Tip number 1.

If you are cleaning up: Call your local recycling centre beforehand and discuss what they can and cannot use. You can also discuss on the spot what they can sell and what they don't want to sell.

Since Corona, everyone has been cleaning up a lot. Not surprising if you spend a lot of time at home and the walls start to cave in on you. Thrift shops are overloaded with stuff. Waste stations are avoided because of the hustle and bustle, so a lot of unusable stuff is brought to the charity shop.

Perhaps just as nice as dropping off old stuff is buying second-hand items. Like many entrepreneurs, the thrift store is having a hard time, partly because of the 1.5-metre rule and understaffing. At Fraenck we do not like to waste anything and we like to give everything a second chance. And we are not the only ones! Second-hand shopping is booming. It is more environmentally friendly and secretly more fun than going to the well-known chain stores.

We got this neo-classical antique mirror for only 20 euros at one of our favourite thrift shops! (We will write a blog about this one).

Tip 2.

If you want to decorate your home with second-hand items, take your time! Map out all the local thrift shops and visit them once in a while. You'll be amazed how much they have.
Pearls
We (Ratna and Pascal) have recently moved and have made the choice to furnish our house as sustainable as possible. This is a conscious choice, we believe that a house gets more character when it is furnished with special items - items that you can't just find anywhere. Second-hand shopping is also very good for your wallet. You have to be patient, because it can take some time to find the perfect piece of furniture, the ideal vase or the sofa of your dreams. You really have to bump into them. But that is also the charm. You don't know what you're going to find, every time you visit a thrift shop it's a surprise what you'll come across. A modern form of treasure hunting.

It is absolutely possible to furnish your entire house with second-hand items. You just need patience... And luck!

Tip 3.

Create a (Pinterest) mood board. Choose a style and a colour scheme (together). And stick with it.
Pinterest
To avoid miscommunication: get inspired. In what style do you want to decorate your house? What items do you need for that? Save your favourite items and try to see what items you need to achieve this. Styling and colour are one of the most important elements. Try to describe your favourite style in a theme and work out a colour scheme, it makes shopping a lot easier. What do you take from your old interior and what can go? A little shifting and combining goes a long way. And also very important: consult your partner or housemate! What do you both love and what not? Compare each other's mood boards. Preferably go for a style you both like, otherwise you might end up with a salt-free compromise with little charm.

Tip 4.

On the 'marktplaats' app or website, check out 'Look in your Neighbourhood'. With this tool you can see exactly what, as the name suggests, is on the marketplace in your neighbourhood. A lot of rubbish, but also a lot of pearls!
Marketplace
In the beginning of the corona, unfortunately only a few shops were closed. Marktplaats was an excellent alternative, as it is very easy to look at things from a distance and to deal with them. Marktplaats even has a page dedicated to how you can (un)trade safely. The search functions are good, searching for something by product category and colour is very easy to do. Ask a lot of questions in advance to avoid disappointment! Especially if you come from far away, that's handy :)
Tip 5.
Give second hand shopping a try! The times that you only found junk at the thrift store are long gone. More and more beautiful furniture and other interior items, but also beautiful clothes, are being brought to the second-hand shops.
5,121,000 KG of collected goods
In 2018, the 2SWITCH collected a total of more than 5.1 million kilos of reusable goods. Wow. I'm sure the 2020 figures will be a lot bigger because everyone is cleaning up their homes. There is bound to be something you can use among all these goods! We are all for it, and we try to find as many good alternatives to new goods as possible, both privately and professionally. And of course you can't find and buy everything second hand, neither do we. But if we check our local shops instead of buying everything new, we can all give those millions of kilos of reusable goods a second life.

Do you have any tips? Let us know and we will add it to our blog :)