The KonMarie method

Justamum

emg wrote: »

Btw - I love how there are lots of Archers fans on this thread. Whenever Jill asks David to look through his things from the loft it reminds me of this thread

They've kept a heck of a lot of junk over the years - why on earth keep out-grown toys?! When my children grow out of using toys they're straight to the charity shop.

MyHappinessProject

lostinrates wrote: »

My small pile of discard in cludes a few ribbons that realistically I'm not going to use.


I was awoken this morning by my dogs, who were doing that thing gymnasts do with ribbons. Around and around my room. They were whipped up into quite a frenzied state. But it was quite funny. The little one was running underneath the tall one and it looked like a rather complicated routine.

The cats however ( in bed with me) were not impressed and looked at me as if we should kondo the dogs if they are going to start getting up early to do ribbon gymnastics.

Lostinrates, Thankyou!I have been catching up on this thread and just read this post from days ago... this has had me laughing out loud and splitting my sides with the image of your dogs and cats. Made my day!!!!

jinny

MyHappinessProject wrote: »

Lostinrates, Thankyou!I have been catching up on this thread and just read this post from days ago... this has had me laughing out loud and splitting my sides with the image of your dogs and cats. Made my day!!!!

Yes it's one of my favourite posts as well ha ha

GreyQueen

Morning all.

I'm still happy about the Kondo-ing which I did yestereve in the bedroom and the shopping trolleyload (haven't got a car, the CS they're going to is half a mile away and gorilla arms are so last century, dahling).

I also had some stupid thoughts about Stuff. Basically, I have two of those wire kitchen trolleys on wheels, both 3 tier, one taller than the other. Tall Trolley (TT) lived in the kitchen and Short Trolley (ST) lived in the bedroom at the foot of the bed, in the 18" space between the bed and the wall, as the bedroom is just a bit bigger than a double bed with about 3 ft between the bed and the door. Space is at a hefty premium in my flat, to put it mildly.

After pulling the kitch about to get the new washer in a fortnight ago, TT has been in the living room. Mum thought she would like it to replace her ktichen trolley but has decided against it and will refurb hers. Offered a trolley to a pal on Sunday who accepted and I said I'd drop it over during this week. Have been waiting to pull ST out of the bedroom and replace with TT. And gift ST away to the chazzer.

So I did that last night and started swithering. ST is both shorter and a tad wider than TT. Which meant that it was a better fit in the kitchen. So I could use it there because it wouldn't project out so far. But it would still share the defects of TT in that it would block a cupboard and that Stuff stored on it would get dusty and splattered from the stove and require extra cleaning. So, I decided no, ST can go.

Then I reconsidered TT at the foot of the bed and decided that the couple of things it would be housing are better off re-housed in the chazzer not racked. So, TT will go to the pal and ST will go to the charity shop. I was wobbling so hard over this one that I even considered texting pal and telling her I changed my mind, although I hate to break my word, but I'm glad I didn't.

I have to admit a large degree of discomfort with MK's attitude to paperwork. I'm not an irrational hoarder of the stuff, but I do have things related to previous benefit claims*, a file of household related stuff, a file of recipes, plus financial paperwork re pensions, bank accounts, payslips, rent account statements, tenancy details.

In the course of my working life for a local authority I encounter peeps every day who are in a lather because of self-induced paperwork loss. They need to claim housing benefit or council tax reduction and can't evidence income or savings. They want to sell their house and the solicitor is cavilling about their extension - where's the stuff about planning permission from 30 years ago? DWP are giving them grief but they can't prove otherwise, and so on and so forth.

Sometimes these documents can be retrieved (for a price) and sometimes they can't. They need a recent utility bill as proof of residence and can't find one..........it never ends. And when you get to right-to-buy discount calculation people insisting that they had tenancies with X, Y and Z housing association or local authority that no one can trace, the potential losses can run into thousands of £££.

I streamlined my affairs a couple of years ago by closing down bank accounts with little or no money in them, and have a credit card which is seldom used but which only triggers a statement when it is used or annually. I also remove the parts of instruction manuals which are in the other twenty-odd languages which I can't read, and make sure to ditch manuals to appliances no longer part of my life.

* In my time as CAB advisor, I encountered DWP chasing the public for alleged over-payment of benefits from 30 years prior, and even alleged over-payments to someone who had died - they were pursuiing the executor of the estate - from years before the death. I also had the tax man tell me that ABC company (whom I worked for, brieftly) didn't exist, despite them having a multi-million pound contract with another council in the region and trucks bearing their name all over the roads of the county - doh! Thank goodness for the paperwork.

