I made a simple video. At least 3 of these saving tips (I don’t recall the “wildcard” one being discussed from this perspective, at least) have already been presented here, but repetition is the mother of learning. With these, a middle-income earner can easily save a grand a year if you haven’t done them yet.
Good tips!
I suppose I had a bit of an assumption myself as to why a fiber optic operator would agree to a better deal, and that the fiber investment is likely large (though not necessarily, since we live right in the city center and competition is stiff). So, it didn’t occur to me to bring it up during the board meeting.
Nothing else changed; we committed to a 36-month fixed-term contract. We could have lowered the monthly price if we had opted for a lower base speed, but I proposed taking the fastest base speed, and everyone else on the board agreed or at least didn’t object.
A continuous saving of €17/month is quite significant. I believe that for 90 percent of owners of smaller apartments, 100M/50M is more than enough, but 10M/10M starts to struggle even with higher-quality Netflix streaming.
In a very dense area of Helsinki, a new fiber connection would have cost a relatively small housing company (taloyhtiö) around 4,000 euros from Elisa, if I recall correctly, back when I was tendering the project myself.
But anyway, it’s great that you managed to improve the internet like that!
Since terrace oiling is becoming relevant for some of you, I found a budget-friendly option at Jula. It only cost €7.99 for a 3L can, and I only used 1/10th of the can for a 10-square-meter terrace.
The result was brilliant.
Ps: if you go pick some up, you should buy something other than that €2 brush.
A labor union with membership fees still exceeding one percent of gross income deserves to lose members. In my own association, we have worked hard to keep the membership fee competitive without compromising services. The fee was last over one percent about 10 years ago, and there is no going back to those times.
For me, trade union activity is a perfect fit; as it stands, I receive more than double the value of my membership fee back.
A bit late. I paid the 2026 ILRY membership fee in December '25. The tax authorities accepted the deduction.
When oiling your deck, it’s well worth buying an extension pole and a compatible brush; it saves you from crawling or squatting and makes the job go much faster.
I have gained some perspective on this topic myself, having worked as a legal expert in two trade unions where the average salary levels of the members were very different.
Generally speaking, unions in low-wage sectors require more staff because disputes arise more frequently, and the employee might not necessarily speak Finnish or English, requiring an interpreter on-site. Unfortunately, this also means that in a union like PAM (Service Union United), staff salaries are significantly lower than in Akava-affiliated unions.
I would say that when evaluating the size of the membership fee, one should consider what the individual employee’s bargaining power is at their own workplace. The weaker one perceives it to be, the more a higher membership fee is justified.
