Well, today was the day - the day that IKEA actually had our bed frame in stock. We went and were able to get the frame for just 39 EUR. We also had to buy Lattenrost (slats for underneath the mattress - Germans don't use box springs), and we got 2 for 20 EUR. It was a pretty great deal, and now we have a bed instead of just a mattress! We are very excited. I'm sure that we were quite a funny sight as we left IKEA, though. Because we don't have a car, we had to take the train back to Pam's apartment, and we were carrying two huge IKEA bags and a bed. We probably looked like fools to everyone else, but hey - I'm sure they've seen weirder things on the bus/train system here.
Anyway, we were also able to get to Primark today to buy towels, washcloths, and two extra pillows for guests (okay, really for us... but when guests come, they can use them). Towels here are SO expensive! I must admit, I REALLY missed Wal-Mart today. We spent 28 EUR on 4 towels. And those were THE cheapest towels we could find. They were even more expensive at IKEA! Unbelievable. Those same four towels would have cost us about $12 at Wal-Mart or Target. Maybe I'm a cheapskate, but I hate spending that much money on something that is a necessity. We even checked Amazon.de to see if they would have something cheaper, and they didn't. It's just one of those things, I guess. I actually found out from Pam today that there used to be a Wal-Mart in Wiesbaden (a LONG time ago.... like, 10 years ago), but they had to close down because they were too cheap. Yep, that's right... too cheap. Other stores couldn't (read: refused to) compete with them, so they were run right out of town. As much as I hate that stupid store, It's a must-have for someone on a budget. I also learned that Germans don't do coupons. Apparently there was an attempt by stores to print coupons, but no one cared enough to use them, so now they are pretty much non-existent. I have no idea how these people save money. I guess it's time to get creative...
One last thing - in Germany, when you buy any bottled drinks, you pay Pfand (a deposit), and when you take the bottle back, you get 25 cents for it. It's pretty great. Well, Mike and I were talking earlier about how this Christmas probably won't be the greatest because we will be po (so poor we can't even afford the "o-r," in Lori's words), and money will be really tight. A few hours ago, though, he came up with a fabulous idea! We are going to save all of our bottles and wait until December to take them to the store so we can build up a Christmas fund! Then, once we have taken them to the store and gotten all of our money back, we will split it between us and go Christmas shopping! Cool idea, huh? He's so smart!
That's it for today... we move into the apartment tomorrow, so I'll make sure to take pictures of us strapping the mattress onto the car and packing it full of our crap! Should be interesting, since we just rented a tiny little thing....
-M&A
