u/Reasonable_Net3302

A friend of mine (we were very close years ago, not so close anymore) is moving abroad and invited me to their going away event. They were very adamant that people needed to RSVP until a specific date, because they were renting a venue and needed a minimum amount of people to make it worth it.

I RSVP'd pretty quickly, because I thought it would be just a simple get-together with beers and stuff. Turns out, it's not.

Essentially, this friend is making a very intricate event with speeches, live music, dinner, etc, lasting over 6 hours. The issue is that they are expecting the guests to basically do all of this: bring a dish (must be vegan/GF/LF, neither of which I am), bring an instrument (most people are musicians), prepare a speech, help with clean up, and, on top of that, contribute 25 dollars for renting the space. And they want everyone to get COVID tested as well, which is...fine, but I find it a bit overkill.

I haven't seen this person in over a year and I feel like if we were still close, I probably would enjoy contributing to this, but just reading the super long email they sent gives me anxiety. I don't know any of their other friends and I don't think I feel like eating and singing together with strangers tbh.

Will I be the AH if I just tell them I can't come despite having RSVPd?

INFO: I RSVPd 3 weeks ago, the event is this Sunday. They sent out this email today.

Comprei um apartamento no Brasil e queria levar minhas coisas da Alemanha de volta para SP. Seria mais livros, roupas e pequenos objetos, nada de móveis ou afins. Acho que, ao todo, seriam umas duas ou três malas.

Alguém teria alguma ideia de como fazer isso do jeito mais barato?

Até agora a opção mais em conta que achei foi o Send My Bag.

I know it was bought by a private investor in 2021, but I couldn't find any info about whether there are some events or tours.

Does anyone know? It's kind of my dream to go inside.

I need some quick advice:

I need to move a socket in my bathroom (I only have one and it’s positioned in a way that I cannot use it). I contacted an electrician who said he could do that for me and said I didn’t have to ask permission from my landlord. In his words:

“I can move the socket to your left and install it on the wall. We cover the cables with cable channel. When you move out, just reinstall the socket and fix the gap”

Have any of you done this? Is it simple to repair if I eventually move out?

And most importantly – just to be on the safe side – do I need permission from the landlord? I'm with Covivio btw

https://preview.redd.it/fjf5a6din1gh1.jpg?width=3213&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50a7d47358ac76392102acfaccf8b0bf20f9d35e

I just moved into my new rental apartment and am trying to figure out this weird bathroom.

I need a mirror with a light, as there is no light on the ceiling. However, there is one socket with seems to be perfectly placed behind a supposed mirror placement.

How can I solve this issue? I need the mirror placed quite low, as I'm very short and I don't want to place it too off-center, as there is a bathtub on the right. I also need the socket for blowdying my hair, so fully covering it is not an option.

Help!

I just moved to a new place (Altbau) and have a small Keller space. I’d like to store some stuff there, like my rollerskates, some flower pots, etc.

The Keller is super damp, though. I already have some shelves I will put there, but are there any other tricks or tips? Any plasic boxes or whatnot that are better at keeping the dampness out? Tbh the Hausverwaltung told me I shouldn’t even keep a ladder there, as it can rot…

I bought some second hand Svalnas shelves and, when we installed them, one of the upright wall posts is jus slightly off, so that I can’t fit the shelves in.

What can I do to fix it without drilling new holes?

Also, I don’t have two of the round washer thingies that go in the wall and still have one post to install. can I just drill through it?

I finally got the flat and am moving in 2 days, but now I’m getting super anxious because of everything I’m reading online.

It’s a raised ground floor apartment facing the Hinterhof. There is a big tree in the middle which makes a lot of shade, hence, the apartment is quite dark. There is a balcony, though, and close to the window the light is not too bad. It’s East facing.

I’m getting worried I will be crazy depressed in the winter and even in the summer and also have an insanely high light bill.

Can someone reassure me that this is still ok? The apartment doesn’t have mold and it has 3 windows (even though it’s like 35m2)

I just signed a new contract and realized that by Nebenkostenvorauszahlung is pretty high.

I'm paying about €3,90/sqm for the total Nebenkosten. A quick search said that the usual would be between 2 and 3,50 euros per square meter.

Out of that, €2,20/sqm are for heating alone (the norm is, apparently, between 1€ and 2€).

I will live alone and it's a studio apartment with a big balcony (which I included in the square-meterage calculation). Is it normal to be charged this much upfront? Claude calculated that I can spare almost €40 a month, due to my building having higher-efficiency energy-saving heating sources.

