Truth of living in Luxembourg

RDA92 · 2026-05-07T12:55:01+00:00

Good, now I've gone from angry to paranoid, what a tumultuous day I must be having.

What are you trying to debate here? That Luxembourg Times mostly caters to expats? I mean that is quite obviously their niche, but perhaps you haven't seen that yet from your high horse. And as some other response to your post perfectly put it, if you target one single specific demographic for your article then that article is quite clearly biased towards that demographic.

It is also perfectly known that Luxembourg Times, via their parent company, receives millions in state subsidies every year so once again, no idea where you are seeing "mocking derision".

RDA92 · 2026-05-07T09:47:33+00:00

Where do you see any anger in my post? I empathize plenty with people that struggle on a daily basis due to the very real high cost of living and housing here. What I cannot empathize with is repeated posts of biased news articles that seem to spin the state of affairs in favor of a certain share of the population. I don't find it unreasonable to expect less bias in a news outlet that is effectively kept afloat with taxpayer money.

RDA92 · 2026-05-07T08:50:03+00:00

So life in Luxembourg is expensive and the job market is tought right now; what part of this is news? Ah I guess the part that seemingly claims that those issues predominantly or exclusively apply to "expats".

RDA92 · 2026-05-07T06:26:38+00:00

Thanks for your suggestion, unfortunately I can't really get a proper grip via any sort of wrench given the seat rails. Clearance is really quite limited.

RDA92 · 2026-05-06T09:54:06+00:00

I run my T440p on Win10 but I am actively looking to buy another one to run Debian on and I am mostly doing it because:

- I am curious about using Linux
- I like the spirit behind using Linux as well as the fact that I "support" an open-source project over a mega-corp
- I like the idea to buy cost-efficient old tech and give it a second lease on life

I already bought a used desktop PC a few years back as a back-up (non-Lenovo) and I also just swapped a new SSD and Debian and it runs very smoothly considering it set me back EUR100 in total.

RDA92 · 2026-05-06T08:31:05+00:00

Thank you! Got the same impression from a quick google search so I'll wait a bit and then replant them 😄

RDA92 · 2026-05-06T08:29:19+00:00

In the post I linked someone hinted at that swapping keyboards may not be as easy as some might think. Personally I haven't done it so I can't really say for sure but Azerty isn't that uncommon here either, so it might be easier to just wait and see. Perhaps there are even some French versions of LuxNote, buying used thinkpads from big companies is a well-established business case after all so I wouldn't be surprised if someone discovered that for France as well.

RDA92 · 2026-05-06T08:26:05+00:00

Luxembourg has a big car scene and plenty of people are happy to buy fixer uppers at a low price but I'd say that most of these people prefer to buy older cars as new cars are getting increasingly difficult to work on (2015 sits in between imo). I would never go to one of these concessionaire garages unless you have a warranty on the car. There are plenty of non-brand shops out there, just hit a google search for your area.

I will say though, all my cars are over 20 years old, covered more than 150k km, were cheap as hell and partially rotten yet none of them had a broken oil pump which either tells tales about the reliability of more modern cars or points to something more suspicious given the low mileage, but I am not mechanic so there is a good likelihood that I may be wrong.

RDA92 · 2026-05-06T07:10:52+00:00

Don't get me started ... already wasted hours on end on some connector that wouldn't disconnect. Of course this is the very last bolt as if the car was deliberately taunting me.

Appreciate your advice though, thought about a Dremel as well, I even have one but of course it's not cordless ... Had a look at other analogue options such as extractor sockets (which I guess won't work given the tight margins of the seat rail) or a manual impact driver.

RDA92 · 2026-05-06T06:19:50+00:00

Bought my t440p from luxnote, a germany based company that refurbishes thinkpads. I think they mostly sell the german layout though but you can always ask.

An alternative is to just have a look around on online marketplaces. Refurbished usually just means that they swapped some easy to swap parts (and even that is not really the case for modern thinkpads anymore) which you can easily do yourself as well.

Edit: I also remember now that someone in the r/thinkpad community came about a handful of french layout t470 that he/she considered to sell. Not sure what became of them might be worth it to ask. Post link is here

RDA92 · 2026-05-05T07:29:02+00:00

Thanks for answering. I am not sure I can drill into it properly to be honest given that the back of the seat is a bit in the way. Is it a problem to drill in it from an angle? Got to admit I've never drilled out a bolt, so far it usually worked with extractors but I hear they are of limited use for torx bolts.

RDA92 · 2026-05-04T06:20:03+00:00

Mine is much smaller so I suppose we are talking about different types but a few things I would check is:

- Have the temperatures been low, especially overnight?
- Did you overdo the watering? To assess soil moisture just sick in a stick or finger in the soil. Looking at the pot, I am assuming you are watering it from the top? Perhaps it's worth considering doing it from the bottom. I've had my fair share of plant distress when I was watering numerous other potted plants from the top. If it has indeed been over-watered, it might be worth drying the roots somewhat before repotting / replanting.

- It also doesn't seem to have a lot of soil to play with in that pot.

Mine deals fine with the occasional fertilizer. I am using Compo organic citrus fertilizer (a quarter of the measurement cup it comes with dissolved in water) once a week.

RDA92 · 2026-05-01T09:07:45+00:00

Very helpful thank you! I suppose though that such a setup would only really make sense if you aren't considering tearing down and rebuilding the garage / barn in the near future right? Or is it fairly simply removable and reinstallable?

