The KonMarie method

AlwaysHappy

Morning everyone. I really would like to join in if you'll have me in the gang. I downloaded the book which I read in half term whilst on holiday and can't wait to make a start.
However, before I can start on my own house I need to sort out my Mums. She sadly passed away in January and as an only child it has fallen to me to sort out. I loved Mum dearly and miss her every day - BUT - her Achilles heel was hoarding. Since inheriting the scale of the task has overwhelmed me at times. My grandma died 22 years ago and not a thing has been thrown, my father died 14 years ago and ditto. As well as all the margarine tubs, receipts etc etc. Having to deal with a death in the first place is hard enough but I have found wounds long healed for the other 2 reopened at times. To complicate matters further I live 300 miles away, have a disabled child, work and M E. I have taken over 100 bags to the charity shop - mostly new!!!, dozens and dozens of trips to the tip - I am honestly on first name terms there, and have about 20 boxes to sort at my house. Everywhere is a mess and it is stressing me out totally. I have decided after this weekend to leave the rest to clearers for my own sanity - though Mum wouldn't approve, I'm doing my best.
Its going to be a long journey for me, but am determined to get there. Each time I help an item on its way I think phew one less.
I spoke to one of Mums friends last night and she said her son was saying she should have a sort out. I reiterated to her the pain this was causing me, and how at times I have felt angry and resentful for the mess left behind - though I am fighting that. She seemed to acknowledge this, so hopefully I have helped one person.
"see" you later.

mrs-moneypenny

Welcome alwayshappy, hugs and support for you as you face this difficult task.

grunnie

AlwaysHappy - Be kind to yourself. That was me a few years ago. I had an aunt's house to clear and my mum had a huge house and never threw anything away. I am an only too and it was very hard to clear out stuff. My OH would arrive and find me in tears holding some weird item that had brought back loads of memories. That's why this method seems to work for me. My house, shed, loft and garage is done and staying tidy and it makes me feel so much happier. I have fibro and walking is difficult so if I can do it so can everyone else. I don't agree with her no hoarding of old boxes for items or spare toilet roll or tins of beans etc. It gets very icy where I live and can't always get out. Even mr t will cancel a delivery depending on the weather. I woke up yesterday and my kettle had sprung a leak so got the box which I had taped the receipt to and it is under guarantee so a trip to JL next week to return it.

mrs-moneypenny

I agree grunnie, we are all different and what works for one won't be exactly right for another but since finding this thread I think this is the decluttering system that's working best for me, I'm getting DH to let go of things that have sat in the house for years "just incase"
We keep boxes for items still under guarantee, and there are some things that I know i won't be as brutal with as the advice says I should.

Kiwisaver_2

Some great work and achievements going on; I decided to focus on outside of the house on Sunday as we were under threat of some high winds and storms in the wake of cyclone Pam. So I set to having a good clean up and clearing the decks and paths, scrubbed and stacked up all the garden furniture. I also picked and stewed up the last few remaining apples and tomatoes, got rid of a big stack of plastic pots and seed trays, emptied and scrubbed out some pots and put away for winter and moved anything that had potential to become airborne.

Fortunately the worst of the weather missed us but now looks and feels really good to have that 'end of the season' clearout. :T

Baileysonice

Hey everyone
Still on go slow here but I am Ok with that 6 months being the target

Saw a great tip today and had to share with you all -
Keep cables separate and identifiable by storing each one in cardboard loo roll middle
Write on the card what the cable is and for what device then you can chuck away when not required anymore

As a cable hoarder this one is great for me but I need to go through a lot of loo rolls now to get enough (slow but sure again I guess!!)

juliettet

One of the saddest things when clearing my Mum's house was the amount of clothes saved for 'best'. She would have got much more joy wearing them every day.

jinny

Always happy
Welcome to the thread. You have our support on here nobody escapes life's challenges. I like you have a debilitating condition where I run out of energy very quickly and have challenging carer duties as well. However clearing out the junk has made life so much easier. I'm done with chores in no time.
I like a lot on the thread had the daunting task of clearing out my parents home. Even when my dear Mam had moved into sheltered housing we still had a lot of stuff to get rid of. She had rent books going back 15 years from the family home. Baking trays including huge Turkey tins. Well she didn't even cook my dad did it all as she had a disability that prevented her from cooking safely.

