Hi. My name is October!

I moved to Berlin, Germany on an artist residence permit in order to survive. I am transgender, gay, and gender-non-conforming. The USA was no longer safe, so I set off for warmer climes. Berlin has been amazing. The community has been very welcoming and sweet. Buuuuut...

I just moved into an apartment, spent thousands on shipping my belongings and paying my security deposit, and the next step was...a kitchen.

I did not realize when I moved into my beautiful new apartment that my 3 to 5 year permit meant that I could NOT finance a kitchen.

I learned that only afterward, when I started looking into getting said kitchen. Which is going to be a HEFTY €6,293. And they won't give me the counter or install my sink unless they handle the installation, which is an additional €870.

So for a grand total of €7,163, I can eat and do my dishes. I have been living off tuna, ramen, bananas, slices of bread, and oatmeal for WEEKS, and I can't keep doing it. I'm really, really struggling to wash my dishes with my disability. I can't stand that long, and I'm sitting on a step-ladder because I don't have chairs. And I have to do them in the bathroom sink! My dish drying rack is in my shower. I am exhausted and not getting enough healthy food this way.

So a kitchen is quickly going from a want to a need, and here's where things start getting better.

1) I have already saved €120! I got my kitchen professionally measured which takes €120 off the price, dropping it to (a still stomach-churning) €7,043.

2) If I can make this purchase before June 28th, 2026, I will get €100 of in-store credit for every appliance there. That's a fridge, a stove, an oven, a dishwasher, and an extractor hood. So I'll get €500 to spend in store on OTHER stuff, like a table and chairs to eat at, a bookshelf, a desk. But only if I purchase between now and June 28th.

So there's that. BUT, I will keep you all informed of the progress with every cabinet, every knob, every length of countertop.

As of right now, my kitchen is an empty IKEA mattress box with a silicone mat so it won't get wet, and a kettle on a stepping stool. I have cereal I can't eat (a gift from USA friends). I get a lot of snacks because they keep. Dried fruit is the healthiest thing I have to eat. Well, the tuna's not bad, either. But it's getting old. ANYWAY. The point. Right!

Thank you for your help. I appreciate you.