The KonMarie method

YORKSHIRELASS

Pennies My son was a little bit older than your three when we redecorated his bedroom - new carpet, new furniture, the works. We designated places in his cupboard for his toys. We then gave him 2 cardboard boxes so that he could keep things that he didnt necessarily play with but didnt want to get rid of. We said he could keep anything he wanted so long as it fitted in the boxes - these went in the loft.

The rest of his stuff we sold at a car boot sale or gave away. I was amazed at how well he took this as he was really bad at parting with things.

Those two boxes are still in the loft and he is 14 now. I wonder what he would make of the things he kept!

Blue_Doggy

Another Habitat lover here! When I went to uni in the late '60s, there was a Habitat very close, and I bought a set of 3 mugs there out of my very first grant cheque. All this time later, 2 are still going strong - one has a chip on the outside and is my egg-beating-up mug and the other is still in regular coffee use. A Habitat bath mat I bought in the '70s was in daily use until a couple of years ago, and is now still in occasional use as emergency bedding for the dogs (a bit chewed now, but still fit for that purpose ).

The Habitat products were good quality, and it was great to find new and modern designs available at a (relatively) affordable price.

I was interested to hear Terence Conran (founder of Habitat) say on the radio a few months ago that he thought Ikea was the current nearest equivalent for design and price!

GreyQueen

Lovin' the towel talk.

A few years ago, Mum and I did some towel-trading. I had a couple of bathsheets which I didn't use and offered to give to her, but she insisted that I take some smaller towels in exchange.

Me Why do you have a towel called GARY?
Mum Don't know. Probably got it secondhand. D'you want it?

We have no rellies called Gary and no pals of that name, but I now have a blue and white towel with GARY woven in a strip down the middle of it. Currently in my bathroom. It's a good quality towel, too, although it's fairly typical of my family that no one can account for how it came to be in our possession.:rotfl:

Yestereve, I was around a pal's having a knit & natter, and ended up gleefully accepting a shopping bag ful of yarn for my blanket-knitting project. So have acquired some Stuff, but it will be used and progress out of here. Have already used one-and-a-bit balls of yarn.

Have kondo'd another plastic container for recycling (I think they breed when my back is turned) and will be dealing with some errands after work tomorrow which will reduce some Stuff on the premises.

Oh, and finished the book I got about 3 days ago and popped it straight into the donation bag.

jinny

Greyqueen thats so funny only you could have a
a towel called Gary!!!!
He he
It reminds me of the song from Jam a town called malice:rotfl:

I dont like bath sheets either I prefer smaller bath towel size
the bath sheets are a pain to dry on a flat balcony

System

I saw this lovely bracelet and I thought about all my fellow Kondo'ers :-)
http://www.mantraband.com/products/choose-joy

Craftyscholar

Blue_Doggy wrote: »

I was interested to hear Terence Conran (founder of Habitat) say on the radio a few months ago that he thought Ikea was the current nearest equivalent for design and price!

First time I visited an Ikea store I thought it looked just like the Habitat stores I remembered.

Realised that I have a stash of small boxes/bits of bubble wrap/wrapping paper/tissue paper stored 'just in case'. Trip to paper/card recycling planned.

Igamogam

iQueen wrote: »

Still got my glass storage jars with heavy ground glass lids, fabulous classics. They bring me real joy!

I still have mine too along with some vases and oven ware which I use every week

BTW, towels obviously were better made in the past -

I have a set of M&S towels bought as a wedding present almost 26 years ago. Still going strong and have outlived everything else bought since

I would be seriously considering ordering a skip... if only I weren't so keen on recycling! It would certainly speed up my kondoing! :rotfl:

Same problem here. I WILL NOT just dump into landfill if I can help it...........this is one of the things that kick started the hanging onto stuff I think. Have seen the light now:D

Our first sofa was from Shabbytat as my OH calls it. We queued up from 4 am to get it in a sale. I covered it using the accompanying pattern and it lasted us almost 20 years:eek: The one we have now is from Laura A and has not lasted at all and was soooooooo expensive:(

PollyWollyDoodle

When I got married in 1986 we were given several presents of towels. My mum advised me to use some and keep some back, as she said otherwise they'd all wear out at the same time. I think I may have taken the unused ones with me in 1992 when I became single again. Guess what, they're still going strong! I have just Kondoed my school swimming towel, still with name tag ... I last did compulsory PE in 1977!

A useful tip, though - if you have towels that are still good but you don't like the colour (or if you've had a Goth niece visiting "sorry Aunty Polly, I think some hair dye came off on the towel") they dye up brilliantly with Dylon. Only works going to a darker colour obvs but it gives a new lease of life. I confidently expect to be using my 'wedding present' towels in my 80s!

iQueen

GreyQueen wrote: »

Lovin' the towel talk.

A few years ago, Mum and I did some towel-trading. I had a couple of bathsheets which I didn't use and offered to give to her, but she insisted that I take some smaller towels in exchange.

Me Why do you have a towel called GARY?
Mum Don't know. Probably got it secondhand. D'you want it?

We have no rellies called Gary and no pals of that name, but I now have a blue and white towel with GARY woven in a strip down the middle of it. Currently in my bathroom. It's a good quality towel, too, although it's fairly typical of my family that no one can account for how it came to be in our possession.:rotfl:

Yestereve, I was around a pal's having a knit & natter, and ended up gleefully accepting a shopping bag ful of yarn for my blanket-knitting project. So have acquired some Stuff, but it will be used and progress out of here. Have already used one-and-a-bit balls of yarn.

Have kondo'd another plastic container for recycling (I think they breed when my back is turned) and will be dealing with some errands after work tomorrow which will reduce some Stuff on the premises.

Oh, and finished the book I got about 3 days ago and popped it straight into the donation bag.

:rotfl:A towel called Gary! That reminds me - I've got a pair of 'guest' towels: too small and totally useless, called His and Hers! They'll be in the jumble sale box tomorrow!

Tut, tut, GQ! Two donations of yarn into your home, in about as many weeks! Beware! That's how my Stash Mountain erupted. I only had the yarn that I was knitting with, until a friend moved house - she sent me two huge packages from her massive stash... it was downhill from there on. Now I only accept luxury yarn from my sister (for my birthday and Christmas) - she lives near the Lang Yarns factory in Switzerland! :j

Haven't done much today, but did find, and put half a dozen more things in the jumble box, which will be gone tomorrow, I hope, if the rain eases up. Bl**dy arthritis! :mad:

Igamogam

Still have not found The Important Piece of Paper:( Have applied for replacement but will keep looking as it is really bugging me:mad:

However,I have found ( I think/hope) the key for a filing cabinet I have at work:j Now I havent been in said cabinet for a year so I am guessing I really dont need what is in there. If it is the key, I will be spending lunch times emptying it over the recycle bin and may well bring it home to replace one we have here that has a dodgy draw. If I do, I will put old on on Fr**gle