Four focus groups met several times to discuss the concept of poverty, the necessities one needs in order not to be poor and what monthly budget is currently required to afford necessities in the Netherlands. Each group developed a common point of view that was elaborated in detailed consensual budgets for various types of households. As it is the first time the "consensual budget standards method" has been applied in the Netherlands, the report also discusses the merits of the approach for poverty research and budget counselling. Stella Hoff is a senior researcher in the group Labour, Income and Social Security of the Netherlands Institute of Social ResearchSCP.