ᐅ Excessive Costs for the Kitchen?!

ypg schrieb:

Thanks for the digression.

ypg schrieb:

Maybe it’s simply because a mid-range fitted kitchen isn’t sufficient for your “standard.”

Not at all, I haven’t even mentioned any preferences yet. Just: "I need a kitchen, 6-8m (20-26 feet), dishwasher, stove, oven, fridge-freezer combo, budget 10,000 EUR (approximately 10,000 USD)."
- *eye roll*

When the wishes came later (downdraft cooktop extractor, shaker-style doors, preferably quartz composite countertop), all I got was dismissive laughter.
What can I say, with IKEA I can get all that for 8,000 EUR (about 8,000 USD) without even having to travel to Poland.

But maybe I’ll secretly check out kitchens at a second-hand store as well...

It’s amazing what topics come up in a kitchen thread. Our family regularly discusses social issues, and for the most part, we’re generally on the same page, although I might be slightly further left (the soft ones vote Green, I’m left). Because of that—or independently of it—I’m stunned by how many emotions come up in an open forum when it comes to kitchens. Kitchens!! Hello?? Kitchens, not cars, murder, or violent crime.

Anyway, I’m currently in love with a wall-mounted B3 in Cashmere. But unfortunately, my budget is completely stretched right now, and the pool is postponed until the next (larger) profit distribution. For the kitchen, I’ll either keep my used 10-year-old Nobilia or buy a new one (I’ve calculated) at Ikea for about 3500€ (around $3700). Or there’s another option. It doesn’t have to be 8m (26 feet) long, and there won’t be a Berbel extractor for 3500€, but one for 300€ (about $320) without ducting. Since I’m an extreme flea market regular (almost every weekend for 30 years), I’m used to buying secondhand. For a kitchen, I definitely wouldn’t have any issues with that. I’d rather spend 3500€ (around $3700) on a 3-year-old 10,000€ (about $10,600) kitchen than on a new “cheap” one.

@superzapp, alternatives could be showroom kitchens or used kitchens. Occasionally, you can find some great deals among the used ones. There is also a "residual value calculator" available. It’s quite impressive how much value a kitchen still holds after just a few years.

ypg schrieb:

More and more people, not just a few, are going to these thrift stores.

My former neighbors and I have also been to these thrift stores. You can sometimes find really charming little items there, like very old but flawless lead crystal cake stands or candy dishes. If you like things like that, these stores are a great place to shop. A friend of mine, who is single, always buys 20 to 30 used champagne flutes or other glasses before his birthdays, runs them through the dishwasher, celebrates, then washes them again and returns them to the thrift store. I think it’s a good idea, because why should he fill his single kitchen from the kitchen showroom with glasses he only rarely needs?

Tolentino schrieb:

When additional requests came up (downdraft cooktop, cassette-style cabinet fronts, preferably a quartz composite countertop), they were just dismissed with disdain.
What can I say, with IKEA I can get all that for 8,000 EUR without even having to travel to Poland.

8,000 EUR but not including delivery and assembly, right?
From what I see, delivery costs an additional 125 EUR, and assembly is charged at 250 EUR per linear meter. So for your 6-8 m (20-26 ft) kitchen, that would add up to 1,500-2,000 EUR for installation.
And then there’s no high-voltage electrical connection included, which means you’d need to hire an electrician separately—and pay their travel costs as well.
The quartz composite countertop also costs almost 400 EUR per meter. Depending on how many tall cabinets you have, you could easily be looking at 2,000-3,000 EUR just for the countertop. So I’m not quite sure how you arrive at a total of 8,000 EUR.

We configured a similar kitchen at IKEA as the one the kitchen studio had designed for us.
We ended up at around 13,000 EUR for the cabinets and appliances alone. That did not include assembly. Adding 2,500-3,000 EUR for assembly and delivery brings it to about 15,000 EUR. That’s about 4,000 EUR more expensive, but we thought it was worth it because it included Bosch appliances and a Bora cooktop with downdraft. Also, the countertop ran around the island and into all the window openings with a wall finish. Some of this simply wouldn’t have been possible at IKEA.

pagoni2020 schrieb:

If you are personally affected, you quickly get upset..... I find such judgmental examples about economically disadvantaged people unfair, especially since they cannot defend themselves here. Go out on the street and say it to their face.......

And if everyone worked as you do or thought like you, then the world would work?? We are a social community where a person's "value" is not defined by their economic contribution; you benefit from this just as much as the person who chooses not to work, each in their own way. At least, that’s the basic idea of our state.
I actually believe that you can often learn much more from people who are stranded or act economically unsound than from a calculator. Unfortunately, this was forgotten during the reunification, that we can always learn something from others. I have already met enough know-it-alls!

Maybe even more than you can imagine. In such "underprivileged" social groups, you usually find significantly more useful life intelligence than where people believe they were born with it by the truckload.

....so just save those simplistic examples at their expense for yourself....... You wouldn’t want to hear those about yourself and your family either.
Unless it is forbidden for social welfare recipients to participate in this forum.
Then we can finally get back to the actual topic......

What exactly do you want from me? You are neither an ethics police nor do you tell me which examples I should use for comparisons! You always interpret everything negatively and accuse me of discriminatory intent.
This was never about people’s worth or social classes. You are bringing in arguments that have absolutely nothing to do with what was written before!
Of course, you can always learn something from everyone, but to claim that you don’t need money to get by because people are generous and to see this as THE solution simply doesn’t work. At least not for everyone. Actually, it’s very selfish!
You talk here about “stranded” and “economically unsound people.” What can we learn from them? What can I learn from someone who thinks economically unsoundly but still gladly accepts social benefits from the state?
This was about the economy in Germany and the awarding of contracts to foreign companies, not about “life intelligence,” as you call it, or how we can support lower social classes. Just accept that!

And what I choose to write or not write is still up to me!