What does Kathrine dream of?

»I dream of a single-story villa in Hvidovre, preferably close to the beach. It’s important that the house is on one level because it’s easier to clean. The house should ideally have four bedrooms, and it would be wonderful to have a garden with a large terrace where we could build an outdoor kitchen – not only for cooking during the summer but also to clean fish. My boyfriend fishes a lot.

I imagine having two children. It would be delightful if they followed in my footsteps and took up horseback riding. That would mean we’d have to buy a pony that would stay at a riding school. I would also love to have a dog. The dream is a larger dog, maybe a rottweiler.

Right now, I have a car that I’m happy with. But I would like an extra one, perhaps an Audi Q7. It’s an SUV with plenty of space. A car you sit up in. I’m a tall girl, so it matters.

Regarding travel, I would like to go away twice a year for about a week and a half. It could be to Italy. We would fly there and then rent a car. Denmark can also be lovely in the summer. I have a speedboat license, so eventually, it would be fantastic to have my own speedboat. I would love to sail to different harbors and enjoy an ice cream or a good lunch. I dream of a smaller boat that can sail fast and accommodate 5-6 people. Maybe a Bayliner.

I would mostly eat at home. When it comes to grocery shopping, I don’t have strong preferences – I could perfectly well shop at Føtex or Netto. Once a week, we might order takeaway, and it would be lovely if we, as a family, could go out to eat once or twice a month.

Otherwise, I don’t have many big wishes. It would just be to hire cleaning help that could come every two weeks. That would be a way to pamper myself.«

What will it cost?

With some luck, Kathrine can find a single-story villa in Hvidovre that matches her dreams for 6 million kroner, where she has to put down at least 300,000 kroner herself. If she borrows the rest, she would pay 32,495 kroner monthly after taxes in the first year. The high payment is due to supplementing her mortgage with a bank loan. Additionally, there are property taxes of 3,712 kroner per month. If Kathrine wants help cleaning the house every two weeks, we found a cleaning company where the hourly rate is 349 kroner. If the team spends three hours cleaning, it will cost Kathrine 2,100 kroner monthly.

According to the Financial Supervisory Authority, parents should have between 2,500-3,500 kroner available per month per child. Two children would cost an average of 6,000 kroner monthly. According to Hvidovre Municipality, a nursery spot with lunch costs 4,180 kroner, while a kindergarten spot with lunch costs 3,073 kroner monthly. If Kathrine has one child in kindergarten and one in nursery, she gets the kindergarten price halved. Thus, the cost for childcare spots would be approximately 5,700 kroner monthly.

If Kathrine wants to go horseback riding with her children, they could join the Hvidovre-Avedøre Riding Club, where membership costs 500 kroner annually. If she dreams of owning a horse, there is a large supply on DBA, where the average price is 25,000 kroner. According to Hesteguide.dk, it costs approximately 4,475 kroner monthly to keep a horse – the price includes feed, bedding, stabling, farrier, savings for vet bills, riding school, and insurance. Additionally, Kathrine wants a dog. A rottweiler costs 7-8,000 kroner, and according to totteland.dk, the monthly expenses are about 550 kroner. This covers food, insurance, equipment, and savings for vet bills.

According to Statistics Denmark, a monthly food budget for two adults and two children is 4,470 kroner, covering groceries and weekly takeaway. If Kathrine wants to take her family out to eat at a place like Wokshop, it would be around 900 kroner. Count on 1,800 kroner if the family eats out twice a month.

The dream car is an Audi Q7, which she can buy used for about 580,000 kroner according to bilbasen.dk. According to Forsikring.dk, car insurance costs an average of 6,500 kroner annually – so she can expect about 550 kroner monthly.

Kathrine dreams of a speedboat. On DBA, a Bayliner can be found for between 180,000 and 300,000 kroner. Based on figures from the Danish Sailing Union, it costs approximately19,500 kroner annually to keep the boat seaworthy.

Kathrine dreams of vacationing in Italy. Including everything – flights for four, rental car, hotels, and meals for 1.5 weeks in Rome – she can expect to spend about 16,000 kroner. If they seek sun, warmth, and delicious pasta twice a year, they would need to set aside about 2,700 kroner monthly.

Total monthly expenses: 60,677 kroner

What does Kathrine think about the budget?

»The monthly expense would probably be on the high side. But it’s interesting to see the numbers. I expected the housing to take a significant portion, but I didn’t anticipate it would make up half of the expenses. I was also aware that owning a horse would be a considerable expense. I will probably choose some alternatives to my dreams – a smaller car, a smaller house, no horse/boat. That would perhaps make it all more realistic.«