Green tips for settling abroad
Environmentally friendly tips for moving abroad from a mother of a large family.
How to get what your family needs for free, cheap and recycled?
written by: Mea Barath – Continent Surfer
When we move abroad, we are soon confronted with what we do not need to bring. We soon discover what we lack as a pressing need. I’ve got you some useful tips for an environmentally conscious move, buying stuff abroad, keeping in mind recycling, eco-mindset and saving money.
Stuff is the stuff of our daily lives. The things that surround us. Our things. The things we use, sometimes with emotional charge. Decorative elements in our homes. They make our living space unique. They make our new house a real home. But what happens to them when we move abroad?
It’s worth thinking about these before you move abroad:
- Where should I store the things I leave at home?
- What should I take with me?
- What can’t I take with me that I’ll need?
Go abroad! But what to take with you?
We’re moving abroad with four children and a big family, which brings some challenges. I tell you more about that in this article. We didn’t plan to rent a container or use a shipping company. We left with six people, six large suitcases, plus hand luggage. Furthermore, we have a recycling approach, and moving in an environmentally friendly way was an important aspect for us. We also looked for environmentally friendly solutions when settling in a new country.
If being environmentally conscious is important to you,
- with a recycling mindset,
- with a minimum of money spent
I have some useful tips for you!
Recycling means the environmentally conscious recycling of materials. One way is to recycle waste objects made by human hands, mainly from non-degradable materials, into raw materials by processing them. Not buying new items is also part of the eco-friendly attitude. Instead, we take care of each other’s needs and give our own things to others who no longer use them. Or by reusing certain objects and giving them a new function, making them usable again.
I can share my own experiences with you. Moving abroad with a large family, environmentally conscious, with children.
What do we not need when we travel, but did need when we moved abroad?
- Household: Kitchen utensils, hangers, hairdryer, mobile heater
- Leisure activities: bikes, scooters, skateboard, fishing rod, books
- School: school uniform, printer
- Clothing: padded rubber boots (rainy and chilly Mediterranean winters), winter hats (I had no idea how useful they would be in the cold wind)
- Extras: artificial Christmas tree (we moving to a Mediterranean country) and Christmas tree decorations
We have been living abroad for ten months, so far this is the full list of items we have bought here. Big family minimalism, environmentally conscious move: happy with the end result. Spent money on fishing rods, skateboard and hair dryer. We went to the store and bought them. The rest came to us in one form or another from others. Used, but all in immaculate condition. I’ll tell you their story.
You can get useful tips and ideas on how to
be on a low budget and spend your days in an environmentally friendly way.
Before you move abroad, be prepared!
You can get started in the online space before you move abroad. Get a virtual insight into the world and everyday life in your chosen destination. As well as browsing informative websites, it’s also worth getting in touch with the locals. Thanks to the Internet, this is now easy to do:
Join local Facebook groups!
Find online communities in your target country that match your interests!
If you are moving with a family, look for a mothers’ community online! They will be helpful.
Check out local give-and-take and free donation groups!
Look up the locations of fairs and flea markets, check information sites about garage sales and swap meets.
Join communities around environmental awareness!
We found a local mothers’ group extremely useful. We even got some school uniforms. With four children, this is a big expense, and it has considerably eased the financial burden!
A give-and-take group that works along the lines of recycling and reuse offered hangers. Fashion shops and charity shops are also grateful when we get rid of their excess hangers. It’s worth asking!
New friendships were made at regular meetings of the Hungarian communities. Artificial pine was donated to us by a lovely Hungarian family! Before I could even think of the question: how will we celebrate abroad this year, in a Mediterranean country? We made our own Christmas decorations; we had access to materials in a creative art group. For the children, the Christmas tree, decorated with their handiwork, made the celebration very special.
Bicycles and scooters were donated by local families, pieces they had already outgrown and which my children were happy to continue using.
Books can be found in the shelf library next to the school. Local residents can exchange and take away storybooks, educational publications, magazines and fiction.
We did not have to buy any kitchen utensils. We rent a fully furnished and equipped apartment. The owner also helped us with a heater, when it became clear that we were not prepared for the chilly indoor winters here.
And an encore in the series of environmentally conscious moves abroad: I made a jewellery box from recycled hard cardboard that was a pizza box in its first life. It keeps my earrings gratefully and proudly; you wouldn’t recognise it!
What’s that turned out to be redundant?
Pyjamas, for example! The nights are too hot for them in summer. In the heat, any article of clothing only adds to the challenge of enduring the heat. And in the winter, if you move to a country that’s squeamish about heating and insulation, they’re too cold. In the latter period, soft coveralls, available in adult sizes and in fun styles, have proved more useful.
If you’re into eco-friendly living, you’ll find like-minded people abroad, it’s usually just a matter of time. Thinking about the items you own and/or need from an environmental perspective can also help you find ways to move abroad in an eco-minded, eco-friendly way.
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