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Peter Boers from the Netherlands consistently goes without: no coffee, no alcohol, no lemonade – the now 59-year-old has only been drinking water for three decades. “I never felt like I missed anything,” he says.
The Dutchman Peter Boers has lived with around 20 years 1,200 euros net per month and shows that a sustainable lifestyle does not necessarily have to mean sacrifice. His biggest lever to save money: Drink only water. No alcohol, no coffee, no juices. This is reported by the Dutch portal trouw.nl.
He sets his priorities elsewhere: namely when traveling. Last summer he spent five and a half weeks on foot in Austria, Slovenia and Italy. Cost: just 550 euros. Via platforms like welcometomygarden.com He spent the night in private gardens, often even in guest rooms. “I call myself a pilgrim,” says Boers. On the way he sings and prays – he has even slept in churches and chapels.
No butter, bread from the previous day only costs half as much
In everyday life, Boers consciously lives sustainably. He buys most of his groceries regional and organicfor example at the organic market in Heiloo or in the sustainable supermarket Ekoplaza. But here too he sets limits: butter for over six euros? “It’s not that I can’t afford it – but I just don’t want it.” Instead, he abstains. He often buys bread from the day before at half price – also to avoid food waste.
Boers doesn’t save his money in the traditional way, but instead it invests specifically in meaningful projects. He became involved in wind turbines 35 years ago, when renewable energies were still hardly widespread. He recently invested another 1,000 euros in wind energy. His motto comes from the Bible: “Give your tithe and I will reward you richly.”
Professionally, Boers can look back on a diverse life: He is an electronics engineer, helped set up the first internet in the Netherlands, taught mathematics for 17 years and ran an organic vegetarian bed and breakfast for two decades. He is currently unemployed, but works as a nature guide and remains politically active. On Linkedin This is how he describes himself: an idealist who would like to contribute to a better world, for example in the area of energy transition.
A pension of 1,700 euros means luxury for him
He remains calm about the future. In eight to nine years he will receive the state pension (AOW) – around 1,700 euros per month. “That seems like pure luxury to me,” says Boers with a laugh. “Maybe then I can still afford the expensive butter at Ekoplaza.”
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