Hi there, welcome back into my personal weekly diary in which I try to show what an eco-positive lifestyle looks like on a daily basis. What choices and habits make my life eco-positive and which struggles are there at the moment? The past week I scored some great secondhand items, saved a lot of food and went to a vegan all-in restaurant!
Thursday
My boyfriend and I went thrift shopping, this time in Harderwijk. We scored again good time! A beautiful rug and some small essentials. When our apartment is finished, I’ll share it entirely on this blog. We ate some vegan burgers for dinner, I had the Jumbo burger from their own brand and it was quite good!
Friday
It was time to get out in nature again. And when my boyfriend and I did, I realized it had been too long. It just makes me feel so much better when I surround myself with nature every once in a while. We biked a long way. We came by a dairy farm and got some ice-cream. I also had ice-cream, since they also offered vegan options. Next time I think I wouldn’t buy there, because I still support the company, even though my food was vegan. After the biking we went to a friend who has a pool. I would never get a pool myself since that’s not sustainable at all, but I do like to come by that friend to use his. After some lovely vegan risotto for dinner, we went back to our home in Groningen. Along the way we picked up a secondhand bench we had bought on a platform for secondhand items (Marktplaats). It’s stunning!
Saturday
Once every three weeks there is a local farmers market in Groningen. It is very small in scale because of COVID-19, but we went anyway. There was one stand with vegetables. Not organic, but still local and seasonal and so a good option. We bought some good veggies for a pasta that night and a pumpkin soup the next day. After the shopping I went to pick up a secondhand yoga mat which my boyfriend also had bought on Marktplaats (it was free!). It really shows that buying new stuff isn’t necessary at all. Once back home we realized we bought too little tomatoes at the market and forgot some salad. We bought that at the supermarket. With the pasta I tried the vegan parmesan from Lidl for the first time and I totally approve it, delicious!
Sunday
A while back we found free secondhand chairs on Marktplaats. Today my boyfriend’s mother picked it up for us and brought it by since she was already coming our way and the location of the chairs was closer to her than to us. They are beautiful! And free! My boyfriend’s mother also helped up hang up our secondhand coat rack. Our place is really coming together! We went for some coffee in the city center, but since I don’t drink coffee I had a lovely vegan donut instead. When she went home, me and my boyfriend went to a sort of culture house in Groningen. It’s where the library is located too. It is gigantic! I came to heaven, so many books! I got a membership for the entire year.
Monday
Since it is the last week that my boyfriend owns his car, I made a reservation in Rotterdam for a special restaurant. It’s called Rozey. It is an all-in vegan restaurant. It was amazing! So many great dishes (the vegan coquilles were my favorite!) and such friendly service. I hope to go there again one day. I want them to take all my money hahaha.
Tuesday
Time for another secondhand pick-up. We bought a cabinet via Facebook Marketplace. We went to pick it up and also went to IKEA for some inspiration. I would never shop furniture at IKEA since they’re involved in slave labor in China. I did however buy one of their plant-based hotdogs and a vegan smoothie at the check-out. That’s all fresh and vegan and so no slave labor involved there (but maybe I also shouldn’t buy anything there either). At night I went to a birthday party from one of my best friends in Nijverdal. She had bought many vegan snacks (and cake!) which was great, no need for meat! That’s a great step to take when you’re the host. If you offer vegan food, guests can’t complain since you’re the host and you’re already welcoming them. I gave her two small gifts from a sustainable gift store. It was both food and so I didn’t need to buy new stuff. She liked it fortunately! I packed the gifts with some packing-paper I got once myself but saved.
Wednesday
Quite a lazy morning, I spend it editing my vlog for my Youtube-channel. Afterwards, my boyfriend and I went to his grandma and grandma and afterwards to his other grandma to cook dinner for her. It was a long but good day.
Favorite song of the week: Akon – Don’t Matter
Yours sincerely,
Romee