Today, my husband and I took a break from the tiling and headed out shopping. I do not really like to shop, and to be honest, don’t shop much at all. As I have mentioned before, one way in which we always try to be as sustainable as possible is by buying less in general.
Of course, like everyone, there are things we do have to buy. As we continue on our barn conversion project, there will naturally be a number of household things and items of furniture that we need. Though we are not quite ready to start buying furniture etc. we do need a few things to proceed with the project.
Today we took a recce to a couple of nearby reclamation yards. We actually didn’t find the sink or some kind of wooden cupboard or cabinet to use as a vanity unit that we were looking for this time. But where possible, we will continue to look for second hand/ reclaimed/ vintage items rather than buying new.
I did get a handful of lovely arts and crafts tiles for behind the kitchen sink when we get there, so the trip was not wasted. We also know know exactly where we can get some old doors and a few other items for the build when we get to that stage.
Sourcing second hand options can often be a great idea for the things you need for your home, of course. And reclamation yards are just one place to look. Thrift/ second hand stores, charity shops, salvage places, jumble sales, yard sales, even friends or neighbours with items they no longer need. Second hand definitely does not need to mean second rate.
So before looking at the sustainability minefield of buying new items for your home, it is always a good idea to look into vintage and reclaimed items first.
EWSP Consultancy 