KonMari 2017 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

daisy_1571 · 14 September 2017 at 11:51AM

kittie wrote: »

Eirlys, yes I think you are the oldest. I was a post war baby when there was still rationing, when my mother ironed wrapping paper to re-use it. One dress to wear and one for best and one pair of shoes for all weathers. I think this has been my problem too, that ingrained need to have a full wardrobe. Mine is still too full and I have enjpyed the process of making lovely clothes and buying gorgeous fabric but I have stopped

I'm a wee bit behind you guys but we also used to carefully unwrap birthday and xmas presents and the paper was kept to be ironed and re-used.:money: Plus we had a cardboard advent calendar :xmastree:that my bothers and I had to open but not tear-off the perforated doors and it came out so many years :money: we could almost remember the pictures behind each day. They no longer shut properly after about 6 years so it was hard to know which were open and which were closed. Lol, todays youngsters with their three layers of card and formed plastic plus wrapped chocolates dont know they are born. Such a lot to be thrown away after xmas and seeing a wee pic of a dolly or balloons or a teddy was many times more exciting than eating some rubbishy tasting chocolate at half 7 in the morning !! Happy days

daisy xx

short_bird · 14 September 2017 at 12:12PM

Karmacat wrote: »

...and one string of income, for a while, was mining through a Victorian gold mine for the "leftover" gold and silver.

A "side hustle" for the family of jewellery makers in birmingham was to clean out the old man's turnups on a nightly basis. Over the year, the tiniest pieces of gold swarf would build up and form a Christmas bonus when cashed in. I can recommend the Jewellery Museum if you're ever in Brum. http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/jewellery

GreyQueen · 14 September 2017 at 12:21PM

Umm, you mean there are people out there NOW who don't save, iron and re-use wrapping paper?! Oops, and there's me, a mid-sixties vintage peep, who does such things, I always tell folks I was thrifty before it was fashionable.:rotfl:

Am in process of bottoming-out the kitchen cupboards (a rainy morning here) and have decided that one tray can go to the CS, will take it up in a few minutes before I change my mind.

I have one humungous tray, three small plastic trays which fit in the freezer and a metal 1950s tea tray with a parisian (I think) street scene on it which is built like a tank and will see me out. I also have two of those oblong little trays which I thought would be handier than they are (actually, as I'm typing, I have decided they can go to the chazzer today as well, they came from chazzers anyway, one shouldn't be too big to admit one's mistakes).

This will leave me with the 1950s tray which is in daily use, the round stainless steel tea tray (in constant use, lol), the giant tray which is invaluable for various projects and the three plastic trays which are used for batch freezing, taking baked goods to t'office and various little projects.

All of this was triggered by getting the trays off the floor and making space for them in the cupboard (after washing them nicely) and realising the moulded melamine tray wouldn't fit but the plastics will. It it the survivor of a pair bought for me by Mum when I lived at my previous flat and I've had it well over 15 years but, if I can do without it, I rid myself of a niggly item which hasn't a home of its own.

Onwards!

greenbee · 14 September 2017 at 12:23PM

Landfill mining has been going on since the 1950s... but there will definitely be more of it!

I've been very good, and on my last work trip (which I'm still trying to get back from - thanks for the travel disruption Irma - but obviously very grateful this is my biggest problem) took stuff I love but was past its best. When I packed, I left behind running socks, a dress, a t-shirt and knickers that I should no longer wear (most of them had holes...). I did buy more running kit in the vast mall opposite the hotel, but it was needed and a bargain. As a result I was able to repack into less space and leave behind the very tatty handbag as planned...

Floss · 14 September 2017 at 1:32PM

short_bird wrote: »

A "side hustle" for the family of jewellery makers in birmingham was to clean out the old man's turnups on a nightly basis. Over the year, the tiniest pieces of gold swarf would build up and form a Christmas bonus when cashed in. I can recommend the Jewellery Museum if you're ever in Brum. http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/jewellery

Nowadays all the metal companies weigh all staff & visitors on their way in and on their way out... They generally all have very soft wax floors so any waste, dwarf, filings etc get squished in, then every so often the floor is scraped up, melted down and the metals recovered

Picklepot · 14 September 2017 at 1:50PM

My local national trust is in need of books.Just taken a bag of them. They have a lovely little second hand book room all done out like a library.
My local library also wants books as they have had their funding cut and what they dont need they sell. Their bag will go at weekend.
Deep joy to donate to somewhere who has a need for my items

[Deleted User] · 14 September 2017 at 2:01PM

not me picklepot, my local hospice are crying out for funds and the voluntary unpaid workers work their cotton socks off, its the least I can do, to support them. The hospice is there for people in their hour of greatest need

catshark88 · 14 September 2017 at 2:01PM

GQ I so agree with you about waste and how lovely it is to use things completely up.

I saw something on Facebook recently though that really resonated. It was a Buddhist quotation about how no one becomes poor by giving things away and goodness knows, there are lots of people in need these days.

Decluttering can give you a "hit" of feeling wasteful, but it can lead to such a lack of it moving forward. If you have only a few things, all of which you love, it is easier to use their full capacity.

I tried to draw a line, accept that I had previously wasted my own cash and used too many things, but now I will give myself a fresh start and try to be better in future.

I saw Fumio Sasaki's video (done when his book launched) yesterday. I was SO inspired. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

tibawo · 14 September 2017 at 2:05PM

Thought i'd pop in. Now that school is back I am getting into my routine. Work has not really picked up yet but I have landed myself a 3 day a week job and should be able to continue doing my other one on the two days. The 3 day one should in essence pay the bills. The other to KD all the bills/debts and then be used for treats. I am so happy, well I will be once I get my first pay!

Been KDing the weeds up at the allotment and then covering. I have a lot to do as only had it six months and it was a mess. I have half done a plan of the areas where I know what i want to put where but just not had the time to get up.

House wise. Another Ebay of car boot job lot gone so am now tidying/cleaning. My next job is to put up the new washing line as the other snapped!!

short_bird · 14 September 2017 at 2:40PM

Floss wrote: »

Nowadays all the metal companies weigh all staff & visitors on their way in and on their way out... They generally all have very soft wax floors so any waste, dwarf, filings etc get squished in, then every so often the floor is scraped up, melted down and the metals recovered

I knew they wouldn't let it continue :rotfl:

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KonMari 2017 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

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