The KonMarie method

whitesatin

It will back to my bedroom today. I know it is meant to be category based but I prefer to start in one area but really, that will, kind of, lead to categories. E.g. all my bedding/curtains/towels are upstairs in various places. I will, however, start with my clothing which will be a mammoth task as my weight goes up and down so I hang on to a size either side.

What has come to light is the amount of stock piling I do. E.g. I use Nivea wipes and always get them when they are half price. I have about twelve at the moment but I have now changed my cleansing method to Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. It will take a long time to get through the wipes so my daughter will have to take some off my hands.

It's the gifts, I mentioned yesterday.......I am no longer going to buy in advance as it is daft. I also have a stash of suitable raffle prizes for my ladies club but, as I have just resigned, the charity shop will benefit now.

Although this is only a 3 bed house, it is quite big, with a lot of outdoor storage space too - all filled. I will take my time and WILL be clutter free in a couple of months time.

GreyQueen

Igamogam wrote: »

We have too - also old baking tins etc

All sorts of strange metal things come through domestic recycling at our waste transfer station. The most alarming metallic objects were the guns and, in a separate incident, the hand grenade.:eek:

Today I shall go to my allotment and do some stuff, inc a dump run via wheelbarrow (being car-less does keep you fit ) and bring back one of the two food waste caddies, the other being down at the flat. Neither are used and I'm going to email the council to come take them back again, which will reduce the clutter. As they're completely usused, hopefully they can be re-issued and thus save money and extra production of plastic products. Plus I shall have a bit less volume in my life.

I recall what a pal said when we decluttered her shed. It was fairly appalling at first glance, you opened the door and it was just this great snarled mass of Stuff. But she pointed out that there was a lot of fresh air in there, and indeed it was so, once we unsnarled things, the volume at first glance was significantly greater than the mass of items once compacted.

One thing I have found out about decluttering a finite space such as a shed, and I guess this would extend to a loft, is that you can't sort it from inside it. Once a year in early summer, I haul out the contents of the lottie shed. I don't do it earlier than that as there are things pupating in there, or in late summer or autumn as it has reeely big s p i d e r s.

Today I shall also plant out the 3 hyacinth bulbs which have finished flowering. They were a gift to Mum in a cute little basket, which has already gone to the chazzer. The flowerpot shall be washed and put aside for use in a few months. I never buy new flowerpots but manage to keep the inventory topped up in suchlike ways. A few die every year and go into the plastics recycling.

Righty, bit of interwebulation whilst the day is airing out, then must get cracking.

whitesatin

I have turned my shed (which had been converted to an office before we moved here) into a "summerhouse" where I can have friends in for tea. I bought a small round dining table and four chairs from a charity shop. I decluttered (had been a dumping ground for outdoor toys) when I did this and now it feels so welcoming. That is one of the reasons I started all this tidying lark.

Our garage (adjoining house) was already converted to half storage (bulging now)/half office (bulging now with my crafts stuff) and both need to be tackled. We also have a lean to which needs organizing but it is awkward to get to. There is a huge under kitchen extension cupboard accessed from the garden that has, over the past four years, gathered junk. The loft, well, I never go there but I know it has filled up over the past four years too.

That is why I have to just tackle one area at a time. I feel stupid having let so much stuff build up in the four years we have been here.

GreyQueen

whitesatin wrote: »

That is why I have to just tackle one area at a time. I feel stupid having let so much stuff build up in the four years we have been here.

Please don't beat yourself up emotionally. You haven't been stupid, you've done what 99.99% of the rest of us do; you've postponed making a decision by putting an item Somewhere. Because you could, and then there was another item and some point later on, and before you know where you are, there's a lot of Stuff. We've all done it.

Stuff abhors a vacuum, which is why empty spaces get filled up with it. It's a universal law, like gravity.

What has struck me about Stuff is that it is very easy to acquire it. Indeed, even if you resolutely don't shop, it comes atcha via the letterbox. People give you gifts. It creeps indoors on its little cluttery paws and squeaks pathetically if you try to hiff it out..........

But getting rid of it can be emotionally and often physically heavy work. You have to make those postponed decisions. You have to confront things about yourself which aren't comfortable. Such as that you had eyes bigger than your stomach, that you had delusions that buying all that sports kit would make you a sportsperson, that you lived a different version of your life to the one you actually live, that the money spent could have been better used elsewhere...........ouch!

This I know because I've done all of the above myself and, if I had your storage spaces, I can bet I'd be storing stuff in them, too. The only thing which keeps me in control is that my storage is limited to; a 242 sq ft flat, a 5' 9" x 3 ft bike shed and a 8 x 6 allotment shed. And you'd be amazed how much you can fit into those spaces.

I'm a grandmaster at Tetris, don'tchaknow.............:D

115K

whitesatin wrote: »

I have turned my shed (which had been converted to an office before we moved here) into a "summerhouse" where I can have friends in for tea. I bought a small round dining table and four chairs from a charity shop. I decluttered (had been a dumping ground for outdoor toys) when I did this and now it feels so welcoming.

I would love to have one of those one day.:)

System

Just been reading everybody's latest achievements, you are all doing so well.:T I woke up feeling a bit rubbish today, not sure if I slept wrong ( had too many pillows I think as I was trying to stop myself coughing) and I have bad shoulder & neck this morning and weird sort of pins and needles feeling from my wrist to my thumb on one side. Sort of feels like a line has been drawn down the middle and one side of me feels very odd! I obviously need to keep moving and get rid of it, might be a trapped nerve! OH is at work till lunch time so I have put some washing on and going to get on with the plan....finish bedside cabinet and then books, DVD's and CD's ( although we did do the DVD's a couple of months ago, but that was pre MK days so need to have another go!

Oh...BTW...thanks for the tip re the shoe boxes for drawer dividers, will see if I can find some.

Have a great day:)

Butterscotch-

Hi everyone I'm a weekend tidier and have the whole day to myself so plan to get stuck in. Undies, paperwork, receipts, handbags are all possibles so will have to see what takes my fancy when I head upstairs. There is also the dreaded very large "gadget" cupboard in the kitchen but that might wait until another day.

I've asked somewhere before but don't think I got an answer. Does anyone know anywhere other than Ebay to sell clothes, shoes and handbags?

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend

GreyQueen

I think some upmarket items in immaculate condition might be saleable via dress agencies, although they're supposed to be very picky about what they take and take a commission once sold. Think they're for the very high end designer-type of items.

Other than that, you could try bootsaling or ads in shops but it's hard to offload these items as they're very specific to a certain size of person, and the size has to coincide with them wanting it and seeing you offering it.

mamaninie

Bags and bags and bags of baby and maternity clothes were dropped off at Womens Aid yesterday.

I said thank you to them for clothing my 3 babies and hope they can be useful for a few more babies yet. Most were given to me initially, either new or used, so its nice to keep passing on the gift. The baby days are over for me now, but its taken me a little while to get to the point of being fully accepting of it. So I'm not really sad, because I love the ages they are now, but its been good to acknowledge the passing of phases in my life.

Butterscotch-

GreyQueen wrote: »

I think some upmarket items in immaculate condition might be saleable via dress agencies, although they're supposed to be very picky about what they take and take a commission once sold. Think they're for the very high end designer-type of items.

Other than that, you could try bootsaling or ads in shops but it's hard to offload these items as they're very specific to a certain size of person, and the size has to coincide with them wanting it and seeing you offering it.

Ebay it is then lol