Vaikeasti to ERE - Family Journal

[delay]

Thanks for your blog! Interesting to read about life in Finland.

SO is still on sick leave but thanks to being unionized still gets 1500e/month.

We have unions here too, and I'm a member. There is no advantage to being in a union other than legal help. Everyone gets the same unemployment benefits. If you work at a unionized shop, you may be entitled to 3 years of benefits (if you have an infinite work history), but that is the same for members and non-members.

I'm pretty sure we'll end up selling some shares this year to cover expenses, since I'm not feeling any more energetic than before. But it's nice to know that in theory we'd keep the house and the cabin with the current income. We'd just have no car to get to the cabin... details

Hahaha! Damn those pesky details!

May 2024 be more to your liking than your 2023!

[Vaikeasti]

Thanks for checking out my journal delay!

Interesting info about unions! For some reason I thought they worked in a similar matter in all of Europe.

Wishing you a good 2024 too!

[Vaikeasti]

In short:
Success:

Employed (part time but still)
Fixed some sheets and a corner of a rug that the bunnies destroyed
Made cinnamon buns and toffee (got some free milk from work)
Some exercise done
Found some Finnish books about wild herbs
Also got a a couple other small things from work (plastic gloves, toilet paper, soap)

Room for improvement:

Keeping up routines
Sleeping enough (why do I start all interesting projects at the evening?)
Need to generate more income soon, since union benefits are ending

Risks taken:

Stored some limes in the freezer (that I got free from work, I'm going to make Labor day mead from them)
Kid won a discount coupon to a cruise and I promised we would go (I can already feel my wallet screaming)
We bought the tesla car

Played it safe:

Trying to keep things as calm and normal as possible
Having kids friends over a lot so they are not alone

[DayDreamer]

Hi, I came across your journal and I thought that you might be able to help.

Me and my SO are thinking of moving to Finland. However we have some concerns with regards to the "real" cost of real estate. With this I mean the price of the house + the perpetual amount that you guys have to spend on heating and cleaning snow.

We live in a cheaper (and lower income) EU country but in a city where real estate is quite expensive. Prices are similar or higher than in a small city in Finland (where we have family).

Can you share some regional knowledge? Other members of the forum are welcome to chip in as well of course =).

To be honest my financial thinking is a bit rusty and foggy. But it doesn't seem to make much sense to keep paying rent when I can start buying my own place.

Regards

[Vaikeasti]

Hey DayDreamer!

Welcome to my journal, and welcome to Finland.

Sorry fo the delay, I haven't been very active here lately due to...lazyness.

Housing costs vary highly depending on the size, location and living arrangements. (Own house, own apartment, a rented apartment).
An official estimate is that house prices average is 2300e/square meter and renting an apartment is on average 15e/square meter.

Here is an official website about this:
https://www.infofinland.fi/housing/housing-in-finland

And here is the our goverments financial support regarding housing, to people in need of support. It can give you a rough idea about the minimum cost in different parts of Finland:
https://www.kela.fi/social-assistance-housing-costs

Home ownership can be pretty cheap if you can do alot of maintenance yourself or very expensive if you hire outsiders. Plumbing and electricity allways require outsiders in Finland but almost everything else you can do yourself.
Snow work is typically done by the residents so that's not expensive.
Heating, electricy, taxes, garbage collecting and such are some of the larger costs.
A rough estimate could be that maintainance and such costs around 4 euros per square meter. It can be as high as 7e or as low as 3e normally. That includes most of the expenses, excluding water, electricity and internet.

I'd say if you have relatives here and are planning to move close to them, you can get the best info from them.