Shopping, Living and More

Discount stores typically offer a basic selection of groceries, household goods, and personal care products at low prices, as well as non-food items that are available only for a short time as part of sales promotions. Among the discount stores you’ll find at numerous locations in and around Siegen are:

• Aldi
• Lidl
•  Norma
• Penny

There are also a number of supermarket chains that do not fall into the discount store category mentioned above. They generally offer a wider range of products (including a consistent selection of non-food items) as well as a larger selection of brands.

• Dornseifer
• Edeka
• Kaufland
• Rewe

Even though many stores nowadays offer a wide selection of organic products, most of the products are still conventionally grown.

• Denn's carries a full range of organic foods, including fruits and vegetables, as well as a small selection of zero-waste products.
• The nonprofit fairwertbar e.V. operates a store where it distributes goods that are no longer suitable for sale but are still safe to eat in exchange for donations. The store is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. You can find more information on the association’s website.

Even though hygiene, health, and beauty products are available in supermarkets, there are a number of stores that offer a wider selection of such products. They often carry a small selection of organic foods as well. You can find some of these chains in Siegen:

• dm, Müller, Rossmann

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• . You can find pharmacies <a href="https://www.uni-siegen.de/incoming/arrival/health/?lang=de" target="_blank"">here.</a></li></ul>

Bread is an important part of German culture. In fact, it has been designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Germans are very proud of their bread, and bakeries can be found almost everywhere. Typical of the Siegerland region are Siegerland black bread and the potato breads Riewekooche (made with raw potatoes) and Bäckel (made with cooked potatoes). Due to the large number of different bakeries in the region, we won’t list them all. However, bakeries are usually found in shopping centers and attached to larger supermarkets.

For those looking for a little piece of home or simply wanting to try something new, there are also a few international stores in and around Siegen. Of course, larger supermarkets also carry some international products, but the selection is often limited and the prices are relatively high.
 

• Asian & African Supermarkets: Dang Asia Lebensmittel (Siegen, Oberstadt), Asia Markt (Siegen, city center), Asian & African Shop (Weidenau), Asia-Afro-Lebensmittel (Weidenau, near Kaufland)
   
• Arab and Turkish Supermarkets: Aksiyon Markt (Weidenau, Haardter Berg), Bahar Market (Siegen, City Center), City Markt (Siegen, Leimbachstr.), Mahmutoglu Market (Geisweid)
   
• Eastern European Supermarkets: Majak-Markt (Siegen, near Siegerlandhalle), Mix Markt (Fludersbach), Polish Delicatessen (Weidenau, near Kaufland)

If your apartment is unfurnished and you’re looking for affordable furniture, checking out the secondhand market could be a good option. Secondhand furniture is available at the Siegen flea markets, at At Home Factory in Siegen-Eiserfeld, or online on platforms like Kleinanzeigen. You can also join a Telegram group to stay informed about items—often furniture—being given away in Siegen and the surrounding area. Of course, you can also sell items you no longer need at flea markets (or online) to earn a little extra money. You can find everything you need to know about flea markets—what to keep in mind and where to find them— right here.

We strongly recommend that you purchase personal liability insurance if you are moving to Siegen for an extended period. Personal liability insurance protects you financially in the event that you accidentally cause damage to another person or their property or land. Depending on what was damaged, you could be required to pay large sums of money. This insurance, for which you pay only a small monthly premium, protects you by covering the costs up to a certain limit. For this reason, landlords sometimes expect you to have personal liability insurance when you move in. You can find more information here. An overview of the insurance plans available and a price comparison can be found here.

When you rent an apartment, you generally have to arrange for an electricity provider yourself and cover the costs. Contracts usually have a minimum term of one year, but there are plans that are slightly more expensive but can be canceled on a monthly basis. Some providers of green electricity are:

• Greenpeace Energy
• grünstrom pur
• LichtBlick
• Polarstern
• SVB – Siegener Versorgungsbetriebe

Some providers also partner with businesses and offer gift cards or a discount if you switch to them. You can find an example here. If you know of any other offers, please let us know.

Every adult who is registered in Germany must register with the 

Broadcasting Fee Collection Service and pay a monthly fee of 18.36 euros. 

The so-called broadcasting fee is essentially a license to watch television and listen to the radio on public broadcasting networks. You will most likely receive a letter from the ARD, ZDF, and Deutschlandradio Contribution Service after you have registered at the citizens’ office. It is very important that you do not ignore this letter.

Important information:
 

• The rule is: ONE apartment = ONE fee!
  This means that if, for example, you live in a shared apartment, it is sufficient for only one person in the household to pay the fee, and for that person’s roommates to pay their share to them. However, everyone must be registered! When registering, you will then provide the membership number of the person paying the fee.
• We recommend that you register right away. When you register at the Citizens’ Office, your address is automatically forwarded; the fee collection service has therefore recorded your arrival date and will contact you within a few months at the latest to request payment of any back fees.
• You may find that German classmates or colleagues advise you to ignore mail from the contribution service and not to register. Until a few years ago, this was sometimes still possible; today, however, registration is mandatory. If you refuse to pay or ignore the relevant letters, it can quickly become very expensive!!

To get Internet access in your new home, you’ll need not only the right cables and router but also a plan that’s as affordable and fast as possible. Internet plans are often offered together with landline service and are categorized by connection type. The most common connections in Germany are:

» DSL (Telekom, Vodafone, 1&1, PYUR)
» Cable (Vodafone)
» Fiber-optic (Deutsche Glasfaser, PYUR, 1&1)
» LTE (Congstar)

Depending on the provider and connection type, it can take up to four weeks for the internet to be installed and set up. So it doesn’t hurt to start researching early—either directly with the providers themselves or, better yet, through comparison sites like verifox or check24.

In Germany, it’s still common to pay with cash. Even though all major supermarkets and stores, as well as restaurants and cafés, accept card payments these days, there are some stores (especially smaller ones) where cash is the only accepted form of payment. You can also only buy tickets with cash on buses. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to carry some cash with you. Keep in mind, however, that your bank will charge fees if you withdraw cash from an ATM belonging to another bank. You can find information on opening a bank account here.

If you’re coming to Siegen for an extended period, we recommend purchasing a German cell phone SIM card. There are a number of options available. Some providers (including stores like Aldi and Lidl) offer prepaid SIM cards that you can top off and pay for as needed. Many providers these days also offer monthly plans that include a certain amount of data, calls, and texts. The advantage of this type of SIM card is that you’re not tied to a contract and can easily skip a month’s payment—for example, if you’re traveling to another country.

Another option is a contract with a one-month notice period. You pay the same amount each month, and the money is automatically debited from your account. This is a simple option, though somewhat less flexible. Nevertheless, you can quickly cancel the contract if necessary.

A third option in Germany is a contract that includes a cell phone. These contracts are generally relatively expensive per month, since you pay for the phone itself as well as for data and the calling plan. It’s also important to note that these contracts often have a minimum term of two years.

As you may have noticed, waste separation is an important issue in Germany. You can find a detailed overview of how to properly dispose of a wide variety of materials here.

This website offers multilingual guides on waste separation in Germany.

If you need further general information on waste separation and the disposal of special waste, read more here in English.

We’d also like to provide you with the times and locations of the hazardous waste collection truck in Siegen via this link, in case you need this information.