The KonMarie method

cavework

Have been watching this thread with interest.
Got the book on Friday after reading this thread .. clothes done ...bathroom done.. fridges done... kitchen done..
Loads of bags , some charity and some recycling
In response to what someone else has posted on here about leaving the family to sort out what is left when someone dies..
A really great post, I am one of those left to pick up the pieces.
My Dad was a hoarder .. an intense hoarder, when his parents died he just piled everything in the back of the garage. Our spare bedroom (my bedroom until I left home) was piled to the ceiling with 'stuff' he hoarded from his life .. we are talking skip loads.
.Garage .. 3 bedrooms , cupboards , cabinets , every spare space and then some
We moved Mum in with us after Dad died .. it took 6 months and 3 skips to just reduce the things he had hoarded by 25% .. just to be able to sell the house the rest we brought back to our home..
I have lived with this for nearly 2 years .. every time I open the garage these 'things are piled to the front , my loft is full , I have had enough.. TBH it drains you, piles of stuff that no one wants but they were once valued by my parents and the one left insists the are still valuable .. they are not but it is hard to throw away the record of someones life when they die .. Hope you understand
Now Mum lives with us and I have decided , enough is enough,
this is my home
So far it is only our belongings we are getting rid of.. clothes and kitchen done. Mum has said it is disgusting that we are throwing away all these things.
She is fighting me tooth and nail over anything she spots me getting rid of
I for the first time in 2 years actually feel in control of my life and my home. I can start to get rid of my parents things without feeling guilty anymore thanks to this thread and this book..
I am laughing ..smiling, looking forward to the future. for the first time in 2 years.
A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders thanks to this book and this thread.
Thank you
xxx


xxx

GreyQueen

Well done, cavework, and all the others.

I was out of the house the whole day, had half-an-hour before a pal came arounf by arrangement, then another pal came over spontaneously, and I still haven't had my supper. But I have changed down into jammies and dressing-gown, so the evening starts here.

My parents, gawd bless 'em, are still with us, in their seventies. Their small house is stuffed to the gunwales. I expect it will be my destiny to un-stuff it one day. I'd rather do it now, to enhance their quality of life, but it ain't my house and it ain't my life, so I limit myself to a bit of cheerleading when I can.

As a family, we lost my great-uncle who was the last rellie living in what had been the family home since the 1920s. Cottage, outbuildings inc cart shed (a real cart shed), garage and a row of 8 small sheds, each with rusted up locks, in a row, and all full of carp. He'd about an acre of garden, so when one shed got filled, he parked another alongside it and filled that - rinse and repeat.

And none of the keys on the premises fitted the locks on the sheds. I tell ya, if Gt Unc hadn't already died of a coronary, I would have murdered him myself for being such a muddler. I was terrified the enormous stress of it was going to take his brother, my beloved Grandad, into the grave with him. You can grow to hate someone postumously, believe me.

On the other side of the family, a lady of 83 was being visited by my Mum one afternoon. She was feeling a bit poorly, and the GP was to come later that aft anyway. Gt Aunt was going on, as she had been going on for about 30 years, about getting her stuff in order.

She didn't get her stuff in order. She fell down dead in front of Mum with an aneryism, before the GP even arrived. And it defaulted onto distant rellies (childless couple, hubby with dementia) to sort it out, and one of them nearly had a breakdown and had a relapse of a chronic illness as a result of the stress of it all.

For the love of Pete, please think of your survivors, and slim your belongings as much as possible before you go. It's the best possible inheritance and memory you could ever leave behind.

Floss

WeeMidgie wrote: »

...
I also bit the bullet on a lovely grey Le Creuset oval casserole - I used it for the last time this morning, and had to admit it's too heavy for my wrists, and so no longer gives me joy. So off it goes too, to find a loving new owner!

Ooh I hope its new owner cherishes it - I would love that in my kitchen!

grunnie

Well said Greyqueen I couldn't have put it better myself.

GreyQueen

:j Aha, whilst working today that Japanese word (two words, actually) came back to me; wabi sabi.

It's a very subtle concept, one which I had a light bulb moment about when I first read about it. Since I think it might be of interest to some of us (and. let's face it, you can't stop me ) I shall proffer a wiki link so you can read about it if you like.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi

And now, because I'm suffering from busy-brain after a full-on day, I shall go roll some towels, because they're available and I think I shall enjoy it and find it calming.

newlywed

I got this ebook a month or so ago and my clothes have never looked so tidy! I have even redone my craft material storage box so it's like my t-shirts... had I done it years back I might have finished all those random projects I have now cleared out (no joy from half done stuff that has been hanging around for years!).

Bags and bags of stuff has gone to charity and now..... I only buy stuff I love, so I am not adding to it nearly as much as I have done after previous clear outs. I think my wardrobe breathed a sigh of relief!

Need to do my freezer though..... and forgot my teatowel drawer....

I have even managed to tackle my photo's - the hardest one for me. My next plan is to lose some weight (actually keep it off) and then go through my clothes all over again.

Deb0306

Happy to report that the carriers are now samosas and living happily in the Christmas shortbread tin until I find a more suitable home for them. The shortbread had already been de cluttered without any assistance!

lostinrates

Quick question for those with clothing in similar colours...

E.g. Ts or vests with differences which when folded cannot easily be seen in the same colours

How are you getting round this? Trying to leave a bit of differentiating bit vis able? E.g. I have a few black vests. Good day one, bloated day one, lace trimmed/ plain that sort of thing ( some work better under dresses some with trousers) folded they look like......black vests or tshirts.

peaceandfreedom

ClootiesMum wrote: »

In a short break from the bill drawer I've been googling Marie Kondo & reading a few articles (sorry - it's what I do...)
She mentions about the worst stockpiles she has ever seen - she comments on one person who had 80 toilet rolls

Has she seen my cupboards? I buy them in bulk when they're on offer and in my defence I do live in a ruralish area and am a minor prepper

Anyhow - now slinking off in shame

I thought something similar myself when I read that bit .

No shame at all in stockpiling things - I stockpile stuff when it's on offer. Marie Kondo makes no allowances for economy and she doesn't have a garage or other out-of-sight storage areas for bulk buys. My garage has a lot of loo rolls, dishwasher tablets, kitchen towel, a larder cupboard full of non-perishables - I like to know that we have lots of spare 'necessities' so we don't end up paying 2 quid for 2 loo rolls in the local shop.

The garage is last on my list to be Kondoed, it's full to the brim of junk, though some of it will be done when I go through the categories.

Kittikins

Hoorah, Kondoed my undies drawer and put some brand new but horrible socks that definitely don't bring me joy into a bag for rags. DD looked at my oddly as I was folding my unmentionables, as she's used to them either staying in their net bags they get washed in for a long time on the chest of drawers, or being crammed into the drawer!