Atherton Family Notes

Banking in Germany is an interesting experience.  The Germans are not fond of credit, although credit cards are becoming more prevalent since they are so common in the rest of Europe.  Oddly enough though, they are actually closer to having a cashless society than we are in the US.
 
In fact, we didn’t bring any money with us on our trip– I have used ATM machines (which are everywhere, even more so then in the US) to withdraw money from our bank account in the states and to take cash advances against our Visa card.  It is very easy to do, and a relatively inexpensive way to transfer money, especially in small amounts.
 
I have taken some of the money I received this way and deposited it in our account at the Volksbank (People’s Bank).  The Volksbank is a very large institution and has branches in virtually every village in the surrounding area.
 
Once you have a bank account in Germany and money deposited in the account, you can do virtually anything without ever seeing another Euro.  Paychecks are routinely direct deposited.  In most cases, any bill can be paid by writing your account number, bank name and signature on the bill and either mailing it or dropping it off at your bank.  If not, you can fill out a form at your bank and pay it directly anyway, as long as you know the account number to pay.  Almost all stores will accept your ATM card, which doubles as a debit card, for purchases.  Any monthly recurring payment can be set up to be paid automatically.  In addition, all of this can be done online or even from your cell phone(!). 
 
You can even use your ATM card at parking meters.  It seems weird to debit a 0,30 € charge, though, but apparently the Germans are used to it.  We had to use actual change to park at the Landratsamt yesterday because I haven’t memorized my PIN yet.
 
You get all of this capability included in the monthly fee paid for the bank account.  Our account costs 5 € a month (~$4.50), so it’s really a pretty good deal.  The only additional fees charged for accessing your money are when you use some other bank’s ATM machine, just like in the US.  If you overdraw the account, there is automatic overdraft protection, but it’s pretty expensive.
 
The one place I have seen so far where you absolutely have to have money is to use a shopping cart at the grocery store.  The carts are chained together at most stores and you have to insert a 0,50 € coin or sometimes a 1 € coin to release one of the carts.  You get the coin back when you return the cart and lock it up.  Aldi groceriy stores in the US do this, probably because they are used to that kind of system– we have an Aldi here in Villingen.
 
Come to think of it, though, I’ve seen some people using tokens (or slugs, perhaps) to release the carts.  Maybe you really don’t need any cash at all here!

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Today is the third straight rainy day in Villingen, and according to the forecast , “die Regenschauers” probably won’t stop until Monday. Of course, Monday is still expected to be overcast, so that’s not much better.  Sandi and the girls go outside every time the rain lets up for a minute . Sandi’s been having fun exploring the village of Unterkirnach. She found a small park at the top of the hill, so that’s helped Carissa pass the time.  

We became legal residents of Germany yesterday. In spite of the rumors about German bureaucracy, it went pretty well. First we went to the Rathaus in Niederescach (where our apartment is), and registered as residents of the town.  The clerk was very helpful, spoke a little English, and even called ahead to the next person we needed to visit to confirm that we had everything we needed.

Since that took less time than we expected, we decided to visit the local Backerei, where we managed to order bread and pastries mostly in German– much to the baker’s surprise. I think she was worried that we were going to be difficult to work with when she heard us discussing what to order in English.  

Afterward, we had to go to the Landratsamt (literally State Administrative Office) in Villingen to apply for a residency permit. This is different than the what we received in the first office– registering in the town you live in is required of everybody in Germany. The residency permit is only required of Auslanders (out-landers) such as ourselves.

The permit work was handled by a stem looking German woman, but it was relatively painless. She made copies of a lot of documents, then stamped a bunch of stuff in our passports as a temporary permit. We were missing one item — it is required to have a photo to use in the permanent permits, which will be ready in 2 months, but she allowed us to slip by on that account. We have to bring the photos with us when we return for the permanent permits.

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