The KonMarie method

skeeter93

clippy_girl wrote: »

Skeeter- have a look at some packing cubes like these- http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=travel+packing+cubes&!!!!!googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=34734328788&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14999738211836062580&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=t&ref=pd_sl_53cbb4coo1_b

I use them in my large rucksack and you can get lots in and it makes it easy to find stuff. Works well as it keeps your already rolled clothes nice and neat

clippy_girl, I just got some of these for Xmas! Looking forward to using them, not just for the packing but for staying organised during the trip. 5 weeks living out of a suitcase and by the end of it it takes ages to find the underwear amongst everything mixed up!

GQ, love your primitive brain!

GreyQueen

VJsMum, it's a shocker, isn't it, this disposable clothes thingy? I didn't trust myself to speak when, in separate incidents, twenty-something colleagues, one male and one female, referenced 'throwing away' garments after one or two wears. Because they were cheap (£10) and they clearly considered them disposable.

I kept my peace because I was shocked and horrified at the wastefulness and didn't trust myself to play nicely. We're low-paid local government workers, not WAGs, for goodness sake. Never mind the waste of resources and how 'thrown away' was phrased making it clear we were talking landfill not chazzer donation time.

This business about not being able to be seen in something more than once doesn't surprise me. I've been noticing for a number of years that things and attitudes which were once for film stars and aristocrats are being imitated by Jo(e) Soap. Often to the detriment of their long term financial security and intermediate term mental well-being.

At the moment, me and PB are having another little tussle about two consumable products which are running out. One is laundry powder, the other is shampoo.

HB; I don't want to buy more shampoo until this bottle is finished. We're in the city centre with loads of shops, many of which sell shampoo. I've decided which product to buy to replace this one which Liddly don't do any more. I know exactly what, where and how to buy it, at the best price. And we will use all this litre bottle before we do that. Ditto the laundry detergent.

PB; (wringing hands) But the level on the shampoo bottle is below the label, we can see it through the bottle. It feels light in the hand! What if we run out?! We'd have dirty hair and be a social disgrace. Plus the world might end tomorrow and they'd be no more shops and no more shampoo and what you think you're going to buy won't be there, ner-ner-ner-ner nah, cleverclogs!

HB: Relax, PB. I'm on it. Yes, it's below the label, but it's a litre bottle, there's still quite a lot in there. We wash our hair every other day, so that's enough shampoo until well into May, by my calculation. And, if the world ends tomorrow, lack of shampoo will be the least of our worries. Plus, at a pinch, we could use washing-up liquid, we've done it before and our short hair wouldn't take much harm.

PB; (scowling) But what about the laundry detergent? It's running low as well. You took the last bits of it out of the big plastic container and into a milk bottle because it was getting hard to scoop out of the bottom. That means there isn't enough. And our clothes will be dirty and the world will end and you need to go to Liddly and get that box of F0rmil RIGHT NOW or else.

HB; But I've counted the amount of scoops when I put the detergent in the bottle and there were 30 washes in there. OK, it's less than 30 now but we do about 10 loads a month, don't we? So, no urgency. And I explained why I wanted to start straight onto a new box, not stockpile it, because we don't use a lot and it loses potency over time, and it takes us 1 year plus to use a 6.5 kg box. See, I'm being rational about this, the stocks are being monitored, we're safe and there's Enough.

PB (very crossly) I'm not happy and you're playing games with me. And I haven't even had my brekkie yet, wahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

in_need_of_direction

It really is like trying to tame a toddler.

GreyQueen

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

It really is like trying to tame a toddler.

