Your New Year's Guide to Smart Spending – January 7

A lot of companies treat January as a great time to raise prices. We can’t stop them – but if you already have a contract or subscription, a fee increase often gives you a special right to cancel (Sonderkündigungsrecht). And in some cases, the increase only applies if you actively consent to it – which can buy you some time. Here are two real-life examples from my own experience:

Last spring, Commerzbank* tried to turn my previously free account into a €4.90/month one. They emailed me many times asking me to agree to the new fee – I never did, and guess what? I’m still using the account for free. They might cancel it at some point (and I’m okay with that, because there are plenty of free bank accounts in Germany), but so far it has already saved me a decent amount of money.

Another time, I had annual travel insurance with Envivas and wanted to switch – but I’d missed the regular cancellation window. Then they sent me a letter announcing higher fees. That basically handed me the easy exit I needed, and I switched over to Getsafe travel insurance*, which is currently completely free for the first year for new Getsafe customers under 40, and then €15/year after that (naturally, I couldn’t skip this promo).

The same applies to statutory health insurance. Many public insurers raised their contributions as of January 1, and if yours did, you can switch even if you haven’t been with them for 12 months yet. You generally have until the end of the month in which the higher Zusatzbeitrag applies – so for increases effective January 1, that means January 31. You usually don’t even need to cancel yourself: you can just sign up with a new Krankenkasse, and they’ll handle the switch.

And yes, the difference in costs can be real and can save you hundreds of euros per year. The cheapest nationwide option right now (BKK firmus) is at 16.78% total contribution and TK is at 17.29%, while some funds are over 19%. Alternatively, if you’ve been considering private health insurance for one reason or another (for instance, becoming self-employed), this can be a good moment to look at the numbers again.

I’m personally loyal to TK, so I don’t see myself switching – but if your provider got too expensive (or you’re not happy with them for other reasons), it’s worth doing a quick comparison. You can use this health insurance contribution calculator to run the numbers for your income.

Berliner Volksbank* is offering a €250 welcome bonus for opening their regular checking account until January 12. I’ve never seen a higher bonus for opening a Girokonto in Germany, so I highly recommend grabbing this deal. Despite the name of the bank, the offer is open nationwide in Germany.

The standard account costs €3.95/month, and the bonus conditions are straightforward: give marketing consent within the first 4 weeks (and don’t withdraw it until you get the bonus), and have at least one incoming payment of €700 per month for 5 months starting from month 2.

If you’re under 30, check the Girokonto blauorange* instead: it’s free, comes with a €150 bonus, and the monthly incoming payment requirement is €400.

If you’ve been thinking about switching accounts (or just want a very strong welcome bonus), this is worth a look. Open your account here*.

Note: the image on the sign-up page might erroneously say “Gemeinschaftkonto” and €200 bonus until they fix this error, but don’t worry, the offer is indeed for the checking account and the bonus is €250 – just scroll down to see the conditions.

Back when I was experimenting more with beauty products, I had a full-on beauty box era. If you’ve never tried a beauty box: you pay a fixed price and get a mix of full-size and travel-size products – and the total value is much higher than what you paid. The stated value numbers (based on regular prices of the items) can be a bit inflated, but the better boxes are still a great deal if you’re open to trying new products and brands.

I still keep an eye on beauty box offers every now and then, and their value and contents can be hit and miss – but the January box from Blissim* (formerly known as Glossybox) looks very appealing. It’s €17.95 and Blissim advertises up to €97 value, with 5 products (4 of them full size). The spoilers include Patyka skincare, a K-beauty-inspired cleansing gel, a Marie Stella Maris lip balm, an eyeshadow stick, plus a personalized surprise product. You cancel your subscription anytime, even after your first box.

If you choose the 3-month subscription option with commitment until March, you also get a welcome gift: a full-size Anastasia Beverly Hills lip gloss in “Caramel” (€27 value) for free. Use code LIPGLOSS (advertisement) at checkout to get the gift with your first box. Get Blissim box here*.

Another box, with food this time. HelloFresh* is offering the first box for free – you only pay €5.99 for delivery. This deal has been a reader favorite for a good reason – I mean, who doesn’t like free food?!

The free box includes 2 meals for 2 or 3 people (so 4 or 6 portions total). If you want more portions, you can expand the box for an extra fee. It’s set up as a subscription, and your next few boxes will be discounted if you continue – but you don’t have to, so you can cancel right after your first delivery.

The deal is available if you’ve never used HelloFresh before, or if your last order was more than a year ago. I’ve been a HelloFresh customer for a while and I really enjoy it – it saves me time on planning and buying groceries and removes that weekday “what should I cook?” decision-making spiral. Get your free box here*.

Money-back grocery and household product promos are one of the easiest ways to cut everyday costs. A lot of promotions from previous issues are still active – you can find them all here. For more free grocery products, Rewe product tests are worth a look as well.