Der Preisdruck wächst

Laut aktuellen Umfragen geben mehr als zwei Drittel der Haushalte in Deutschland an, ihre Ausgaben bewusst reduziert zu haben. Besonders stark trifft der Kostendruck Familien mit Kindern sowie Menschen mit niedrigem Einkommen. Statt Markenprodukten landen häufiger Eigenmarken im Einkaufswagen. Große Anschaffungen wie Elektronik oder Möbel werden verschoben oder ganz gestrichen.

Neue Prioritäten beim Einkaufen

Interessant ist, dass sich nicht nur verändert hat, wie viel die Menschen kaufen sondern auch wofür sie Geld ausgeben. Qualität, Langlebigkeit und Nachhaltigkeit gewinnen an Bedeutung. Viele Verbraucher:innen bevorzugen Produkte „Made in Germany“ oder solche, die sich reparieren lassen. Der Trend zum bewussteren Konsum zeigt: Sparen bedeutet nicht zwangsläufig Verzicht, sondern oft ein Umdenken.

Der Onlinehandel reagiert

Auch der Onlinehandel spürt den Wandel. Plattformen wie Amazon oder Zalando berichten, dass Kund:innen vermehrt nach Rabatten suchen und Preisvergleichs-Apps nutzen. Gleichzeitig wächst der Gebrauchtmarkt (Second-Hand-Plattformen wie Vinted oder eBay Kleinanzeigen) erleben einen regelrechten Boom. Nachhaltigkeit trifft hier auf Sparsamkeit, eine Kombination, die immer mehr Käufer:innen überzeugt.

„Kleine Luxusmomente“ bleiben wichtig

Trotz aller Sparbemühungen gönnen sich viele Deutsche weiterhin kleine Freuden: der Coffee-to-go, das Stück Kuchen am Sonntag oder das Streaming-Abo. Diese kleinen Alltagsluxusse helfen, das Gefühl von Normalität zu bewahren, ein Phänomen, das Psychologen als „Belohnungskonsum“ bezeichnen.

Blick in die Zukunft

Experten erwarten, dass der Trend zum bewussten Konsum bleibt, auch wenn sich die wirtschaftliche Lage wieder entspannt. Die Pandemie, Energiekrise und Inflation haben langfristig Spuren hinterlassen. Viele Menschen haben gelernt, dass weniger manchmal mehr ist, und dass kluges Konsumieren ein Stück Freiheit bedeutet. Der Trend ist klar: Wer früher nach Schnäppchen suchte, achtet heute auf Sinn und Nachhaltigkeit,  Sparen ist das neue Shoppen.

Deutschland kauft anders, überlegter, gezielter und nachhaltiger. „Sparen ist das neue Shoppen“ beschreibt nicht nur eine Phase, sondern möglicherweise den Beginn einer neuen Konsumkultur.

Saving money when shopping: typical traps

Save money with food at home

In general, women are actually better at managing money and planning the household budget. Although men give women the reputation that they like to go shopping, studies show that women have more control over income and expenditure overall than men.

Unfortunately, women still earn less than men in comparable jobs, yet men have 4% more debt. 75% of mortgages are in both male and female names. If you compare the mortgages that are only in a single name, the loan amounts for men are almost 5% higher than those for women.

In addition, men are 7% more likely to pay their loan instalments late than women.

According to surveys, men tend to spontaneously boost their purchases, i.e. they often skimp in everyday life, but then go overboard in their bargain hunting. Women, on the other hand, can programme themselves into "savings mode", i.e. they budget their household money, even if they take advantage of sale offers.

Conversely, women who are not in "savings mode", i.e. who do not have to carefully organise their money, often have no measure or goal. If their brains are set on not having to calculate every cent, they go shopping until their wallets are empty.

The colour red can unconsciously lead consumers to spend more money than planned. Avoid red in certain shopping situations to stop unnecessary spending and save money.

Colours play an important role in our perception and influence our decisions as well as our interaction with other people or objects. Advertising uses colours to influence the purchasing behaviour of consumers.

The colour red triggers aggression and therefore a willingness to spend money in certain situations. This tendency is particularly evident on eBay or similar online auctions, for example, when people are competing with each other for a product. If the product is shown on a picture with a red background, interested parties tend to bid more aggressively than for products with a neutral or blue background.

Similar behaviour can be observed in shops with red wall paint or red brick design. Here too, the colour red evokes a certain aggression, as there is only a limited number of products available. The consumer subconsciously sees every buyer as a rival and often grabs more items than they originally wanted to buy.

However, red does not always mean that more money is spent.

The aggressive behaviour triggered by red manifests itself in two different ways. It can increase the desire to own a product and thus increase the willingness to pay more for it, or it can prompt the consumer to get the best possible price. In an auction, a buyer reacts more aggressively by being more willing to buy. In a negotiation situation, the aggressiveness can be directed against the seller, so that the buyer tries more aggressively to negotiate down the best price. In other words: in auctions, the colour red increases the willingness to pay, in negotiations it reduces it.

