When Christmas is simply too costly | EUROtoday

14 million folks on this nation are thought of poor, for others cash would not matter. The contrasts have gotten significantly clear proper now: Some can hardly afford items, others are queuing up in entrance of luxurious shops.

When Sandra Schlensog strolls by way of the Christmas market in Karlsruhe, it is simply to look. She cannot purchase something: she will be able to’t afford it. “A pair of hand-knitted socks for 15 euros? That’s utopian,” says the 46-year-old and places the pair she’s holding again in her hand.

Sandra Schlensog receives group profit and likewise works eight hours every week in a facility for mentally in poor health folks. She can not work a full-time job attributable to well being issues. Money is all the time tight for her – however she feels it particularly at Christmas time. “There are simply no expensive gifts,” she says: “And no bratwurst at the Christmas market either.”

Handbag for 700 euros

Nobody in Stuttgart’s “Dorotheen Quartier” cares a couple of bratwurst. The procuring mile is understood within the Baden-Württemberg state capital for its elegant outlets – and its robust clientele. At Louis Vuitton, the costs for purses are normally 4 figures, however there may be nonetheless a queue in entrance of the shop throughout Advent. Here, amongst many others, is Thomas Gudd. He desires to purchase a purse for his girlfriend: “It should be something special this year.”

The purse that Manfred Holzknecht buys for his spouse is even cheaper by native requirements: 700 euros. “Women just love handbags,” he says: “If you’ve been married for a long time, you should make your wife happy again.” This additionally applies outdoors of the Christmas season, says his spouse Katharina: “You just buy something every now and then.”

Make items your self as a substitute of shopping for them

For Sandra Schlensog, no particular purchases are potential at Christmas both. That’s why she offers away home made objects, she says: cookies or knitted hats. She solely makes an exception for her 16-year-old son: she has been saving all yr for his Christmas current. “Now that I have the part-time job, I can put aside ten or 15 euros a month,” she says. This means she saves round 150 euros a yr. Money that she additionally used to finance the Christmas current for her son.

Above all, he desires garments. In his closet there are solely “the bare essentials,” says his mom: two sweaters, a couple of T-shirts, a pair of denims – “he has the other one on.” The wallpaper in her rented residence is peeling off the partitions. “Actually, this needs to be re-wallpapered and painted,” says Sandra Schlensog. But they do not come up with the money for for that.

The furnishings additionally exhibits its age: one chair’s foam is oozing out of a crack within the upholstery, and the 17-year-old couch is sagging. “That was my bed for a long time,” says Sandra Schlensog. Now she has an actual mattress once more, due to a donation.

If the Ferris wheel trip is not included

Sandra Schlensog and her son are not any exception in Germany: the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband counts 14 million folks as poor. For many individuals, the Christmas season makes their poverty significantly clear. Nevertheless, Sandra Schlensog likes Christmas: “I make myself as comfortable as possible,” she says.

This works even with out cash. But she would nonetheless prefer to afford one or two “luxuries,” as she says, reminiscent of a trip on the Ferris wheel on the Christmas market. “I think it’s beautiful, especially in the evening.” But a visit prices six euros for adults. “That’s just incredibly expensive,” says Sandra Schlensog: “That’s not possible.”