Bluebirds on the Ground. Heike in Germany.

 I'm Heike and I live in Germany. I am chronically ill with systemic lupus erythematosus and have been living on disability pension for over 20 years now. In addition, until recently I had a mini-job in a school for disabled children, which I was able to do in my home office. Due to my illness, I am dependent on help in everyday life and receive support from the long-term care insurance. I live by myself in an apartment in a small town. I don't have the space or the physical ability to maintain a garden. I only have a small raised bed for herbs behind the house. 

The average apartment rent in my town is €12 / square meters. 50 squaremeters is about 600 euros rent cold (means you must pay also for heating and power/ electricity). I am privileged as my stepchildren and their relatives are the owners of the apartment and they charge less than the average rent. Just to give you an impression: The average rent in Munich is €21.56/ square. more than 1000 Euros rent for 50 square meters. 

The poverty line for singles is 1074. According to the German pension insurance, men in the western federal states (excluding the former GDR) got an average of EUR 1,172 pensiongross per month at the end of 2020, while the average femal pensioner only received 741 EUR. This is about 100 euro over the poverty line for men and 333 Euro under the poverty line for women. 

Current Situation in Germany

Inflation: 

The Oficiall inflation rate October 2022 and November 2022 is 10% (Total year 2022 around 7%)

But: 

The inflation rate results from the price of a product basket defined by the Federal Statistical Office. It calculates things per year that we need for daily life such as food, clothing, rent, electricity, telecommunications, leisure expenses and commodities such as petrol and heating oil as well as government fees and taxes. The rate is determined every month by the Federal Statistical Office.

The shopping basket therefore includes expenses for housing, water, gas and fuel, food, leisure, culture, education, health, care, clothing, shoes and much more, as well a lot of items that we do not need every day like TV, sports equipment etc. 

We get a better picture when we take out the items on which we actually spend our money: living, eating, heating, mobility.

Here the actual numbers: 

Electricity, gas etc. is 54%

Heating oil/ fuels is 22

Vegetables is 20

Food, beverages is 20

fruits is 6% inflation rate.

There are fewer special offers at the grocery stores now.

The local organic supermarket has no special offers anymore only for three or four sorts of veggies and fruits per week. The local supermarket newspaper reduced the special offers as well. They still deliver the newspaper, but special offers are very few now in it.

At the online discounter where I ordered some stuff as well I can be happy to find 10% off now instead of 20-40 %. Price for canned tuna raised more than 30 %, corned beef more than 25% for example.

Manufacturing has been affected by high power prices, some big companies and many medium-sized companies are bankrupt.

In 2022, a liter of Super E10 cost an average of around 1.8645 euros, around 34 cents more than in 2021. Diesel became even more expensive year-on-year: an annual average of around 1.9522 euros had to be paid for a liter, that was a 57 cents more than last year.

Foodbanks have problems to get food for the poor and needy people.

The German Infection Protection Act was changed in 2020: among others the fundamental right to physical integrity and integrity of the home was restricted 

1 million refugees from Ukraine since February 2022 aditional to the other refugees we got since 2015. 

In 2022 there was 20% more sick leave than before, which lead to a lot of consequences like even more nursing shortage in Hospitals and facilies, reduced opening hours supermarkets, the application processing ( I am waiting since months for the approval for my age pension). 

How I got prepared:

Years ago there were rumors about plans to abolish cash. I don't have much money, but you dont want to lose it no matter how samll the amount may be. So I was starting to ask the Lord what to do. Together with friends I went to a christian conference about the endtime a while later. There I met a man and we got to talk a bit. A few weeks later he sent me a christmas parcel. It contented a bottle of wine from Israel and a 1 ounce silver coin together with his busines card. He is a coin trader. I did not know that before. I got good advice from him.

4 years ago (January 2019) I came across some blogs dealing with preparation. That's how I came across Annabel's blog and facebook page and another FB page (The women of proverbs31) that deals with being a Proverbs 31 woman (bible). I didn't have a pantry before and hadn't really researched the subject. I then slowly started to build up some supplies like one or two aditional items per week, or something for 5 euro per week.  I read a lot of informations about blackouts etc. and I started making lists of everything I would need in emergencies.

The German Federal Government recommends every German citizen to always have a supply of food for a period of 14 days in the house. The information can be found on the Internet msince many years. The emergency ration of food and equipment should be helpful in the event of a disaster, whether caused by politics or nature. These include: floods, storm and storm, snow disasters, Power failure, Factory Accidents (Chemical Accident), earthquake, financial crisis, Virtually any form of immobility or loss of civilization.

I studied the plans and gradually built up some supplies. But everything was very far away for me and not very concrete. I live in a very sheltered area where there are hardly any storms or disasters etc.

But encouraged by the groups, I continued. I found a few ways to order online, signed up for a Veggie Box, and friends shopped for me. I installed new shelving to make room for groceries, emergency items like candles, batteries, camping stoves, heaters, wool, sewing supplies, blankets, hot water bottles…

Then Corona came and everything suddenly became very concrete (lack of oil, flour, toilet paper). My father died in the hospital in 2020 under corona conditions (difficult visiting situation, switching between hospitals, uncertainty, difficult care and support in his last days). He left me some money and I was able to buy some items from my list what otherwise would not have been possible.