Anyone can invest money sensibly and profitably. A good investment brings more returns than a conventional savings account. The most important basic rules for investing money form a solid basis for a successful and profitable portfolio and are a guideline for choosing investments for financial security.

1. invest early. The safest way to invest money profitably is through compounding, i.e. accumulating a lot of profit over a long period of time. The earlier you invest, the greater the returns will be in the future. In other words, the right time to invest is NOW.

2. risk tolerance. To be a successful investor, you need to assess your own risk tolerance. Risk tolerance describes the degree of uncertainty with which you can deal with negative changes in the value of your portfolio. Risk tolerance depends not only on your personal attitude to money and willingness to take risks, but also on your current financial situation and the goal you have set yourself. The investment should be within the risk tolerance limit in order to ensure that you stick to your strategy even in the event of a temporary deterioration. If you take on too much risk, you are more likely to sell your investment in the event of negative changes and incur losses.

3. keep expenses low. Fees, taxes and other expenses reduce the return. Compare different offers and reduce expenses before investing.

4 It is logical, but must be mentioned: buy for less money and sell for more money. This principle is of course essential in order to make a profit. The investment (share, property, etc.) should be bought when it is below its current market value and only sold when it has generated sufficient profit.

5. capital allocation. Do not pour all your capital into one investment. It is better to spread the available sum over various investments and thus spread the risk. If an investment performs badly, not everything is lost immediately.

6 Invest for the long term. When investing in property or shares, you need to have a long-term goal in mind, especially as a beginner. There are investors who get rich overnight because they are either lucky or have a lot of experience. For the young investor, it is safer to invest over a period of five to 10 years. Long-term investing allows the investor to let the market stabilise.

7. do not follow a trend. Buying a share because it is currently in fashion can lead to serious disappointment. These shares are often traded at inflated prices because they are so popular. If the price does not reflect the actual market value, the stock will inevitably crash.

8. regular rebalancing of the portfolio. Evaluate the performance of the individual investments at regular intervals and, if necessary, reallocate the money to more successful investments.

9. obtain accurate information about the market situation, market value and company before investing in order to make a good decision.

10 Once you have decided on an investment, you should stick with it. Long-term success depends on making the right decision beforehand. Never think about what could have happened if you had acted differently, but concentrate on the given situation.

Prudence with credit cards and loans
Credit cards tempt you to spend more than you can afford. Sooner or later you are in debt and get yourself into trouble. However, a sensible and controlled use of credit cards can make a good impression on the bank, so that they are more inclined to grant a loan for important purchases and investments (real estate) later on.

Retirement provision
For young people in their early 20s, retirement is such a distant future that it has little relevance in their current lives. But as early as possible, one should make a habit of setting aside 5 to 10% of one's income for retirement. If you train yourself to do this early on, after years of successful saving with compound interest, you will have saved up a nice pension without having to think about it too much.

Reserves for emergencies
Financial reserves can save you from unpleasant situations when an important household appliance suddenly breaks or other unexpected expenses arise that cannot be postponed. It is recommended to have a reserve account of a sum equivalent to 3 to 6 months of salary. This way you are also covered if you suddenly become unemployed or face a serious emergency.

Investments
An important financial investment for the future is, for example, the purchase of a property. Owning your own house or condominium means that the monthly payment goes into your own pocket instead of to the landlord, because with each payment you are one step closer to the end of the mortgage. To buy a property, you first need equity capital, which you can save early on through building savings contracts. But be careful: not every bank that offers low interest rates is cheap in the end, because often usurious, hidden fees are added. It is recommended to compare different banks and their offers and to ask acquaintances and relatives for their own experiences.

Having your own home is a good start in life. Many parents try to help their grown-up children buy their first flat or house so that they can build a good life for themselves.

Even those who can afford it should not simply give the money to the children, as they will appreciate the value better if they have earned it. Parents should also leave the choice of flat or house to the children and only talk about a financial framework. Children who have grown up attach great importance to choosing their own home because they want to be independent. 

If you want to help your children finance their own home, you have two options. Parents can lend their children the necessary equity themselves by means of a personal loan, whereby they can agree a repayment plan with low interest rates. In order for the money borrowed from the parents to count as equity for financing by a bank, the private loan should be agreed separately and between the parents.

If you don't have enough money available to provide your children with equity, you can offer yourself as a guarantor to the bank. The prerequisite is your own creditworthiness. A guarantor is only necessary if the child's income alone is not considered sufficient, so the value of the property should be kept as low as possible. Being a guarantor means that the parents have to pay if the child is unable to pay, so they are legally obliged to do so. A guarantee also reduces your own creditworthiness. 

