The KonMarie method

jinny

http://youtu.be/VDGWW7_O2sI

I thought this would be handy
For someone having to pack a suit in a case

http://youtu.be/HkW-90LLJxE
Here's another using rolling

MummyRivett

Floss wrote: »

I LOVE this tip, and will be utilising it tonight after finalising last year's tax return, so the next one is easier! Thank you Mummy Rivett

I have a top sheet for each month too which can help basically number the receipts in the top corner then on then fill in the top sheet. PM your email address and I will send it to you. in either Word / PDF or Excel.

cazmanian_minx

Not sure OH's jeans are working on their side like books, I may have to resort to (shhhhhh!) stacking them - blooming wardrobe shelves are taller than they are wide.

What's everyone doing with swimwear, particularly bikinis? They seem to take up more space than they should, given how seldom they get used!

rosie383

drusilla wrote: »

Thanks to whoever posted the ranger rolling technique for towels.

I have re rolled all my tea towels. I had folded them and put them into a basket (two actually). I have those wide tall drawers in the kitchen. I love the look of them but they are useless for storing anything.

So when I had re rolled my towels they fitted into the Quality street tub that I was chucking (all chocs decluttered ).

My son is very impressed. He went to get his cutlery at tea time and said. 'Oooh it looks like we are getting organised.'

Flaming OH said about bl**dy time. Mmmm wait till we start reorganising all his carp - tools, old clocks, trainers, car magazines. He has a huge garage to put his stuff but most of it ends up in my kitchen or bedroom or bathroom.:mad:

Exactly the same reaction from my DH! Said I had finally had a good idea after 19 years!!!!!

GreyQueen

I had to go peep into my drawers (oooo-err missus) just to check the clothes hadn't had a riot and disarranged themselves overnight. They are still there, in orderly ranks, it's a miracle.

I, too, wince at the idea of chucking perfectly usable stuff. It's a mixture of not having a lot of money and a lifelong abhorrence of wastefulness. I certainly don't 'bin' stuff; if it is usable by another person it goes to friends, c.s., freegle, the recycling. I have even been known to dismantle an old broken electric kettle, to get the element and the plastic bits off the stainless steel body so that could go into metal recycling.

Having said that, I don't find the idea of 'releasing' stuff wasteful. If I cannot use it and won't use it, surely hoarding it in cupboards and keeping it out of the hands of the rest of us, is a deeply selfish act?

After all, each and every Thing is carrying part of the embodied energy of our lovely planet. It was made of raw materials, it used energy in its manufacture, it used energy to transport it to where we acquired it, we spend energy to house it, and move it from house to house.

And, sometimes, in the process of 'saving' some item, we actually waste it. Because we held onto something which the moths got into, because we held onto something which was superceded by new technology, and is now a clunky embarrassment which you can't even give away. Because fashions have moved so far that our item is now only fit for being a laughing stock at a fancy dress party.

At the end of your life, or the end of your independant life, someone will have to paw through your accumulations and deal with it all. And, based on experiences of my own, and anecdotes from others who have had to do the same, a huge chunk of your treasures will have become trash and be no use to man nor beast. They will just be a ghastly and exhausting burden for others to deal with.

With greater organisation in my home, I can see that I have Plenty of Stuff in many categories. I am not planning to ditch the current excess inventory of items which wear out (towels, tea towels, bedsheets) because natural attrition is in the process of wearing these out, and then the inventory will be smaller. And will stay smaller. It all fits in one skinny cupboard 23 inches wide by 19 inches deep and, due to hot pipes running through that cupboard, it is unsuitable for storing many other, non-textile things, anyway.

Marie Kondo is a modern Japanese woman, but behind her is a traditonal culture in a resource-scarce part of the world. Japan is a group of 4 large islands and numerous small ones, about the same size as the UK but with none of our coal, oil etc, and with about 80% of the landmass too steep for cultivation. Traditional Japan is very thrifty and there is even a Japansese word, which I have forgotten atm, for the quality of something which is carefully and respectfully mended, and re-mended. So, her cultural background is very OS.

115K

I just did my airing cupboard. It's made me really look at my hand towels and bath towels and they look really shabby and they are all mismatched. I might have to donate them to recycling or cut them and use them as cleaning rags and buy a nice new set later this year.

The rolling technique does make more space in the cupboard.:T

jinny

Love your post Greyqueen
So true agree with every word

peaceandfreedom

115K wrote: »

I just did my airing cupboard. It's made me really look at my hand towels and bath towels and they look really shabby and they are all mismatched. I might have to donate them to recycling or cut them and use them as cleaning rags and buy a nice new set later this year.

For a long time, I've only bought white towels because to me, they have a more luxurious look and they all match each other. They only exception is beach towels but I keep them well hidden.

The white towels stay nice and white if they are only ever washed with white things. They also get an extra-long rinse. A lot of outside drying in the sun helps as well. (I rarely use bleach for anything because our septic tank would not approve and in any case our towels don't need it.)

On a general note, ensuring everything is nicely rinsed and avoiding tumble-drying has meant that our clothes last a lot longer and look a lot better. I remember comparing a top that my DD had with one her friend was wearing - they were bought at the same time. DD's was as good as new, the friend's one was very faded and mishapen.

I know I'm doing something right with my laundry because at a car boot it the summer, numerous people exclaimed over the condition of the clothes, saying they looked like new .

So I am totally in agreement with what Marie Kondo says about caring for our possessions - and as Greyqueen has so eloquently put it, that's also old-style economy .

Igamogam

Grey Queen you have put into words EXACTLY how I feel.Thankyou I too have had to deal with the possessions of relatives and at the time I dealt with it by bringing it into my home.............I dont want my DDs to go through the same thing!

MadelinesMum

Hi all, I had already packed away half of my house and got rid of a lot of furniture as my house was sold but the buyer pulled out. I'm now doing kon marie and got rid of a lot more stuff. I'm now dreading going through all the boxes I've already packed! Tbh I haven't missed the stuff in 6 months so I doubt there's anything any good in there.