OK, understood 🫡


Just googled:

https://www.oekokiste.de/

Like it

Also googled Oma, thought it was another shop at first. It’s your grandmother 👵 ❤

Thanks for sharing and expanding my knowledge 😄


It's my kids' grandmother, actually. We call her "Oma" to differentiate her from "Grandma" in the States. Which gets confusing when we're over there because my sister does it the other way around.


In the UK, we often use “Nan” as a familiar name for grandmother.

I have very fond memories of my maternal nan. Sadly she died when I was 8 (a long time ago)


Oma and Opa are the german and dutch words for grandmother and grandfather, my father's parents were always known to me as Oma and Opa, almost never used their names Beatrix and Johannes... their siblings, i don't remember the word for uncle but for great aunty, "Tanta" or something like this

i remember at the age of 4 years old when we would visit them (for a time we lived in an adjacent property) there would always be kisses for both Oma and Opa at greeting, one on each cheek


Yeah, German would be Tante.


And Onkel.


ah yes... i think the thing was my opa's brother lived in the netherlands


ah yes, the dutch say "oom" like "oom piet" uncle peter, the oo being pronounced like the o in home


oh i love me the sound of a big tall dutch woman speaking a thick northern accent wawwwww *gurgle*


seriously, idk if you have ever heard the way a group of dutch women sound when they talk to each other it's like a gathering of songbirds


Yeah not those kind, like a Vespa but not, in other words same thing but not the classic lines.


Preferably bigger wheels, 14 or 16 inch.


This kind https://image.nostr.build/571a5b6ff64b1cbefddd3a3709b44dc9a3e212f323507dacbe90f3ab7032634a.jpg https://image.nostr.build/3e1795cb0ee6f868809e502771cea4ea4c287b2b7467982bcb59948af85f8fa5.gif


Plenty for shopping with a rack on the back.


Next size up (155cc)  jumps up $2000 more at least.


Real men ride these 💪  😂

https://m.primal.net/IqeO.jpg


But you want a windscreen added for colder climates or seasons.


Probably don't want to do 200km stretches on that. 😜


Or 80-90kph. 😂


I'm fine with being comfortable as you call me a girl. 😂


We use these for miles, Vespas for kilometres 😂 https://image.nostr.build/ad3cab8867bb7790a232a30acc95e3ce86f307eed3bbb6be8b877e14fe4ae472.jpg


😂 See plenty of those going nowhere in the traffic.


We are "allowed" to filter.


Me too 😂 https://image.nostr.build/714bbc72b790451e2dcd802642cf7a74a30700cab71277a2dd33dc1039485a1e.jpg


I can't bring myself to go back to just sitting there.


Aww that's just cheating. 😂


Sorry bro, that is really my foot though! 😂


If you have a wood burner you can get a heater jacket for when the solar isn't heating that water enough.

As for heating  yourself, the trick is exactly that, heat yourself not the building.


And if you have the space, you can coppice for your own firewood.