Buchfellner was born 3rd of 10 children in Munich. Her father was an alcoholic. For the first 3 years the family lived in a post-war shelter for the poor, until the "Hasenbergl" housing projects were built. Their apartment had running water and a toilet, but shared a bath on the floor. When her mother had twins, she and another sibling were sent to a children's home during the week and saw their family only on weekends. She has described how hunger was a constant experience especially towards the end of the month when money got tight.