He is a lawyer, he went to work as a delivery man in Berlin and saved 15,000 euros in one year

15,000 euros. This was the savings target set by the Argentinian Gonzalo Pérez before emigrating to Berlin in September 2020. In less than a year of work – 11 months to be precise – and as a food delivery boy, he succeeded.

With cash in hand, from his Twitter account @soygonzaloperez, he shared with users his experiences in reaching his financial goal. “My working days in Germany are over.” But getting there was not easy. Not impossible either.

The decision to emigrate

A lawyer graduate from the Universidad del Salvador, Gonzalo took a vacation. So, in 2013 he visited Spain for the first time and fell in love with the European way of life. He dreamed of living abroad more than once. Life continued in Buenos Aires with studies and goals to accomplish.

Six years later On April 15, 2019, he had his ticket in hand and a suitcase full of illusions. The course was clear: to leave Argentina into the unknown. Before leaving, he wrote on his personal Instagram account. “Life is too short not to risk everything for what we really want. The worst thing a person can do is stay in doubt and then ask themselves: what would have happened if they had?

During the first months away from home, he took the opportunity to get to know Madrid. He settled there for a while and then left for Salamanca, where he obtained a master’s degree in economic analysis of law and public policy at the University of Salamanca.

Restless, he traveled to different countries of the Old Continent such as Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Poland and Bulgaria. Until the arrival of the pandemic. Despite the background, he applied for a visa to work in Germany. There began another chapter.

Objective: to save money

As soon as he set foot in Berlin, he landed a job as a delivery man thanks to the applications dedicated to him, in his case Wolt. I ended up being convinced, ”he said in the note he gave to Infobae.

He devotes 40 hours a week to it and deliveries are made by electric bike. The task is not pleasant, especially in winter when there is snowfall and temperatures drop to subzero levels.

Contrary to what is happening in Argentina, where the personnel who carry out the distributions work independently and must register in monotax, in Germany it is a work in a relationship of dependency.

The basic salary for this type of task is 2,000 euros, the more you earn as a tips. In nine months of work, he only reached € 2,118.50 in tips, or on average around € 220. To this value must be added the amount you receive via the application, approximately 150 euros per month. “In the piggy bank, he kept coins of € 0.50, € 1 and € 2. I received well over € 0.10 and € 0.20, but used them for single purchases.

Gonzalo points out that despite the numbers, “The most important thing to emphasize is the possibility of being able to deposit parts in a closed container without having to worry about the loss of their purchasing power. If inflation were high, it would be impossible to have a piggy bank ”.

You currently live in a student residence which costs you 300 euros per month because he wants to lead an austere life that allows him to save as much money as possible. “You have roommates ranging from 400 euros to 500 euros and there are studios from 800 euros. Renting is not that expensive, ”he exemplified after being interviewed by Infobae.

You have other expenses, like the supermarket. 5% of what he earns is used for shopping.

The effort pays off

Far from apologizing for emigrating, Gonzalo is clear. “I’m not saying emigrating is easy or difficult. The only thing I can assure you, From my personal experience, every second was worth it and I would do it again. You must come with a lot of desire to work”.

This Argentinian thinks that there are two fundamental pillars that make him appreciate life in Germany. “On the one hand, the possibility of being able to plan for the long term and, on the other hand, the feeling that my effort is worth it. The two questions are closely linked to the macroeconomic stability of the country ”.

Another subject of analysis is the low poverty rate in Germany. “The problem is not poverty but inequality. If I have $ 100,000 and someone else has $ 1,000,000, I wouldn’t have to worry about it. The problem arises when one person has 100,000 € and another 1 €. We cannot continue to promote the culture of resentment with the one who has it the most seeking to level himself down ”.

To fill this gap, Gonzalo offers a solution. “The way is none other than to stop strangling the private sector, which will promote job creation and reduce the poverty rate.”

What are you going to do with the 15,000 euros?

Gonzalo has already decided. He plans to do another master’s degree but related to economics, data analysis and programming, a very popular field in Europe. “I would like to continue to study, have my business and continue to invest. Always based on hard work and giving everything, ”he admits, proud of his accomplishments.

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