Your Guide to Smart Spending | July 8

📆 Tax Deadline Is Approaching

July 31 is the deadline to file your 2024 tax return if you’re obliged to file and not using a tax advisor. If this date’s been haunting your to-do list, take a deep breath and start with my guide on how to file your tax return, which will help you figure out if you’re required to file and how to get started. Then read pt. 1 and pt. 2 of my deep-dive tax refund guide to know what you can deduct and how much money can each deduction save you.

If you’re not in the mood for all this reading and just want to get it done, head to Wundertax, where for €34.99 and about 20 minutes of your life, you can be tax-compliant and maybe get a few hundred euros back. I am using Wundertax myself, and it’s as close to painless as German bureaucracy gets.

If you’re not required to file, the deadline doesn’t apply to you – you can still submit your declaration voluntarily for up to 4 years back, and you probably should. Common reasons people get money back include:

• Commuting costs (by any means of transportation, even if you bike)

• Work-from-home flat rate

• Moving expenses and job-related costs

• Working for less than a whole year

If you’re not sure whether submitting a tax return will be worth it for you, just head to Wundertax, enter your income and expenses and see your estimated refund — you only pay if you decide to file. Nothing to lose, everything to gain.

🔥 Hot Deals: July Edition

🍰 HelloFresh: Discounted Boxes + Free Dessert

HelloFresh just made their signature offer even better – you still get steep discounts on your first few boxes (starting at €19.49 for 6 meals for your first box, which is an absolute steal), and they’re now throwing in free dessert in every box for a year if you keep your subscription going. You can cancel anytime — even after your first box — so there’s zero commitment. The deal works for new customers and for anyone who cancelled more than a year ago. It’s a low-effort way to test whether weekly meal kits are your thing (or if you just want more dessert in your life). Get your box here.

💰️ Amazon Prime Day Sale

Amazon Prime Day sale starts today and runs through July 11. Whether it’s worth the hype depends entirely on what you’re shopping for: discounts tend to be best on Amazon’s own devices (think up to 50% off on Kindle, Echo smart speaker, or Fire TV Stick), Apple gagdets (20-30% off on Apple Watch and Airpods), Samsung phones (-34% on Galaxy S25), but there are usually decent deals on other electronics and household items too.

Prime Day deals are only available to Amazon Prime members (€8.99/month or €89.90/year), but if you're not, check if you can get a 30-day free Prime trial. Moreover, even if you’ve used your trial before, Amazon often gives you another free trial or a €0.99-for-one-week offer. Check your profile to see if it’s available. If not, you can always ask a Prime-having friend to place the order for you (just don’t forget to pay them back).

One more tip: before buying, check the item’s price history using Keepa or CamelCamelCamel price trackers. Some sellers quietly raise prices just before Prime Day so their discount looks bigger than it is – double-check that this is not the case with the item you’re planning to buy.

🎓 Coursera Plus: 40% Off Annual Plan

Coursera is running a summer sale until July 21, offering 40% off their annual Coursera Plus plan — that’s €225 for 12 months instead of the usual €375. If you’ve been thinking about upskilling or reskilling due to the state of job market in Germany or are curious about new skills, this might be a good option.

Coursera Plus gives you unlimited access to thousands of online courses, professional certificates, and specializations from the best universities (Yale, Stanford) and companies (Google, IBM) worldwide — from coding and business to AI fundamentals and project management. You’ve got 14 days to get your money back if you change your mind, so it’s fairly low-risk. Get the deal here.

🏦 €200 Bonus at Berliner Volksbank

I know many of you already took advantage of this offer last month — and good news, it’s been extended! If you live in Berlin or Brandenburg, you can still get €200 for opening a new account with Berliner Volksbank with very easy conditions. Just receive at least one incoming payment (salary, pension, student aid — just not from your own accounts) of €500 or more within the first three months, and the €200 bonus lands in your account by month four.

The standard account costs €3.95 per month and includes a Girocard and a credit card. If you’re under 30, go for the Blue Orange account instead — same benefits, no monthly fee. You can close the account after receiving the bonus if you want — no drama. And yes, this is still the highest checking account welcome bonus I’ve ever seen in Germany. Sign up here.

🎁 Freebies

• Leerdammer Knusperminis: You can try the new Knuspermini cheeses (Plain or Pepper-Chili) for free. Buy a pack in-store, then upload your receipt to get a refund of up to €2.99. Valid until August 3.

• Arla Buko products: Several Arla Buko shepherd’s cheeses and cooking creams are part of this promotion. Just buy one of the participating items (Hirtenkäse cremig mild, Hirtenkäse mariniert Kräuter & getrocknete Tomate, Kochsahne cremig fein, or Kochcreme – Kräuter der Provence) by August 24, upload your receipt, and get your money back.

• Parodontax: Need toothpaste or mouthwash? Grab one from Parodontax’s Gum Strengthening (Zahnfleisch Stärkung & Schutz) range with a promotional sticker until September 30, and get your money back. Weekly redemptions are limited, so submit your receipt early in the week. SMS verification required.

• Corny Nuts & Protein bars: Whether you’re team Chocolate or Vanilla, you can get your money back on a pack of Corny Nuts & Protein (3 x 35 g) bought by September 14. Redemption opens daily at 8 a.m., so best to submit earlier in the day.

Money-back deals are one of my favorite ways to save on groceries and household products in Germany — I haven’t paid for toothpaste or laundry detergent for about a year now. Several offers from the previous issues are still live — check them out here, here and here.