You just arrived in Berlin? Already had a look at Alexanderplatz, went to Brandenburger Tor and went clubbing? You’ve settled in, found a WG, and finally taken your belongings out of your suitcase? Booked your German courses to step up and be ready to converse with the locals? Now what? You realize you’ll need the basics, furniture, fancy clothes, tableware and of course a nice bike to roll around town all summer long.

Slight catch! Money doesn’t grow on trees, and your budget is tight.

Luckily for you, Berlin our “poor and sexy” city is full of places and people that enable you to have the fanciest room for the tightest budget, the shiniest style for only the price of your time (and a smile). Here are some of the things you need to know:

Let’s starts with the Berlin Sunday classic, the Flea Market. But is it that cheap? No, and be careful, the touristic one (Mauerpark, I’m looking at you), are simply a… tourist trap (No, I’m not going to buy this Deer Antler clothes hanger for €50, Sir). But you can find some wonderful Alibaba style caves. Go to “Hallenflohmarkt an der Arena”, and enjoy your new full tableware set for €3.

The other Berlin classic, the secondhand shop. A Tanzanian football jersey for 50 cents? Check. The board game from my childhood (Heroes’ quest), that you can’t find on the market anymore, for 50 cents? Check. My fancy disco costume for the next party, with that sequin shirt that I’ll then use for the entire summer for €5? Check. They are everywhere. Humana is the easiest to find but each vary in their offering and with different prices, so avoid the one in Alexanderplatz and Frankfurter Tor (the most expensive), and go seek out the lesser known ones. For furniture and general stuff, have a wander down Flughafenstraße! The Straße with bars and secondhand shops. My favorite secret one is Friedrichstraße 226.

Internet can be incredibly useful, and here you’ll find amazing stuff for my favourite price: Free! Ebay-Kleinanzeigen is your new best friend. Sofas, Closets, Tableware, Violins, etc. A paradise of unwanted goods. Berlin is known for the different communities, and on Facebook you have to head to the “Free your stuff Berlin” page, and be ready to PM the people who want to give away their table, plants, barbecue and so on. I literally found all the furniture for my flat for free on those two websites, and could decorate my fridge with 100 souvenir magnets #fancy.

So now you’ve found some fancy furniture for free, how do you carry them to your flat? Berlin has the answer: You can rent small van for €2.50 per hour from “Robben & Wientjes”.

So be poor and be sexy, be Berlin!