I stocked up on some painkillers and vitamins (D3, K2, vitamin C). Supplies for soap making, as you can do a lot of things out of soap; cleaner, laundry soap, etc. Essential oils, oils that are good for skin, coconut oil, almond oil, shea butter, beeswax. Fabrics, sewing supplies, fabrics and stuff for sewing quilts, wool, yarn (always searching for special offers in order to be able to affort it). I sewed masks for family, friends and church members for free and got fabrics, rubber and zippers as thank you. I bought small heaters, a manuell grain mill, camping cooker, powerbank, candles all kind of stuff for emergencies. I received thick fabrics for free which I can use as additional curtains.

I was always used to make a lot of things by myself like sewing, knitting, crocheting, spinning, cooking from scratch, painting furnitures, learning new skills, being autodidact which helps a lot. I was born1956, 9 years after WWII ended and we were not a rich familiy of 5. I had three jobs besides my education for being a teacher. I remember a lot of cheap meals my mother used to cook and I am used to save money by making homemade gifts etc. 

I read a lot of information about living frugal.

My current situation:

I am heating with natural Gas. I can't install a wood stove n my flat. In January 2022 the monthly bill was 112 Euro/month. In May 2022 it raised to 174 Euro/month and January 2023 it is 197 Euro/month.  We received a relief contribution 300 Euro for employees and luckyly another relief contribution for pensioners (300 Euro as well) from the goverment. As I had an additional minijob besides my disabled pension till October I was in the good situation to receive both reliefes. 

My electricity bill rose from 52 Euro monthly to 65 Euro monthly. Which is not too bad. . 

Yet we dont know about the coming developements of the natural gas prices as they are talking about new laws right now (Energy price cap).

In 2020 my health situation has deteriorated sharply and I can no longer leave the house, nor drive a car, only stand for a short time and take a few steps only with a crutch. I need help, but I'm fortunate to be able to get help from friends and professionals. However, being dependent on help is not always easy to bear. Especially when you are chronically ill, you often feel helpless anyway. But helplessness makes me go to the Lord and trust HIM to help me. I continue to try to cook my own food, knit and crochet in bed, keep abreast of political and economic developments. I write shopping lists for special offers for my helpers. I like reading about ideas for getting things done by taking small steps because I can't take big steps anymore. I try to keep improving my skills and also pass on my knowledge to others. I have a dehydrator and I preserving food on good days. The local discounter sells so called rescue bags. They contain 3-5 kg of vegetables and fruits for 3 Euros and are usually of very good quality. 

I am member of a farmers cooperation which delivers products to your home and I have an abonnement for organic veggie boxes which can content fruits, potatoes and eggs if I wish. They are delivered as well. Both are quite pricy, but I want to be prepared for times of shortages as well. Better to get pricy stuff than getting none at all. Because of my sickness I have to care double, because my helpers get sick sometimes or have to cancel and I need to care for myself then. 

As I had to give up my minijob I am missing the money I had till last September (additional to the inflationrate) . So I adjusted my budget. I keep Excel spreadsheets about my finances and enter all changes. So I have always an overview about my financial situation and budget. I keep donating for Operation christmas Child (Shoeboxes), homeless people etc.. I am dept free. I try to help others who are in need or need encouragement. I try to use the things/stuff/materials I have and make a good use out of them. 

I try to be thankful. Some people tent to say: "It can only get better", but this is something I don't believe. We don't have a clue how bad it can get. My Dad survided WWII being wounded and my mother survided the so called "Operation Gomorrah" in Hamburg 1943 (when the firestorm destroyed the area where she lived as a young girl and so many people died). I remember so many cruel and sad things they have told me. 

Times have changed for real. Of course sometimes I get upset about the everything I hear and read. 

But there is still a lot of things we can be thankful for. 

I try to be informed, but I don't go crazy about informations anymore. Latest news: EU regulation from January 24th: dried mealworms and crickets are allowed in food now. 

I try to keep my eyes on the God who had made the heavens and the earth and who will not leave me alone. 

God is always working, we just don‘t remark it all the time. But when we need help and we ask HIM and trust HIM, HE will be here for us with help and wisdom and advice and practical help. HE will make a way and He will care. 

We just do what we can and trust HIM for the rest.

Be blessed Heike xxx

Thank you so much Heike!   This blesses me so much.   I want to highlight how even though Heike cannot manage a full garden her container garden (at a nice height for her)  still provides goodness and freshness.  We an do what we can!    

An update.... Heike has informed me the government has passed laws which allow four types of insects to be in foods now.  For those of you who know about the push to eliminate agriculture and introduce an insect diet... well it has begun.   For those that don't,  have you heard words "build back better"  or "we are all in this together" ...  you can easily research and find the goals of the UN, WEF,  WHO and more as they are very open about their endeavours and farming is high on their list of things to be rid of.   Since my family are farmers it is our business to know.   So from me, please support farmers because they are really being pressured.  In the Netherlands so many farmers are being forced to shut down because the government say so.     This is a big chunk of food production for the world gone.   Support your farms and read your labels very very carefully.    As Heike says sometimes it is stressful to be informed.  But also we need to be informed otherwise things have crept up on us and we are not prepared.  

Each week I am inspired and educated by our Bluebirds on the Ground and I hope you are too.xxx