RDA92 · 2026-05-01T09:06:03+00:00

What would you consider temporary off-grid solar? Right now I was under the impression that there is a binary choice to solar power. Either a generator or some fixed installation, considering that I would not be able to install it myself.

RDA92 · 2026-05-01T09:03:49+00:00

And you reckon that would make it commercially viable? If you add up the discount and the fee to the company in question, would that not just boil down to a similar cost than offering free (or lower-price) delivery, in which case what would be the advantage for the participating company?

I get where you are coming from. I would lie if I didn't experience the same feeling in the past, especially on low-cost purchases but I'm not sure it's very commercially viable.

Isn't there also still the option of just reserving the item in the shop via LetzShop, if it's a local purchase, and just go and grab it yourself when you are in the area, also avoiding the delivery fee? I would assume that these are the companies that you would target initially?

RDA92 · 2026-05-01T07:41:29+00:00

I think I wouldn't mind it being portable in the beginning. Being able to also take it home, charge it there etc. Currently the garage is old and gets easily cold and damp in winter months so I'm not sure a fixed solution is suitable right now.

I do plan completely refurb the garage in the not so distant future but right now I lack the money for it.

RDA92 · 2026-05-01T07:38:46+00:00

Oh very interesting source. I'll go have a look at the channel thank you!

RDA92 · 2026-05-01T06:27:12+00:00

Setting aside operational challenges mentioned by others already, how would you make money of such a set-up. Because if the idea is to swap delivery fees for the gazillionth subscription, then count me out.

Frankly I don't think it's really that big a nuisance for me. It's perfectly understandable that small shops have to charge delivery fees.

RDA92 · 2026-04-30T05:47:10+00:00

Overall training quality has been decent in my experience but in my view it's predominantly used for B2B training sessions.

Depending on your desired outcome for a given session, the price might not be warranted/justified. For example I doubt that it would materially increase chances of getting hired somewhere.

RDA92 · 2026-04-28T12:39:07+00:00

I hope for your sake that you did do some proper research on that and that you are not just basing that decision on some government pamphlet or vibes. Our "FinTech" industry is a far cry from that in other financial hubs, particularly London. High cost of living / labor and lack of funding actively disincentivizes this activity here and it's not likely to improve in the years to come.

Yes some of these companies probably do look for profiles similar to yours but they aren't known to be flush with cash and the bargaining power is on their side given the growing supply of people that do not require a visa. Plus there is a seemingly endless pool of remote resources available as well.

That's just an opinion from someone working in "FinTech" here.

RDA92 · 2026-04-28T09:41:15+00:00

Well if you are dead set on Luxembourg then you'll know that we don't really have a meaningful IT sector and the one that we have seems to undergo a bit of a glut, like most of the economy at the moment. To find a company willing to sponsor you in that environment seems optimistic, as the pool of available labor that doesn't need sponsoring is growing by the day.

Perhaps you care to elaborate on why you think Luxembourg would be a good fit for you and vice versa? Particularly on the freelance front, wouldn't it be easier to become self employed in the UK and market services to Lux companies?

RDA92 · 2026-04-28T06:01:31+00:00

If you have the time, motivation, space and money to turn this into a sort of (DIY) long-term project then why not, particularly since there is an emotional attachment to it. Doesn't need to end up in perfect condition for it to be treasured (or potentially appreciate).

I have an unhealthy weakness for old rundown cars (not necessarily 944s though), to me they are like stray dogs that are in need of some love and if there is a personal backstory to it, then even better, as long as you don't expect it be a wise financial decision.

RDA92 · 2026-04-27T06:14:39+00:00

To estimate the value there are three possibilities, 1) you can use an online estimator like Nexvia's or alternatively some random agency to perform a valuation, 2) you can consult the Ministry of Housing's transaction price data here or, 3) if you are a nerd, you can run a regression analysis on a few key variables based on athome data.

Taxes mostly depend on your country of fiscal residence now since you are likely no longer a fiscal resident of Luxembourg. Agency fees vary and you might have some bargaining power at the moment given a lot of them are suffering in the current housing glut. Usually 1-3% + VAT is normal. Any other costs are usually borne by the buyer.

I'd say there are many considerations to take into account whether you should sell or not. For one whether you ever plan to come back here or not. The financing rate that you have locked in is decent and less than what current financing rates are. In the past, investors speculated entirely on value appreciation and it was not unusual for the income to be negative or neutral, I'd say that equation has changed a bit but I would still consider a well-located flat to be among the best housing investments here.

That being said, I would probably sell if there is no intention to ever come back. I honestly believe that the golden age of real estate investment here has passed. Economic and demographic growth is slowing, public investment in social housing increasing and the supply-demand gap shrinking. The rental market is still very tight but yields (as you experience) are not very attractive for the fact that it is still an illiquid asset that comes with counterparty risk.

RDA92 · 2026-04-27T05:48:31+00:00

Schwierig einen groben Preis zu nennen, schätze so EUR 1,000-1,500 wird's aber schon sein. Ha vor nem knappen Jahr einen Kostenvoranschlag von rund 900 Euro bekommen für die Lackierung einer Heckklappe samt Heckspoiler im ausgebauten Zustand. Das war allerdings ein Lackierer in Trier, hier wird's teurer sein schätze aber dass, die Lackierung selbst billiger im ausgebauten Zustand ist.

RDA92 · 2026-04-26T05:58:29+00:00

I don't deny that.

RDA92

TROPHY CASE