Yeah, a toddler who has access to your bank account, purse, wallet, line of credit and who, unaccountably, can impersonate you in public...............:rotfl:

jaybee

Thank you all you lovely peeps for your helpful suggestions. I shall try the M&S bra first - it has excellent reviews on their website. If that one fails then I shall bite the bullet and overcome my shyness and get properly measured!!
I shall today offload the last of my DVDs and a few books to the charity shop. They will not be missed - I'd forgotten I had most of them!

mrs-moneypenny

Morning all
Hope everyone is well, loving the posts on here they are all so encouraging and motivational.
I went to a glass and glitter party last night. Bought a couple of glasses sets for 2 of my DDs and their partners. But as all the glasses were bought and hand painted I offered to 'kondo' a load of wine glasses that were rarely used and a couple of nice glass storage jars I didn't want to them for up-cycling. So this morning I've been in the attic brought down a load of glassware and a boxful as been kondoed.
While in the attic I also came down with 2 black bags of stuff that literally threw its self at me begging to go to the CS.
I've halved our Halloween stash as the kids are not kids anymore so don't really bother with it (I'll bag that separately and label it accordingly so they know when to get it out) I also found a huge banner with "happy birthday Dad" written on. I was going to bin it but I'll Cs it as someone may find it useful, it's hand made by me but doesn't look too amateurish.
Also found a bag of costume jewellery I bought at the boot years ago thinking I would make something with it, I realistically won't so I'll kondo it in the hope that it will bring someone else joy and me space.

Poddly

I have kondo-d my dressing table and bedside drawers, so have done underwear, socks, tights, nightwear, jewellery and toiletries! Quite a bit thrown out, and a few sentimental things caught me unawares....

Snorkypants

GreyQueen wrote: »

YES!

I have stuff which isn't good enough to donate but which I can't bear to part with until it's utterly worn out. I actually feel glad when something clothing or household textile-wise fails in such a way that it makes the decision for me.

After work and mooching at home, I'm wearing a longsleeved tee which has seen better days (possibly better decades, even) and which is starting to wear out. When it's more knackered, it'll go for ragging, but until then, I need a few non-special things to loll around in at home/ garden in.

The trick is to try to control the inventory or you'll end up with more gardening/ decorating clothes than anyone other than a professional will ever need.

Have started assembling the next chazzer bag, and have been tidying a few things away. Looking around, I feel as if I have crossed a rubicon of tidiness, somehow. It's gone from hell hole to almost tidy.

KM germs have clearly spread throughout my life, and not bringing anything more into the home, bar food and a few books (mostly library) is certainly helping.

Anyone else feel a reluctance to acquire in the knowledge that it will probably result in buyers' remorse and more decluttering down the line?

Blue_Doggy wrote: »

ME TOO! My usual excuse that it'll do for gardening/decorating/walking the dogs really isn't good enough. I can get rid of the things which don't fit properly, but the ones which were a nice colour or fit well but are ancient have (pre MK) tended to be kept.

GreyQueen - I have had a couple of lovely shopping expeditions lately, where i've looked at things, mentally KM'ed them and walked out empty-handed. It feels great.

Thanks GreyQueen and Blue Doggy, I feel better knowing it's not just me. I got rid of a lot because there was more than I could get through in several years, only wearing them evenings and weekends. But I am going to fish one hoodie back out of the bag, for decorating.


I'm also shopping less, I've finally got the hang of thrift and broken my shopping obsession. But I've been working on that for years so it's hard to say whether KM has been a part of that or it's just a coincidence.


I KonMari-ed my books last night but am holding off on donating them for a few days at least until I find out off Oxfam what my gift aid number is. It was surprisingly quick and easy, just deciding if they sparked joy instead of internal wrangles/justifications of was it a gift/will I read it again/is it too tatty to donate.

mrs-moneypenny

My middle DD is the same with clothes, she has some lovely stuff but invariably wears things that look past their best, she said they are too scruffy to donate and would just be landfill fodder or ragged if she put them in a clothes bank, so she feels obliged to see them to their natural end. All the time her nicer stuff is getting older.

VJsmum

So I opened my summer t shirt draw last night, it has already been Kondoed.

I said to myself, if I had to get rid of five t shirts which would go? I easily pinpointed five that I wouldnt miss for an instant and actually felt some relief at the prospect of never wearing them again.....

I like this process