You are heading in the right direction you will get there. I think getting your Mothers things cleared is the right decision for you.

It is a lesson to us all is it not, that we need to live light not just for our own sake but for our children too. It's horrible raking through someone's things. Please let's not do that to people we leave behind.
It might sound a bit macabre but I'm thinking of writing instructions down for after I'm gone. To release any pressure for my 'stuff' to be cleared out. My wishes will be made most clear that nobody is to hang on to household stuff just because I once used it.


Allybe
I'm off to check out that app sounds just what I need
I'm a terrible procrastinator. Im sitting here now doing nowt!
I still have poldark to watch on catch up. So I'm off to do some chores then I can sit and enjoy it. Isn't he gorgeous....those eyes
Eee I sound a right cougar lol x
Have a great day whatever you are doing

out_of_debt_at_last

Have the week off, took a bag of books and other kimono to the CS and painted the stairs in the last few days, love the fact the clearer the house is, lets me get on to do other things rather than tidying all the time! bedroom next, already kondoed but when I start to decorate I am sure there will be more things to the CS! what a beautiful sunshiney day!

LizzieR

Hi Everyone,

I’ve decided to stop lurking, having finally managed to readthrough this whole forum over the last couple of weeks. It’s been motivational, entertaining andinformative, and has certainly spurred me into action. Last week a car full of stuff went to the charity shop, it included a large bag full of clothes, several pairs of shoes, approx.180 books, a couple of radios, plus lots more random stuff! I also have several drawers which now have beautifully folded / rolled clothes, ranger-rolled tea towels and bath towels, as well as a lovely stack of samosa’d carrier bags. As several others have mentioned the areas that have been Kondoed are remaining that way, although the stages of putting similar items together seems to create chaos! I’m also getting round to doing all those little jobs that have been left for thepast few months. Less procrastination, more action!

I managed to find a complete recording of the book on You-Tube and spent almost 5 hours (mainly whilst going through my books)listening to it off and on. This might be handy for those of you who are waiting for the book as well as those who are auditory learners. It gets a bit annoying when suddenly interrupted by an advert, but a couple of clicks soon sorts things out! I can't post the link as I'm a new user, but if you search for the book title in You-Tube you should find all 4 hours 50 minutes of it!

I have since bought the book as well, as it’s a visual reminder of what I’m trying to achieve, and I think there are bits I’ll need to read to help me refocus on the trickier bits. That said, I (and everyone who knows me) would have agreed that books would be the hardest category for me, and yet I managed to cheerfully send dozens of them off to the CS to be enjoyed by others. I still have a lot of books, so may need to re-Kondo them at some point, but there’s plenty of other things to be getting on with for now!

I had a thought about those struggling with Kondoing your photos. Personally I’m not one for having lots of photos of family/friends etc on display – although I do love looking at my photos… Anyway, I asked for (and received) a digital photo-frame for my birthday recently, so have put a load of favourites on there and can switch it on and enjoy whenever I wish. I’ve also taken (digital) pictures of original photos and uploaded these to the memory stick for the digitalframe. It’s all backed up and the file names contain the details of who/where/when etc.

I’ve certainly not been Kondoing everything in the right order, but have been trying to deal with categories of items as opposed to physical spaces, and this approach really works for me. I’ve definitely always been a hoarder and have multiples of lots of things due to the originals having been misplaced for one reason or another, or that old chestnut: ‘just in case’. This method has also made me start cleaning more often (and almost joyfully...?!), which is certainly not something I’d usually be doing! Again, like many others here, I have started eyeing up items around my home and considering whether they give me joy and/or whether I really need them – it really is a revelation!

Ooops, I seem to have written an essay… I’ll take my evangelising away for now