I was wondering whether we could put together a list of frugal tips for Central and Eastern Europe? Most list on here are US oriented (which is understandable as Reddit is heavily US centric), so a lot of stuff such as student loans or credit doesn't apply that much. Can we come up with something more CEE oriented. Of course, even CEE isn't a continuum and there are differences between the countries but still.
From the universal advise what can apply:
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cook instead of eating out: this technically applies to dinners etc. but for example in Slovakia the employer either has to provide you lunch or to give you food vouchers. Usually there is a small amount reduced for the lunch/voucher from the pay. For example you get a 4,10 euro voucher and you only pay 1 euro for that. My current employer doesn't reduce anything for example. You can find daily menus starting at around 3,50 euro so it might not make that much sense to cook at home. It makes sense for me personally because I have celiac disease and daily menus at the reliable restaurants that offer gluten free choices tend to start at around 4,50 euro and more.
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look for free entertainement options - there is a great app called Invisible Cities which was created by the various EU cultural institutes EUNIC where you can find events in your city. The events hosted by the cultural institutes are usually free and you get various things such as concerts, art exhibitions, discussions etc. Libraries or book stores or universities also tend to organise free things
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work on developing yourself more - there are many free resources such as Duolingo or youtube that can help you with improving your foreign languages skills which might be an important skill to have when you are looking for good employment in this region. Or look into free resources on learning to code such as CodeAcademy or W3Schools
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I'm not sure how much this applies to other countries, but in Slovakia most employers offer the option of additional retirement savings, the 3rd pillar which is an addition to the mandatory state system of saving or the occupational system. In the 3rd pillar a small portion of the employer's salary is reduced to go to his additional pension fund (can be 1% or a certain amount) and the employer also adds money (can be 2% or defined money). This is money that you wouldnt receive from the employer otherwise in most cases.
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make good use of the benefits your employer offers. For example my employer offers a certain amount that can be used for a wide variety of stuff (although taxes/insurance money are later reduced). I am growing a habit of using this money for stuff I would have bought otherwise such as cinema tickets or paying the additional price for medications/gluten free food that isn't paid by the insurance company
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if you're thinking about buying stuff explore the options of buying it on Chinese websites such as AliExpress or Wish. You have to be very careful with these, but personally I have had very good experiences with buying dresses especially from Wish. When you want to buy something on Wish, wait for a bit, they periodically send you emails with news of the items you viewed having a lower price, so you might get a lower price later on.
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look for cheap ways to travel - AirBnB is your friend in terms of accommodations and there are always cheap flight tickets available with companies such as RyanAir or WizzAir. Just be very careful about checking their conditions before buying due to all the additional charges they have for luggage. Research the place you are going to, chances are that you can find things such as free walking tours that are either completely free or pay as much you want. Also have a look at self guided tours.
Anyone have any more tips for this region?
June 25, 2017 at 03:16AM
