The KonMarie method

Dolly_Mixture

Hi everyone, I have been enjoying reading everyone's posts but now I am back at work, I have less time to post myself. I am still struggling through with paperwork. Some sections are easy, like old leaflets etc but some like bank and pension statements are harder because you read conflicting advice about how long to keep everything. I have decided to err on the side of caution where it comes to money and throw out what I can from other areas.


Last weekend there was a jumble sale in my village, so I came off paperwork and had a quick cull of some other areas. Not a proper 'Kondo' as there wasn't time. I wanted to get rid of some stuff while the jumble sale was on as it is easy to get to for me and helps the village. I had a boot load of stuff and there was stuff on the back seat of the car as well. I went to the jumble sale later in the day and, as I did not want to buy much, I bought some raffle tickets. I only went and won a bottle of wine that I had donated! I did laugh. Talk about 'what goes around comes around'!


I donated a load of my clothes to Age Concern earlier this year and I have had a letter from them saying they have raised £84 from my donations. I have also donated a load of books to Oxfam and I have not yet heard from them. So I do feel good about that.


I feel this project is going to take sometime but I am plodding on with it. Paperwork is really taking some time! I have told some friends about it though and they have gone and bought the book!


Thanks to everyone who is posting. You are all keeping my inspired, amused and entertained.


Dolly

GreyQueen

:T Good work, Dolly Mixture, and I do know what you mean about winning back your donations, have seen it happen many a time, lol.

Whilst waiting for my supper to cook, I re-strung the third and last set of faux pearls which were Grandma's and will aim to get them up to the craft jewellery store tomorrow where they'll kindly put a clasp on them for 50p, bless their hearts. Only base metal, but fine for my needs, I'n not trying to pretend the 'pearls' are pearls IYSWIM.

Been procrastinating about that blessed job since Easter, for goodness sake, will be glad to get it sorted and then wear them.

I'm not too bad with paperwork, although I hand onto stuff which relates to finances. It's not like there's a lot of it and I can contain it neatly. Stuff which has been coming in has been dealt with promptly but there is a small pile of stuff to file which I will do tomorrow, I need to wrinkle out some T & Cs and put the new ones in. I always write the date received on these and on letters, makes it easier to tell obsolete stuff at a glance.

Righty, going to read some more library book, then it can go back up there; I keep a dedicated shelf for library books on the wall-unit so they don't go astray among those books which are my personal property. It simpliefies life if I return them to the same place between readings.

iQueen

CKgeordieinlondon wrote: »

Hi everyone,

So the tatty old chest of drawers was bought …. That was 17 years ago and that’s as far as I got.

Since then... ...and for some reason a camping gas cylinder.

Ah, that will from when the boiler broke down and you took 10 years to get it fixed! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Lara

I haven't done much for the past week but did sort my underwear drawer. Folding as told is wonderful! I thought it was a silly idea but actually it's brilliant! Tights are all folded as MK says too. OH likes his tops folded MK way and says easy to see what is what. I haven't done the same to his jumpers though as they don't stand up so have put them back in usual way. If anyone does fold jumpers please can they explain how?

So all this decluttering etc etc is very good but can someone explain why I still have boxes in my garage where I have sorted but they are still there with different items in?! :eek: :rotfl:

iQueen

Lara

Checkout sweater folding on YouTube - you'll probably find a method that works for you. Otherwise a rolling method may be better?

skeeter93

alfsmum wrote: »

I know exactly how your PB & HB feel, part of me wants to use things up, have nice clear spaces in the cupboards and so on, and part of me says 'we don't come to this shop very often so better get 4 of xxxx instead of 1 or 2 cos it will save petrol having to come back specially'then I get cross cos the cupboard is stuffed again. Funnily enough I was considering the shampoo situation this morning as the bathroom is looking pretty bare - and it would be a national emergency if DDs ran out of conditioner.....

This is exactly my problem! If I am somewhere I don't get to regularly, I overbuy because 'I won't be back here anytime soon'

choose_wisely

Thank you to those who have been in similar positions re paperwork. It is the sheer volume that was daunting.

I had gone through my personal financial type stuff last year and most of it is sorted and although some needs to to be organised and disposal arranged is at least in the right category.