I already know that my cold rent is above the Mietspiegel, but didn't think the landlord could also do the same with the Nebenkosten...

EDIT: it's an Altbau with no elevator, no garden, no "luxuries".

I just signed a rental contract with one of the top 5 biggest landlors and I know for a fact that my rent is overpriced and severely exceeds the Mietspiegel.

My contract has a Mindestmietdauer of 1 year. If I pursue the rent reduction, can I be thrown out after the first year?

(I'm a member of the Mieterverein, but haven't had time to consult with them yet)

I'm moving into a tiny studio apartment with separate bathroom and kitchen, but one 19m2 living room/bedroom.

I've been looking online at creative ways to separate the bed from the rest, but it either requires me to build a drywall – which I'm not allowed to do – or it's some kind of japanese room divider, which seems too improvised imho.

Could you give me ideas for non-permanent, but not too flimsy solutions to divide the apartment or integrate living/sleeping in a way that doesn't seem clumsy?

Just got offered a flat with Covivio. Ran it through the Mietspiegel and it's of course much higher than it should be, but the flat is in good shape.

Any experiences with Covivio as a landlord? They seem nice and professional, but I never heard anything about them.

There are other posts about this, but all are 4+ years old, so I’d be glad to hear from people who have rented from Gewobag in the last 2 years or so.

My main question is about the timeline. I went to an apartment viewing on Thursday, filled out the form immediately, then in the evening I was asked to upload my documents. Unfortunately I only saw that email 15mins after it was sent, so I’m not sure if that will hurt my chances.

After uploading your docs how long did it take you to hear back from them? I’m assuming that if I don’t hear back til next Friday, it’s not happening…

Help – I’ve become an avid podcast devourer since I figured out that listening to podcasts helps me get stuff done.

I have, however, gotten to the bottom of the recommendation well and I need some more.

I’m particularly into weird podcasts with niche subjects that have a sense of humor and are sort of journalism-adjacent.

Some of my faves:

- Dead Eyes

- You Look Like Me

- The Renner Files

- Finding Drago

- Who Shat on the Floor at my Wedding

- Lolita Podcast

- My Year in Mensa

Others I have listened to already: Wind of Change, Did Titanic Sink, Who Replaced Avril Lavigne

Some other podcasts not exactly in this genre, but that I still kind of enjoyed: Heavyweight, Normal Gossip, My Dad Wrote a Porno, You Must Remember This

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance

I have about 1560 BahnBonus points, 615 of which are expiring at the end of this month. If I book a free journey for 1000 points, do I lose the remaining 560 nonetheless?

I live in a big city with insane rental prices and a huge real estate crisis. I've been trying to move and find my own place for the last year, but as a low-earner that isn't really possible.

I've been living in a shared apartment with adult roommates for 7 years. My apartment is nice and the rent is affordable, but it never stopped feeling temporary. One of my roommates has been here longer than me and we get along ok – we're not friends, but never had major issues. He furnished the entire house aside from my room and all the bills and the lease are under his name. For 3 years now he works (and sleeps) out of town Mon-Fri, so I only see him on weekends. When he's gone he sometimes asks if his friends can crash in his room for 1-2 nights when visiting the city.

The other room has been occupied by 4 different people since I moved in, and all of them have been a bit of a pain in the ass to deal with. The last person to live with me just moved out, but in the course of the last 2 years we lived together, they also worked out of town and sublet their room for months every year.

Because of that, the bulk of household chores that go beyond basic cleaning always falls on me. If the WiFi needs fixing, boiler needs servicing, fridge needs replacing, etc etc, I'm always the one who has to do everything. Our apartment is super old, so every month there is something going on. On top of that, I've essentially been living with subletters and strangers for the good part of the year.

It's a strange situation, because it feels like I'm living alone, since all the responsibility falls on me, but I cannot make any aesthetic decisions and still need to share the space, negotiate boundaries and not be able to poop with the door open or walk around naked or whatever people who live alone do. Essentially, I'm in my 30s, crave privacy and am honestly just sick of living with roommates.

Considering I probably won't be able to afford my own place any time soon, what are some things I can do to feel more comfortable in my own home? I work from home as well, so I'm here all day every day.

If she is illiterate and was a little kid when she was taken, how was she able to write and read the name "Hannah"?

I’m throwing a party with the theme “Death Becomes Her” and I want to do a karaoke with only songs that relate to the themes of the film.

What are some songs that come to mind when you think of this film? E.g.: Forever Young, Madeline by Lilly Allen, etc.

(I know there is a Broadway musical, but I was looking more for pop/rock/alt songs)