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MONEY

Cost of living: Seven tips to save money in Austria

Life in Austria can be full of delights but the country can be an expensive place to live, depending on where you are from or what you do. Here are seven simple money-saving tips from Tyrol-based writer Hayley Maguire.

Cost of living: Seven tips to save money in Austria
AFP

If you’re from the UK, buying alcohol and going to restaurants is significantly cheaper in Austria. Particularly when compared with London. Plus, rent is often lower in Austria than in the UK, making the cost of living cheaper overall.

But for people from countries like Spain and Italy, where the cost of living is much lower, Austria can be a very expensive country to live in. Especially for essential outgoings like rent, food and bills.

As a result, the cost of living is a regular topic of conversation amongst international residents.

So, how can you save money when living in Austria? Here’s seven simple money saving tips.

  • Buy second-hand

A good place to start for second-hand products in Austria is willhaben.at, an online marketplace. Visitors can search by location, and the website is especially useful for furniture and electronics.

For clothing, most cities have second-hand and vintage clothes stores. This is not as common in smaller towns and villages, but there are many flea markets to be found in Austria – even in rural places. Or try kleiderkreisel.de, which is a German-based platform for buying and selling used clothes.

In fact, a lot of German-based platforms can be used in Austria, including the German version of Amazon.

Then there is Facebook Marketplace. Not very Austrian but it’s still used by people all over the country to find second-hand goods.

  • Buy an annual vignette

To drive on the autobahn in Austria you need to pay a toll, which is called a vignette. This comes in the form of a sticker to be displayed in the windshield, or in a digital version that can be bought online.

ASFINAG network with route toll (green) and vignette (orange) sections and exceptions to the compulsory Vignette usage (blue). 

There are three options when buying a vignette – 10 days, two months or one year, which prices varying each year.

The 10-day rate sounds cheap, and in the short term it is. But if you end up buying a 10-day vignette more than 10 times in one year, it makes more sense to go for the annual pass instead.

  • Save money on food shopping

Want to save money on groceries? Then start growing fruit and vegetables. Food shopping can be expensive for a lot of people, so growing your own can help to save money. Plus, Austria gets a lot of sun in the summer months, which is perfect for growing produce in a garden or on a balcony.

This website can give you useful tips for when to plant seeds and what fruit and veg you can grow in Austria.

When it comes to supermarkets, Hofer is the best place to find bargains. Hofer is the Austrian version of Aldi and is cheaper than most other shops for food and household supplies.

Another tip is to shop at local farm shops, although they are not always the cheaper option.

  • Ski touring and cross-country skiing

Austria is a playground for winter sports, but it’s not cheap. And if the cost of living is already squeezing the budget then skiing might seem completely out of reach. 

This is where ski touring and cross-country skiing come in. 

Ski touring doesn’t involve using a lift and usually takes place in back country skiing areas. The times are changing though and some resorts now charge a small fee for on-piste ski touring. This is a much cheaper way to go skiing without forking out for a full lift pass. 

It’s a similar story with cross-country skiing. Again, you don’t need a lift pass. Just the right equipment and access to trails, making it an easy way to embrace winter sports without the expensive price tag.

  • Exercise outside

Like other countries around the world, there are plenty of gyms, sports centres and indoor exercise clubs to join in Austria. But for people trying to save money, paying the fees for these places will make the cost of living even higher.

To stick to a budget, here are the best ways to exercise outdoors for free (or cheap):

Some public parks even have sections with free-to-use outdoor gym equipment, which is perfect for the summer months.

READ ALSO: Austria’s most beautiful spots for lake and river swimming

Image: weinfranz.at

  • Cycle instead of driving

The financial benefits of cycling are well known and it can save a lot of money in the long term. In Austria, it’s even easier to embrace cycling with plenty of cycle lanes and bike parking spots available in towns and cities across the country.

The only downside is for people living in the mountains or rural areas. The weather conditions in the winter might not be suitable for cycling, and a car is often needed in the countryside. But this money saving tip could be a seasonal option for the summer months.

  • Speak to the locals

Finally, speaking to locals is a money saving tip worth remembering. 

It might sound obvious but word of mouth really does go a long way in Austria. Why? Because Austrians are proud of where they’re from and will be happy to point you in the right direction. Even when it comes to business.

For example, if you want to move house, someone in the community might know a landlord with a vacant property. This can help to save money on rental agent fees. Or if you want to buy a new car, ask around to find out if someone is selling a vehicle instead of going straight to a dealer.

Plus, speaking to local residents is a great way to get to know the country better and further integrate into Austrian life.

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LIVING IN AUSTRIA

Why internet users in Austria need to be aware of new ‘shitstorm’ ruling

'Shitstorm' is a ubiquitous Anglicism used in Austria referring to public, online and broad harassment people sometimes suffer. And now the country's supreme court is cracking down on perpetrators.

Why internet users in Austria need to be aware of new 'shitstorm' ruling

The word “shitstorm” officially arrived in German dictionaries more than ten years ago,

Its meaning is different from the English version, which according to the Oxford dictionary is used to a describe “a situation marked by violent controversy”.

However in German the Duden Dictionary explains it as a “storm of indignation in an internet communication medium, sometimes accompanied by insulting statements”.

The word is back on Austrian media after a controversial decision of Austria’s Supreme Court, which decided to crack down on instances of online harassment. According to the decision, simply participating in a “shitstorm” can cost an individual plenty. 

According to the court’s decision, it’s sufficient for a victim of a “shitstorm” to identify one person involved. You can “then assert a claim against this person for the entire immaterial damage that the person has suffered as a result of the ‘shitstorm’ “, media lawyer Maria Windhager told broadcaster ORF

READ ALSO: Four reasons Austria is great for women and four reasons why it isn’t

The Supreme Court’s decision means that those who spread hate and fake news online must also accept that they can be prosecuted for it. 

Police officer vilified online

Austria’s highest court dealt with the specific case of a police officer photographed and filmed as he worked in one of the 2021 demonstrations against COVID-19 measures. In a Facebook post, his image was shared with the false accusation that he pulled an 82-year-old man to the ground before arresting and interrogating him. 

According to the police officer, the post had many unpleasant consequences for him. He, his sister, and his mother had been asked about it many times, and even his former post commander had confronted him about it, the report stated. 

He was able to identify several people who shared the post and was able to bring one to court. In an initial trial, the court only awarded him a small portion of the €3,000 compensation he had demanded. 

Austria’s Supreme Court, however, awarded the man a total €3,000. In its reasoning, the Supreme Court stated that a “shitstorm” is defined precisely by the fact that many people participate in it. At the same time, the Supreme Court disagreed with the argument that this makes the individual act of every participant less significant. 

READ ALSO: What to do if you experience online abuse in Austria

Such an argument would have the consequence that the more people who take part in a shitstorm, the “less liable” everyone would be.

“The effect of a shitstorm is all the more violent, the more people participate in it”, according to the Supreme Court. With this, the court said those affected by a “shitstorm” could claim the total damage from a single perpetrator. 

Lawyer Windhager said: “I do believe that the ruling will shake people up and make them think a little more carefully about what they post and, above all, what they share”.

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