Expenses of Germany

           My husband and I have been living in Germany now for 10 weeks. If there was one thing I knew more about before getting here it would be how much money we would be spending. I don't want to scare anyone about the cost of living in Germany but there are multiple expenses that need to be paid for up front. One of the top priorities once you get here is to get a phone. It's very hard to communicate with anyone if you don't have a phone. You can get a pay as you go phone or sign up through a German company. We decided we wanted new phones and sign a contract through a German company. So we paid for our phones and the setup fees (I will explain more about phones in a later post on the PCS side of the blog). The next things we needed were groceries. We typically spend 100-150 dollars on a grocery trip but that's when we already have all the staples. To stock our entire pantry and fridge with all new condiments and baking needs it cost us around 300 dollars! Once we had food we needed internet and home phone. We had to pay for a router which was 150 euro, a home phone which can run up to 80 euro for a good one then the installation fee on top of all that. We were told our TV would not work here so we did not bring it. Come to find out it will work but since we didn't bring ours we had to buy a new one. That was another couple hundred dollars. To get AFN TV you have to buy a satellite box and the actual satellite if your house doesn't already have one installed as well as pay for the service. You will also need adapters for electronics, European power strips and transformers. We also bought a German microwave, hair dryer, straighter, and iron. If you plan to buy a second car, depending on what you're looking for that will be another couple thousand! Then there are always small things such as new curtains because the ones you have don't fit the windows here. Or a new garden hose, sprinkler and weed killer to keep the yard looking nice. A move can get very expensive so plan ahead! Start saving and don't get discouraged! You're not the only one spending all that money!