I_want_a_baby

I just wanted to pop on and say, when I thought I loved the book, something she said comes alive and changes everything again.

I was thinking about the box file £20 and extra suspension files I was going to buy £8 plus delivery of £4.

I didn't feel right, it doesn't fit with the ethos of the book 'keep it simple' 'use what you have' plus I Am aiming for a 'not buying it' frugal year and so it didn't sit right spending such a lot of money either.

I was mulling over the konmari of sorting paperwork and had a brainwave, I have two expanding divider folders without lids, these could go in the box and save me buying extra drop files for £8. Then I thought, why am I thinking of spending £20 on a plastic box, I must have something here that neatly fits my expanding folders and other A4 documents. Low and behold after wandering around the house I spot a crate holding charity shop donations and its perfect!

So I truly listened to what she said and it worked! I have already provided myself with everything I need, and I now have one crate in which to fit the entire households paperwork I estimate I have approximately 4-5 cratefuls to go through, as I have sorted it all out in years.

Just wanted to share my success!

IWAB x

P.s I know I'm not supposed to be looking at storage until I've got rid of most of it but for me this was part of visualising the end result. To know I can have my entire households paperwork (will venture into attic too!) contained in one crate instead of a house overtaken by paperwork (cluttering kitchen, living room, hall, garden room everywhere!) would be a dream come true and a real reward for applying the method!

penguine

GreyQueen wrote: »

I have to admit a large degree of discomfort with MK's attitude to paperwork. I'm not an irrational hoarder of the stuff, but I do have things related to previous benefit claims*, a file of household related stuff, a file of recipes, plus financial paperwork re pensions, bank accounts, payslips, rent account statements, tenancy details.

In the course of my working life for a local authority I encounter peeps every day who are in a lather because of self-induced paperwork loss. They need to claim housing benefit or council tax reduction and can't evidence income or savings. They want to sell their house and the solicitor is cavilling about their extension - where's the stuff about planning permission from 30 years ago?

I have to admit having doubts about this section of the book too. For one thing, applying for a mortgage and sometimes even a savings account can require the last few months of bank statements/payslips/proof of address in the form a recent utility bill or council tax notice, etc so they can't be looked at once and immediately thrown out as MK advises.

I think it's likely the Japanese have much better organised public records than the UK which may explain her attitude!

greenbee

For paperwork I have a filing cabinet for current paperwork, and archive it annually (around tax return time) into box files. The box file system was redone when I moved house, so is vaguely logical. When I archive, I review what's in the files and remove anything that was filed in error/is no longer relevant.

Like GQ, I see the consequences of missing paperwork regularly in my job. I have clients whose lack of proper management of paperwork costs them tens of millions. Paperwork can, and should, be treated as an asset. After all, lack of paperwork can be a major liability. Most companies have data retention policies of approx 7 years. My dentist has to keep patient records for 11 years. But sometimes you just need to keep stuff forever. If you accept that there are different rules for different types of paperwork, you can then set up systems that work.

rosie383

Sounds great IWAB. I have two boxes and I was thinking that was too much and I need to get rid of a lot. So I'm glad of the warnings re old pension and DWP stuff. But I am definitely going to get rid of old manuals, foreign bits of manuals and all the Ts&Cs bumf that comes with annual pension statements etc.
Does anyone know how long I need to keep bank statements for? It is all online now but I have a bagfull of old statements in a cupboard in case they are needed.
Oh, I think when we move I am going to change at least one utility bill or similar to paper rather than online. It is a pain in the butt trying to find something within the last three months for address id purposes. It has cropped up for us a few times over the past year.

115K

I am up to the part on socks, hmm, bit weird.:rotfl:

I got a grocery shopping delivery and the man asked me if I had any spare carrier bags to give back and I said paused and said "No" as I didn't want to give him my little neatly arranged samosas. They must give me joy.:D

elona

I went shopping yesterday and found two small white rattan looking baskets and at £1.50 each I could not resist.

They will look smart for tolietries in the bathroom or on a tall shelf in our wardrobe if I decide not to use them in the chest of drawers.

Have found myself looking at boxes in a whole new light and wondering if they can be reused, cut down etc.

Felt a bit guilty at buying a pot lid rack for storing oven trays and shallow roasters last week but now find that when I open that cupboard things do not fall around and I can instantly pick out what I need whether it is a tray, roaster or muffin tin. Saves so much time and stress.

Does everyone find that once things are stored properly and you can see at a glance what you have - you end up automatically getting rid of at least one item. I got rid of a huge oven tray that was too big for the oven but because it had been at the bottom of a pile of trays I had not done anything about it.