Of course, you can also give your children a home as a complete gift. However, if the property is given as a wedding gift, you should bear in mind that your partner may be entitled to half of the house in the event of a divorce. Taxes are also payable on the gift of a property in Germany, which is why it is better to sell a house officially. In any case, you should familiarise yourself with the laws of the Gift tax inform. 

Credit cards are a convenient method of payment and necessary for some purchases. However, interest and fees can accumulate so that you end up paying much more for your goods than they are worth. A credit card should be used with care and consideration and spending should be kept under control.

With credit cards, it pays to compare interest rates between providers. Above all, you should make sure that the interest rate remains unchanged, i.e. that you are not offered a particularly low interest rate for the first 6 months, which then rises significantly. 

Even if it's annoying, always read the small print beforehand so that you know what you're getting. You should also pay attention to the reminder fee if a monthly payment is late. The reminder fee varies depending on the card provider. Of course, you should avoid paying late if possible, as this keeps the costs of the credit card as low as possible. 

There are now many credit cards that are offered without an annual fee. The amount of the annual fee and the interest rate must be weighed up. If you tend to keep your credit card constantly maxed out, you may be better off with a card that charges a low annual fee but less interest. If, on the other hand, you only use your credit card for occasional online purchases and want to pay off the balance quickly afterwards, you should definitely look for a free credit card. 

It is also useful if you get a credit card with which you can collect points for which you are later rewarded in some way. 

Finally, it is important to mention the obvious in order to keep credit card costs low. Keep an eye on your spending and ideally pay it off in full within four weeks. The danger of the credit card is to be deceived and seduced by its apparent credit limit. Don't immediately pull out your credit card for small purchases, otherwise you will quickly lose track. 

Visa and Mastercard are currently the most commonly used credit cards. Generally speaking, Visa and Mastercard are very similar, but offer different functions for their customers and the banks.

In 2009, Mastercard was beaten by Visa by far in terms of cards in circulation. Visa has around 270 million credit cards and 380 million debit cards in circulation, while Mastercard has 203 million and 125 million respectively. Security against credit card fraud and theft is about the same for both credit cards, except for online transactions. Visa uses a password verification system that must be entered for every online purchase, while Mastercard requires a PIN number. Both systems have the same function, but a PIN number is considered more secure.

Visa and Mastercard both offer discounts on purchases, but the value of the discounted rate can vary. You need to find out in detail which brands offer discounts for each credit card and which is therefore worthwhile for each individual person.

Basically, both companies are the same and offer very similar functions. Buying Mastercard shares is currently considered a better buy than Visa shares, but both have great growth potential on the stock market.

One of the most difficult decisions when buying a new car is what to do with the old one. A car dealer may offer the option of trading in the old car, but as they want to sell on a car in good condition themselves, you may be able to get more money for the old car if you sell it privately.

Before the car is sold or traded in, you should of course establish the approximate market value. There are useful guidelines and value lists for used cars on the Internet, both free of charge and for a fee (e.g. www.dat.de, free valuation). For the valuation, you enter the vehicle make, model, mileage and equipment to obtain an approximate indication of the current value.

The main reason why many car buyers simply trade in their old car is because it is much more convenient, quicker and less complicated. The car dealer usually takes care of the necessary paperwork.

The main reason for a private sale is that you almost always get more money for the used car than if you trade it in. A car dealer buys a used car so that he can sell a new car, i.e. he offers the most favourable price so that he can sell the car on later at a profit. Even moreThe car dealer knows that the buyer of the new car usually wants to get rid of his old car quickly.

If you decide to take the easy route, it is definitely worth getting a valuation of your vehicle anyway to get the best possible price from the car dealer. When making your decision, it is also important to consider how much the old car is in demand and how long a potential private sale could take.

Everyone wants a happy and everlasting marriage. Unfortunately, a perfect marriage cannot be guaranteed. Everyone in a marriage should prepare for the unlikely event of a separation in order to be financially secure. That way you can keep control of your own finances:

1. be prepared. Your partner may change over time and suddenly no longer want to be married to you. If your partner separates from you, your life can change very quickly. Even in a happy marriage, events can cause a separation. Divorce can happen to anyone, so be prepared just in case.

2. keep an overview of income and expenditure in the marriage. You should know about savings accounts, investments and pension provision. You need to know how much money is needed to maintain your current standard of living.

3. at the first signs of a possible separation, you should seek financial advice so that you are protected if it comes to that.

4. protect your credit rating. You need your credit rating so that you can get credit for a new home or a car in the event of a separation.

5. keep your own bank account. You should be able to dispose of your own money. This way you can put money aside to be financially secure in an emergency.

6. pension insurance. Find out whether you are entitled to part of your partner's pension, especially if the pension is paid by your partner's company.

7. if you are not working during your marriage, prepare yourself for the fact that you will most likely have to work after a separation. Keep yourself mentally fit so that you can look for a good job.