The 5 most important tips on how to save money in Denmark

Denmark is not a cheap place to live. You can however reduce your costs of living if you follow our tips on how to save money when living in Denmark. More tips on reducing your costs of living in Denmark and many other topics can be found in The Worktrotter's Guide to Denmark. Be smart from the start and learn how to avoid problems!

1.    Avoid traffic fines.
The fines for breaking traffic rules are very expensive. They start at 700 for pedestrians and at 1.000 for cars for any misconduct. If you cross the street on red, if you take a short-cut and cross the street on your bike in the opposite traffic direction, if you signal unnecessary when driving you can easily get in trouble – expensive trouble. Read more about traffic fines in Denmark

2.    Parking fines.
Wherever you are parking your car make sure that you are parking correctly. The parking fines are draconian. They start at 500/600 DKK. Many garages of shopping centers are privately lead and they check frequently. You may have 1 hour free parking but you need to set the parking disk! It doesn’t matter if you are late only 1 minute or if you have forgotten to set the parking disk. There is no mercy.

3.    Fines on public transportation.
All passengers using public transport are expected to carry a valid ticket. Inspections
are carried out and infringements are met with substantial penalty “fees” starting at 600/750 DKK. Note: The public transport regions are divided into zones  and penalties apply even if you bought a ticket only for just one zone too few!

4.     Use the current offers in shops.
You may notice that products in Denmark are often advertised in promotional leaflets, which come flowing through your letterbox each week. Look them through. They contain a range of attractive offers. Check out the prices in shops. There are often discounted prices if you buy several items of the product, like “Ta’ 4” means you get the discounted price if you buy 4 items.
Learn Danish at least that much that you can read these leaflets. You will not only save a lot of money but you’ll even improve your language skills while reading them.

5.    Housing
Housing is certainly the major expense of living in Denmark. Your needs and location will dictate housing cost and whether you buy, rent, sublet, etc. Being able to read Danish, once again, is a big help here. The highest cost for housing comes when you get burned by paying too high rent or losing your deposit. This happens more often than you could imagine. Do not sign a lease that contains the word "nyistandsat"!  This means that you will be obligated to restore the apartment to brand new condition when you move out. Note: it is the landlord who dictates which company will do the renovation work, no matter if you find companies which are less expensive. Approximately one-third of all tenants don’t get their deposit back. As the deposit usually amounts to 3 months rent that is a lot of money. Don’t be one of those that get ripped off! Read more about housing in Denmark.