As I usually just comment diligently, I thought I'd write a little introduction post at the end of the year.
Briefly about me as a person: I'm 31, female and have been living with my girlfriend and our dog in Hamburg for a few years now.
Like some people here, I come from a rather financially illiterate background and have acquired all my knowledge about finance over the last few years via YouTube and through you here.
We never had much money as a family, my mother overdrafted several accounts really badly without contributing much of her own income to the family, and in the end my father paid everything off. So I also had to learn how to handle money after my studies (where I never had any money either) with my first salaries (~€1,700 net) and that was... not very successful. So I managed, but I didn't manage to save.
But thank God I never got into debt because of my mother. No consumer credit, my account had no overdraft facility, I didn't buy anything in installments. I only financed my studies over the last few semesters with a small education loan (approx. €7,000).
I'm probably one of the people here with one of the lowest incomes, excluding trainees and students. After 7 years in a very well-known concert hall, my income has risen to around €2,250, fluctuating due to shift allowances. And since I can now share the housing costs after the first flatmate didn't pay reliably, the burden of fixed costs has also become quite bearable.
I started saving around 2020, it took me a while to find a strategy that worked for me and I've managed to do this quite well in the meantime thanks to a multi-account system. At the beginning of 2023, I finally dared to venture into the capital market after soaking up knowledge for ages and observing a lot.
But I've now reached a point where I'm really proud of myself. I've gone from living paycheck to paycheck to having a small financial cushion that allows me to buy more expensive things without too many problems or having to think about it, without it blowing a huge hole in my wallet. And it's an incredibly good feeling not to have to worry about the next utility bill or when the fridge or washing machine need replacing.
I currently have a sweet €22,000 in total savings (I don't want to call it a fortune yet. 🤣) of which around €13,500 is already in securities.
That's ten times (10x!) my net income. 🤯
I've now made it to the end of 2025.
I can now reliably invest €450 and put another €400, sometimes more, sometimes less reliably, into other cash savings pots. And the fact that this is possible with such a low salary is somehow still pretty surreal for me.
So I can put away around 40% of my salary without feeling deprived or having the feeling that I can't afford anything.
I've also opened up the possibility of having €15,000 overdraft and credit line together in my back pocket. Not for consumption, but for calculated, more expensive purchases or possibly a move, which are more expensive than a monthly income, where my savings may not be enough. Saves me 12% installment credit via Paypal, for example, because the interest rates for overdraft and credit lines are significantly lower at 7 and 8%. 😅 I hope I never really have to use it, but it feels good to have it up my sleeve as a plan B.
All in all, I'm extremely proud of myself and think I've found a concept that works well for me.
Happy holidays to you all! 🎄
