In der Serie „Mein Geld, dein Geld“ erzählen Menschen, welche Rolle Geld in ihrer Beziehung spielt. Und wie sie die gemeinsamen Finanzen regeln. Heute: Sophia, 27.
Eligibility for rewording: Yes
Due to my salary, my friend and I had to relocate from Bologna, the city where we lived for several years, to South Tyrol, to my condominium.FamilieThe rent in Bologna was simply too expensive for my income. We paid 1,000 euros for 30 square meters and I earned a monthly net income of 800 euros. I am a doctoral student in political science and work as a research assistant at a non-university research institution. Since we split the rent equally, I only had 300 euros left each month to live on. Then inflation came. If we had stayed in Bologna, I would have had to look for a different job where I could earn more.
Dass mein Freund mehr zahlt als ich, kommt für mich nicht infrage. Auch wenn er in dieser Zeit als Bauingenieur 1.200 Euro netto verdient hat, also deutlich mehr als ich. Die Löhne in Italien liegen im Schnitt weit unter denen in Deutschland. Während meines Studiums war ich vollkommen abhängig von meinen Eltern. Jetzt bin ich durch die Eigentumswohnung zwar weiterhin auf meine Familie angewiesen, aber alle anderen Kosten übernehme ich selbst. Ich will meinen Anteil an unserem Leben selbst tragen.
In South Tyrol, we have 90 square meters available to us and we only have to pay for the utilities. That amounts to around 200 euros per month. The move has granted me more financial freedom. Additionally, I was able to set up an office here, which is very valuable to me since I primarily work from home. The plan is to live here until I have completed my doctorate. I should be finished by the end of 2024. If it works out then, we would very much like to move back towards Bologna. I have since increased my hours and my salary increases by a small amount each year. I am currently at a net income of 1,300 euros. With the move, my partner changed jobs and now earns 2,400 euros, significantly more than before.
We do not have a joint account, only this wallet.
Even though the rent is now eliminated, the cost of living here is significantly more expensive. The amount we need monthly for groceries, activities, or household purchases has doubled due to the change of location and inflation. My friend and I don’t have a joint account, only a wallet. Each of us puts in 300 euros monthly. We also split the 200 euros in additional costs. This is how we handled the rent in Bologna as well: Each person transferred 500 euros from their account to the landlady.
If one of us pays with a debit card, we settle the amount between us quite easily. If my friend places an online order, I pay for the next dinner bill. We don’t calculate such amounts one-to-one. Only for larger expenses, like a piece of furniture, do we transfer half of the cost to the other person. We both feel that we handle this well and pay roughly the same amount. Therefore, a joint account has never been a topic of discussion. If one of us is in financial need, we help each other out. When I only had 300 euros left per month, my friend often paid for our dinners or movie outings. I couldn’t immediately repay him, but it was important to me to reciprocate as soon as I had more money available.
„Ich buche häufig die Unterkunft für den Urlaub, die teurer ist.“
Since I have a higher income, I enjoy treating myself occasionally. My friend, on the other hand, is more thrifty than me. It often happens that I want to book a nicer and slightly more expensive accommodation for our vacation. He is usually convinced to go along with it. However, we still split the costs equally. But when it comes to a trip that we primarily do because of me, I pay for it. And my friend does the same in reverse. When he accompanied me to a conference in New York, I footed the bill. When we were in Germany for his language course, he paid.
Neben den 300 Euro für gemeinsame Kosten und den 100 Euro Nebenkosten begleiche ich monatlich noch kleinere Ausgaben wie meinen Handyvertrag, Netflix, Zeitungsabos und Tickets für die öffentlichen Verkehrsmittel. Vor einem Jahr habe ich begonnen, monatlich Geld zurückzulegen. Zuvor hatte ich keines übrig und konnte somit auch nichts sparen. Aber aktuell investiere ich jeden Monat 400 Euro in ETFs
und spare auf meinem Konto um die 200 Euro. Mein Freund hat bereits seit sechs Jahren ein festes Einkommen und spart daher schon länger. Er konnte mittlerweile 15.000 Euro zurücklegen. 30.000 Euro sind in sein Auto geflossen, das hat er bis vor Kurzem noch abbezahlt. Seit er den neuen Job macht, legt er monatlich um die 400 Euro in ETFs an und weitere 250 gehen in eine Altersvorsorge. Demnächst werden wir wahrscheinlich für gemeinsames Eigentum sparen. Allerdings wissen wir noch nicht, wo wir einmal leben möchten.