Your Guide to Smart Spending – November 14

If you don't have to file a tax return (most employees in tax class I with one job don't), you might have been ignoring this chore. But as I explained in my Tax Return 101 guide, a voluntary return is usually worth doing because you often get a refund. Since July, the official MeinELSTER+ app has made filing for free a lot easier with a one-click tax return for the 2025 tax year.

This is how it works: the tax office prepares a draft return from what it already knows, like your wage tax, pension and health insurance. You check it, add anything missing, and confirm with one click. Things that get you money back, like work-related expenses above the flat rate (Werbungskosten) or donations, you still have to add yourself. For now, the one-click return is only for single employees without children and pensioners with no other income, and you need an ELSTER account to switch the feature on in the app.

I haven't used the app myself, but it has a 4.5 rating on the App Store, which is unheard of for an app made by a German government agency, so I'd be curious to test it. If your situation is more complicated, or if you want to claim more deductions, Wundertax* is the tool I use. Read more about the ELSTER app here.

MyProtein is best known for its protein powders, but it also sells vitamins and supplements, protein bars, electrolyte drinks and much more. They've already started their Black Friday deals, with many products discounted to fixed prices of €5, €10, €15 or €20. Here are the best ones in each price tier:

For the rest of the shop, code DACH26 (advertisement) gives you an extra 15% off until November 15, then 10% off until November 26. Shop the MyProtein sale here*.

If you're between 18 and 29, Berliner Volksbank* will give you a €300 bonus for opening its free Girokonto blauorange online by December 16. To get it, you need an incoming payment of at least €400 a month for five months, starting from the second month. You also have to agree to be contacted by phone and email within the first four weeks (it's easiest to do this in step 3 of the online application) and keep that consent until the bonus is paid. The €300 is paid into your new account by the eighth month. The offer is for new customers who haven't had an account with the bank in the past 24 months, and despite the name of the bank, it's open to people from all over Germany.

If you're 30 or over, don't despair: you can get a €200 bonus with the standard account* until January 28. It costs €3.95 a month, and you need incoming payments of at least €700 a month for five months, plus the same marketing consent.

€300 is possibly the highest current account bonus I've seen in Germany, so if you're under 30, it's worth opening one even if you don't need a new account. Open your blauorange account here*.

eismann* specializes in frozen food, and new customers can get €20 off a first order of €45 or more with code EAS12FB25 (advertisement) until December 13. It's a good way to stock up your freezer before the holidays.

I've ordered from eismann before, and the potato dishes* and vegetable mixes* are what keep me coming back. They're much better than anything I've found in supermarket freezers, and they save me from cooking potatoes from scratch, which I rarely have the patience for. They also sell ready meals, desserts, ice cream, fish and meat, plus seasonal dishes you won't easily find in supermarkets, like game in winter, so there's a lot to choose from.

One quirk worth knowing: eismann runs on a "milkman" model, so a few weeks after you order, a driver may stop by or call ahead to take future orders. If you'd rather not be contacted, you can ask to be taken off the list. The code is for new customers who don't share a household with an existing one, and delivery is only available in selected regions. Order from eismann here*.

Germanpedia is a weekly newsletter that breaks down German systems in clear English – taxes, pensions, healthcare, renting, bureaucracy, legal topics and more. It really helps me to stay on top of the things that are relevant for me as a foreigner in Germany. You can subscribe here.

Many of the money-back promotions from previous issues are still running – you can find them all here. For more free groceries, Rewe product tests are worth a look as well.