Arend's Savings Account: '3000 euros seems like a lot, but it isn't'

How much money do you have in your savings account? We ask a different Dutch person every week. Because while we talk about money more and more, we never really talk about how much we earn and save. This week in The Savings Account : Arend (56) is considering increasing his mortgage for a new kitchen, but would have liked to have more savings.

Name: Arend (56) Work: maintenance technician Living situation: married, two children living away from home Net income: 2,600 euros

"Something like €3,000, or just under. That sounds pretty good, but it's still a bit much – my car needs a service soon, and it's an old car, so it'll be gone quickly. And that's not even considering other unexpected things."

Not really, I wish it were different. But I've never really saved much. I don't really have a good reason; it just never happened. There was always something that took priority—the kids, vacations, house renovations. For example, fifteen years ago we had a dormer installed and we also did a major overhaul of the garden. I increased my mortgage a few times for those last two things. That was easy back then, so I did.

"Look, I'm doing fine. Bills are paid, I don't lack anything. But I don't really feel 'financially healthy,' there's not much room for manoeuvre. In retrospect, I should have saved more."

No fixed amount. Sometimes I manage to save a little for a few months, but then something happens and it's gone. If I had consistently saved 50 or 100 euros a month for years, I would now have money for something like a new kitchen. That's still a goal; the old one is really dated and needs replacing. But a kitchen like that isn't free, and I can't afford it myself anyway. That realization is starting to sink in now.

"I'll increase that mortgage again, if possible. I'll be discussing it with a financial advisor soon. But I also know that if I increase it, paying it off will be further away than ever. That really annoys me; at my age, you'd want to start scaling back a bit in that area."

"Oh yes, often enough: something comes in and a month later something has to be taken out again. It's more of a conduit than a piggy bank."

"Convenience. Picking up something, having a drink on the patio, that sort of thing. Small amounts, but it adds up. And house maintenance, that always adds up more than you think."

"Yeah, duh: a decent buffer would be great, so I don't always have to borrow from myself—or actually, from the bank. It would be wonderful to just be able to pull out my wallet when something breaks. That I can fix it without any financial hassle, so to speak. But I really need to work harder on that."

"At least I know what not to do, haha. So don't make the same mistake I did and just start saving. Any amount is fine, and just think: in a few years, you'll have a nice sum in your account."

Due to privacy concerns and the sensitive nature of the topics, names have been changed. The editors have their real names.

Curious about more savings stories from other readers? These previous editions of Metro 's weekly "De Spaarrekening" column are favorites among our readers: