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135 euros/wk for a 2-br. apt? Seems like we've been misinformed earlier on the forum. Some very heated discussions have raged about how much square footage one gets for how much money in Europe vs. the US, and nobody said anything about rents as absurdly low as 135 euro. Are the rents much higher in bigger cities?
Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes. I guess low-carb diets aren't popular in Germany.
One of the mums made an interesting comment. She said there's not much point in working, because so much money goes to tax that there's not enough left as take-home pay to justify being away from her kids all day. If that's true, why does anyone work? Apparently German men aren't interested in being stay-at-home dads?
And just wondering--with all those tax-supported benefits, including retirement support (equivalent to Social Security, I guess?), do people typically save for retirement as well, so they can enjoy a comfortable retirement, travel occasionally, etc.? Seems that would be a challenge if there's relatively little take-home pay. But at least health care and kids' education are mostly taken care of. Except the kindergarten without walls costs around $200/month. Kindergartens in the US would be cheap, too, if there was no overhead to pay for and no liability insurance for allowing small children to climb in fragile trees all morning.
The Brit approach to work reminds me of the Russians, who have a strong tendency to confuse work with teatime, lol! I've never worked in an office that allowed personal calls and facebooking, etc. during work time, but I guess that type of slacking off is fairly common in the US, too.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 11-07-2015 at 11:43 AM..
135 euros/wk for a 2-br. apt? Seems like we've been misinformed earlier on the forum. Some very heated discussions have raged about how much square footage one gets for how much money in Europe vs. the US, and nobody said anything about rents as absurdly low as 135 euro. Are the rents much higher in bigger cities?
Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes. I guess low-carb diets aren't popular in Germany.
One of the mums made an interesting comment. She said there's not much point in working, because so much money goes to tax that there's not enough left as take-home pay to justify being away from her kids all day. If that's true, why does anyone work? Apparently German men aren't interested in being stay-at-home dads?
And just wondering--with all those tax-supported benefits, including retirement support (equivalent to Social Security, I guess?), do people typically save for retirement as well, so they can enjoy a comfortable retirement, travel occasionally, etc.? Seems that would be a challenge if there's relatively little take-home pay. But at least health care and kids' education are mostly taken care of. Except the kindergarten without walls costs around $200/month. Kindergartens in the US would be cheap, too, if there was no overhead to pay for and no liability insurance for allowing small children to climb in fragile trees all morning.
The Brit approach to work reminds me of the Russians, who have a strong tendency to confuse work with teatime, lol! I've never worked in an office that allowed personal calls and facebooking, etc. during work time, but I guess that type of slacking off is fairly common in the US, too.
In Berlin it's 30 Euros per month, in Munich 55, Frankfurt 78 etc. Some cities offer it for free. Just depends where you live.
No, you can't get anything for 135 euros. But you said "135 per week". That's 540 Euros per month (apartment).
Oh, you're right. The "per week" didn't sink in, since in the US we always talk about rent rates per month. And I thought he said the kindergarten costs 25 pounds/week. But ok, thanks for the reality check.
It's interesting that they're really into planning their time, their day, their week. What all is there to plan in the first place? And to people enjoy spontaneous time? Is everything scheduled,and if so, why? lol I would imagine that they tend to veg out in front of the TV as much as any other nationality, or go out for a stroll around the neighborhood, or take the kids to the park.
I think it's interesting that people work more intensely, but in exchange, they (according to the film) get to go home early, they work fewer hours. So it's about efficiency, and then you get to enjoy more time off. It makes a lot of sense. Very civilized.
I was surprised that he said in the beginning that employment is higher in Germany than elsewhere in Europe, something to that effect. Does that mean Germany has now succeeded in absorbing all those extra workers from the east, after reunification? I hadn't heard that, but if it's true, that's a real achievement.
Oh.... the culture, the freedom, the slower pace of living, the language, the mountains, the sea, the beer, the music, the men (if you are female), the friendliness. Those are pros.
Sunday is considered a "holy day", so you observe it by being quiet? Is there a high percentage of religiosity in Germany? Are a lot of stores closed on Sundays?
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