The KonMarie method

Mojisola

Sagaris wrote: »

I've just reserved the book at the library - I will read it them implement the ideas. I've found a fair amount about the method online too. We are hoping to move house fairly soon, so I'm not sure whether to start now, or when we get to the new house? If I start now, hopefully I will end up packing less stuff to go! The trouble is, I do a lot of craft stuff - card making, knitting, cross stitch, crochet - so I have a lot of 'stuff' connected with that. I will have to see if I am encouraged to reduce that stuff too!

Definitely start now! Don't waste energy taking to the new house loads to stuff which you then have to get rid of.

grunnie

Greyqueen I too think life is too short to faddle with cruet sets tablecloths and silver bits. When I cleaned my mum's house she had 27 embroidered tablecloths loads of huge damask ones ""never used as they were too good" and so many cruets to start a caf!. as for teasets never used and in a fancy display cabinet I have just got rid of the second last one. The tablecloths, sugar and creams and most of the teasets went to the local WI group. The silver went to relatives or anyone who wanted them. Best of all a silver dish which went to one of my daughters in law and she keeps her dusters in it on her windowsill.I smile everytime I see it:rotfl:

tibawo

Last minute cancellation so I have time on my hands ....

june89

GreyQueen wrote: »

So they will go in the next donation bag. As will the wine glasses (2) which I've decided to release. If I drink wine, even with guests, I use a tumbler as I'm inclined to knock over stemware. The rare people who'd drink wine at my home are dear friends of long-standing and I don't think they'd be horrified if served wine in a tumbler, more likely a slight surprise for about 3 seconds. I'm not running a restaurant or bar in here, and I don't need to organise my household along certain principle because it's the done thing.

I had the same LBM for wine glasses. We had a whole set, which I'd reduced down to 2 "just in case". I think that's how many glasses of wine total have been drunk in my house in at least a decade. And that's with a family of wine drinkers! So they were shown the door in the last bric-a-brac bag. We now only have small and large tumblers. Could live without the small but I like to limit how much fizz/juice I have, and it's easier to [STRIKE]train[/STRIKE] ask DH to fill a small glass than half-fill a large one.

I also Kondoed the last of the mis-matched mugs in that same bag. They're stored in a glass fronted cabinet and seeing the shelf of matching mugs when I walk into the kitchen gives me much joy.

Sagaris wrote: »

I've just reserved the book at the library - I will read it them implement the ideas. I've found a fair amount about the method online too. We are hoping to move house fairly soon, so I'm not sure whether to start now, or when we get to the new house? If I start now, hopefully I will end up packing less stuff to go! The trouble is, I do a lot of craft stuff - card making, knitting, cross stitch, crochet - so I have a lot of 'stuff' connected with that. I will have to see if I am encouraged to reduce that stuff too!

Start now! Or at least when you pack. Don't put anything in a box that you don't want in your new house. And an MSE bonus is that if you're paying removalists, less boxes = less time = less cost! :money:

GrannyKate

Managed to avoid the hostess trolley although offered one several times. I confess to having a lot of glasses mainly etched and cut glass which bring me joy. I use them whenever possible and have got rid of most of the cheap ones except for a few plonk glasses in the kitchen. Not replacing them as they go. I also have table clothes to protect our oak table from many grandchildren but have severely reduced number. Most used item is the large sheet of washable plastic fabric used for art, playdoh sessions etc.

Still not got to paperwork yet. Photos will be last. Great day out yesterday at zoo with little GDs but OH has vomiting bug today and has taken to his bed.

Right off to PO with birthday cards and comp entries to post then to Mr M to buy as little as possible. Have to take MIL shopping tomorrow but prefer to do mine separately.

iQueen

GreyQueen wrote: »

I think a lot of housewares are some kind of knee-jerk reaction to a long-gone gentility. As in, we're trying to recreate some kind of homage to Downton Abbey-style aristocratic living with lots of highly-specialised stuff, like all these different shaped and sized drinking glasses. Or, we mostly haven't even thought about it, we've just gone along with convention, received them as gifts etc, and kept them.

It'd be a bit silly to take a tot of whiskey or sherry in a pint glass, of course, but middling sized tumblers can do for all sorts of beverages.

No end of household items can fall into this category, especially food service and kitchen implements. Have you ever in your life used a fish kettle or a souffle dish? Made jelly in a jelly mould? How many tablecloths do you have and who was prime minister when one of them last had an outing? The list is endless.

We won't be barbarians if we say Life's too short to launder tablecloths, polish silver or faddle around with cruets.

mavvymoo wrote: »

I do not own 1 table cloth I have never used or owned a fish kettle :rotfl::rotfl: I would like to know if anyone uses one on a regular basis ?

2 of my friends still own hostess trolleys :eek:Which shocks me they never ever use them but they are filled with carp and covered in piles of carp. So are used for storage so fish kettles, pickle dishes, sandwich toasters, stainless steel butter dishes and those wooden boards with glass dishes fitted in them in sections :eek:Boxes of sherry glasses and wine flutes I dont mind them being used for storage but they are so ugly to look at Dark brown melamine with not one bit of style !

