How to not break the bank furnishing your new place?

People who often relocate might have somewhat different relationship with stuff. What is valuable enough to drag along to a new country? What has served its purpose and can be easily left behind? Which objects give you an ultimate home feeling? How to not break the bank furnishing your new place while knowing you probably stay here just for a couple of years?

When you come to the Netherlands, the answer to most of the temporary stuff issues is buying second hand. You could also go to IKEA, of course, but, hey, getting pre-loved items for your home not only saves you a lot of money and increases your chances of finding a one-of-a-kind piece you are going to love forever… It also allows you to make an enormous positive environmental impact, without too much effort.

Researchers say, household consumers are by far the biggest drain on the planet: between 60% to 80% of the impacts on the planet come from household consumption. If we change our consumption habits, this would have a drastic effect on our environmental footprint as well. According to the authors, the two easiest ways to cut your environmental impact are to stop eating meat and simply cut back on your purchases. “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” (three Rs) – is a simple strategy that each of us can apply to limit the extent of our impact on the planet.

So, when you have a choice, please consider buying secondhand. Your first step to find a thrift store in your area is allekringloopwinkels.nl. Simply enter the name of your place (or the province you live in) in the search bar on the top of the page and scroll through the results. Activate the Google Translate function and click on the shop of your interest. Here you will find some basic information on the type of the store, the assortiment, opening times, additional services and a link to the store’s website and/or social media channels.

Would you like to receive Connect International overview of the greatest secondhand and thrift stores in every province of the Northern Netherlands? Let us know via info@connect-int.org