I don't think that I was quite ready to tackle the work based mountain but I had to clear the bookcase. I had disposed of minutes and suchlike before I left, but there is/was so much conference attendance, education and training materials etc, together with policies and procedures collected over 40 years as well as the sensitive stuff.

It was all in plastic wallets but they were not all in the right file.
Almost every piece of paper has to be looked at, e.g. conference material can go for recycling, but there on the back page is a list of delegates which needs to be shredded.

I wonder if I am trying to be too careful by removing any person or organisation identifiable data.I mean would anyone want to go through my kitchen bin and piece together some soggy partial documents to be able to find someone I worked with 15 years ago?

This morning I am looking at 11 empty box and lever arch files, so progress is being made and I am feeling a bit better about it all.

But now what do I do with the empty files, I ask myself, and all those plastic wallets! Last week I saw that my youngest daughter had bought a pack of them, cheap ones, and mine were expensive, thick and some could hold up to 20 pages, and.......

Thanks GQ for your PB and HB scenarios. I can now see why I struggle with the keep v dispose and buy 2 just in case battles.

Dolly_Mixture

Hi choose-wisely, I have lots of empty files too! I have re-used some for holding archive paperwork - that whole thing of 7 year's worth and I have re-used a few plastic wallets as well. I think I will wait until I have finished the whole process and see what I have got left. I will take the plastic wallets into work - I work in a school and they use lots. The lever arch files, I might see if the school can use, otherwise I might try free cycle. I hate the thought of them going into landfill.

Lara - I have folded all of my jumpers and have them in my underbed drawer. If they are packed together closely they stand up ok but when a few are in the wash they don't stand up quite so well but it still seems to work for me. I like being able to see what I've got and being able to choose quickly what I am going to wear.

Have a good day everyone!

GreyQueen

Choose wisely, I'm scrupulous about removing anything from non-confidential papers for recycling which contains any personal data such as names, addresses etc, whether mine or other people's. I think it's prudent and, if you are controlling data for a workplace or a voluntary group, a duty under DPA 1998.

Whenever domestic rubbish is audited, about 70% of households are discarding sufficient paperwork to allow identity fraud to take place. I shred everything inc the grocery receipts and handwritten notes to myself - don't want examples of my handwriting out there, never mind my sig. I probably (almost certainly) err on the side of paranoia but I do see my neighbours' stuff overtopping our shared bins inc precription meds with their name and address on the label. Not much point in the GP maintaining medical confidentiality if the patient puts it all out there in the public bin.........:p

The crazy thing about the PB-driven urge to overstock is that it doesn't make sense given my physical location. I live and work in a city centre, surrounded by shops, including most of the national discounters and small supermarkets. I don't have a car and go around on foot or by pushbike, so there are no savings of fuel to be had by stocking up. I can nip into shops by taking a few steps off my walking commute to work. There isn't much of a time-saving and no fuel-saving to be achieved by bulk-buying unless it's a really good deal or PB is having One of Her Moments and takes control of my purse for a while.

I did buy two 15 eggs pkts at once recently as they are the only thing I go into a particular shop for, and it's not on my regular route. I was going to be starting on them that day, and they would be eaten well before their BB date. Plus, this shop has chocolate at a good price, and the less I am tempted towards consuming that, the better.;)

oceanspirit

mrs-moneypenny wrote: »

I think "mackled" means the same as "cobbled together" in my family's usage it's putting things together that weren't really meant to be to make something useful - if that makes sense. I'm originally from Lincolnshire so don't know if it's a word or expression from there HTH.

Thank you for using the word "mackle". My family laughed at me for using it and because it wasn't in the OED they said I'd made it up. I'd been using it for years so I'm glad it does actually exist and I hadn't imagined it.

springdreams wrote: »

MK says that most people will regret throwing out around 3 things, but they soon get over it.

I had my first regret a couple of weeks ago, but I can't even remember what it was now ...

mrs-moneypenny wrote: »

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.

I wear the older things because usually they are more comfortable to wear around my home. It's a good point you've made that the nicer things are getting older whilst not being worn. That has made me think.

Haven't managed to do much this week due to fatigue and a flare so a bit fed up that little has made its way out of the door. I have a few important things to do this morning then once they are done I can get on with sorting more of the paperwork piles which will help me to feel better.