Free yourself from your hostess trolley you will never use it or any of the stuff in it. Get some space in your life ( That is what I have said to them both )



So own up if you have a hostess trolley do you use it ? Is it filled with mismatched tupperwear that you cant find the lids for but might be useful one day Or pickle dishes or even that fish kettle.

I would be interested to know what the attraction is for the hostess trolley as its something that has been bothering me. Should I own one what am I missing :rotfl:

Mav x

Sagaris wrote: »

I've just reserved the book at the library - I will read it them implement the ideas. I've found a fair amount about the method online too. We are hoping to move house fairly soon, so I'm not sure whether to start now, or when we get to the new house? If I start now, hopefully I will end up packing less stuff to go! The trouble is, I do a lot of craft stuff - card making, knitting, cross stitch, crochet - so I have a lot of 'stuff' connected with that. I will have to see if I am encouraged to reduce that stuff too!

I've started the day well, with a bit of woo!

A current admin task has kondoed itself, and the dentist kondoed my appointment for tomorrow, with a new one in a couple of weeks! The receptionist probably thought I was 'on something' because I was so affable!

GQ, I haven't got round to crockery (inherited 1930s sandwich set, anyone?) and glasses etc. I have a nice 'set' of Nutella glasses, :rotfl:and my doctor and dentist have put me down as tee-total, as I only have a tot of alcohol on New Years Eve - if I can be bothered! I have 2 dusty bottles of champagne from years ago, (which I do like,) half a bottle of sherry also the same-ish age which I also like, but only use in chocolate butter icing, but I haven't baked a cake since Tony Bliar stepped down! I also have the remaining half litre of Southern Comfort (my favourite, after Tonic Water!) which I will have had 10 years in November, when I hit the next 'memorable' birthday! Oh and half a bottle of cooking brandy, but I can't afford to cook peppered steak these days! :rotfl:

So, I don't need my (remaining!) wine glasses, but I may keep the the 2 crystal champagne flutes as small vases!

I have bought a few 'useless' kitchen/cooking gadgets in my time, 'but, then again, too few to mention' tra-la-la. They didn't last long - I've always been pretty good at avoiding being taken in by 'must have' buys. No breadmaker, electric knife, ice cream maker, sandwich maker, GF grill, juicer, etc here - just a slow-cooker and pressure cooker, basic microwave, manual mincer and balloon whisk!

I sent a BBQ fish thing, unused, in it's packaging, along with an unused cast-iron griddle to the recent jumble sale. I still have to find the 'electric coffee thingy' that one of my daughters bought me for Christmas, at least 20 years ago - used once!

mav, I own 2 tablecloths - one for Christmas, and one big cutwork one (with 6 matching napkins) inherited fro my grandmother for big family gatherings - can't remember the last big do at my house!

I don't have a hostess trolley, but I do have a very nice tea trolley, beautifully made for my mother by her uncle (in the days when people had real hobbies and no TV!) It is buried in the Room of Doom (last category on my MK list). It was a (2nd wedding) present in the 50s and, surprisingly, is very Danish in style, before its time, but still a classic. I'm keeping it!

Somewhere, I have horse-brasses and other komono that I can't remember yet! Oh, and I have a souffle dish :eek: but regularly use it, though not for souffles! I haven't made a jelly in a mould since I kondoed the rabbit, over 30 years ago! :rotfl:

Sagaris, read the Kondo Bible, follow the list, and leave crafty stuff till last. Hopefull that is stored in different boxes etc, which can easily be dealt with before or after moving.

Do the general discarding before moving - you don't want to be paying for removal of stuff you don't need! Kondoing will make it easier to pack, because you should have all 'like' stuff together in one place.

System

I think the worst excuse ive heard from someone who wanted to hold on to stuff they will never need/use again was because i "paid good money for that". There comes to a point where its value has been spent.

iQueen

Judi wrote: »

I think the worst excuse ive heard from someone who wanted to hold on to stuff they will never need/use again was because i "paid good money for that". There comes to a point where its value has been spent.

I agree, along with 'it might be worth something one day'!

My first husband used to enjoy a bet on the horses, from time to time, but he was always 'counting his winnings' before the race. From that, I learned that when money is spent, it is gone. Any occasional winnings were an unexpected windfall!

So far as future worth, having dabbled in a second-hand business, most things will not gain value - they usually lose value, or 'die in storage'! :rotfl:

PollyWollyDoodle

Definitely start Kondoing NOW, before you move! It'll make the whole moving process so much easier. You'll still be unpacking stuff and thinking 'that can go' but it will be much less.

I think this just proves the point that everything you keep should spark joy! I do have a souffle dish, and I do actually use it (forget the myths, souffles are easy peasy and a great storecupboard supper). I rarely drink at home, but if I have friends over I need 8 or so wineglasses so I'm keeping them, however I think I could part with some which have got dishwasher-rot and just keep the nice ones.

The sherry glasses aren't used often but they are lovely etched glass, gathered from junk shops over the years. A few times a year I have some elderly ladies in for lunch and it gives me joy to offer them a sherry in one of these! So they can stay, but some of the boring glass tumblers can go. It all depends on how you live, doesn't it - I entertain friends quite often, but not to the sort of meals that require a hostess trolley!

iQueen

Thanks, PollyWollyDoodle, I had forgotten that part of my kondo vision is having friends round! I shall keep the 4 wine glasses!