The KonMarie method

GreyQueen

The issue about the purchaser's solicitor being antsy about planning approval is that they don't want their client to possibly end up owning something which is wholly or partially without planning permission.

The consequences of getting it wrong could be enforcement action from the LA which would happen if they (or a disgruntled neighbour) spotted the development, in which case the owner would get a letter inviting them to apply for retrospective planning permission within 30 days. Which may or may not be granted. Worst case is, whatever it is has to be demolished.

Soooo, you can see why the purchaser's solicitor would need to be on the ball. There is also a halfway house called a Lawful Development Certificate, which is a formal document from the LA to say whatever you had done didn't have PP because it was covered under permitted development rules and didn't require PP. This can be obtained long after the event, but it takes several weeks and the sale may fall through whilst you wait to obtain it. I have these convos with solicitors and sellers of houses on a regular basis.

I think the trick with paperwork it to keep it in a well-organised fashion, protected from damage by damp, by rodents, by being torn. And to fillet any extraneous material out before you file any thing. For example, my lovely Mum hates dealing with paperwork and tends to open stuff, glance at it, put it back into the envelopes and small slidy alps of paperwork accrue all over the house.

I helped her by sorting these alps into piles of empty envelopes and enclosures such as fliers and offers which were not needed, then to put them in piles by bank account/ pension etc, then hand them over to her for filing. I did all this sitting on the mat at her feet, not reading any of her private papers, just glancing at them for a second to ascertain what they were. This tactic took the pile down to one-third of what it had been.

Once you've filleted out the carp, it becomes a lot easier to process.

lostinrates

Rainy-Days wrote: »

If you look at this from a Psychological perspective allot of this hoarding/gathering of items I believe goes back to the 1980's. I remember before that, that everything my parents wanted they had to save for, then a revolution happened in the 80's where everything became cheaper, more disposable and the film Wall Street with Gordon Gekko's mantra "greed is good" became instilled in allot of people.

In my husbands family it certainly goes back further. Some have attributed it to a possible hangover from the war and impact from displacement / loss of material things and family ( his family are Jewish with all the 'stereotypical' stories of loss that one might expect). My maternal family were the kind who dehoarded a lot of heirlooms to embrace new culture. I think that hurt some of them later ad they realised it was not a prudent choice. This was pre 80s. Probably fifties and sixties.

Justamum

lostinrates wrote: »

In my husbands family it certainly goes back further. Some have attributed it to a possible hangover from the war and impact from displacement / loss of material things and family ( his family are Jewish with all the 'stereotypical' stories of loss that one might expect).

It goes deep within the Jewish community, particularly those who were in the concentration and work camps. I spent a few months on a Kibbutz in 1990 and there were many survivors there. They would go into the communal dining room with tupperware boxes, fill them, then get food on their plates, and afterwards take the full tupperware to their houses to store 'just in case'. The book 'Maus' has the same thing. The writer couldn't understand why his father stored so much food until his father explained it to him.

Rainy-Days

GreyQueen wrote: »

The issue about the purchaser's solicitor being antsy about planning approval is that they don't want their client to possibly end up owning something which is wholly or partially without planning permission.

My solicitors rang me one morning and just said "erm you don't by any chance have the original planning permission document do you, it should be a yellow document"? I said I think I had and that I would get it over to them. Never forget the response, "arhh, good, good right well then thats resolved". I never asked what it was about they just said they needed it and that was that. Having read your response it's a good job that those original documents were kept. Although the planning department would have been able to give us a copy of it, I am sure, they are not the fastest bunch off the starting grid. It was that one specific document, they had everything else, the plans passed and stamped up, everything, just that one yellow slip of paper!

lostinrates

Justamum wrote: »

It goes deep within the Jewish community, particularly those who were in the concentration and work camps. I spent a few months on a Kibbutz in 1990 and there were many survivors there. They would go into the communal dining room with tupperware boxes, fill them, then get food on their plates, and afterwards take the full tupperware to their houses to store 'just in case'. The book 'Maus' has the same thing. The writer couldn't understand why his father stored so much food until his father explained it to him.

It's not food in his family, its stuff.


Controversially, I feel its a bit of a crutch in subsequent generations and along with other 'untouchable' reasons in our family is used as an excuse to fail to deal with real, current issues.

I think while the history is real, it doesn't fail to negate new problems and personal issues.

GreyQueen

Well, nipped out just after 5 pm and took the tall kitchen trolley to my friend's place, something I'd said I would do at some point during the week. Left it in her porch and sent her a text saying it was there - knew it would be before she got in from work but I'm too weary to socialise tonight and she will be, also, probably not home until circa 7pm.

It's a good feeling. Plus it means I should be able to take the other, smaller trolley plus the donations in the wally-trolley after w*rk tomorrow.

Getting rid is a full time job in its own right, isn't it?

Justamum

lostinrates wrote: »

It's not food in his family, its stuff.

It's the same principle though - the Jews had everything taken from them, so hoarding stuff is a similar thing to the ones I saw hoarding food. On a Kibbutz they didn't own too much in the way of 'stuff' as it was supposedly all communally owned (plus they never wanted to starve again).

lostinrates

Justamum wrote: »

It's the same principle though - the Jews had everything taken from them, so hoarding stuff is a similar thing to the ones I saw hoarding food. On a Kibbutz they didn't own too much in the way of 'stuff' as it was supposedly all communally owned (plus they never wanted to starve again).

Yes, same principle. However, this did not touch my generation, ( though the tendency has been inherited by some, not all). I feel in SOME cases its easier to blame this unspeakable atrocity than to look closer to home for things going wrong. I can only judge by what I see in my family and circle, and in no way mean to minimise the suffering of those who DID lose and feel trauma as a result. I have no experience of a kibbutz, but plenty of the confusion and disfunction and trying to function of family, of more than one back ground, lol.

System

I Think it affects a lot of people from that generation I know my mum, in her 80s, struggles to get rid of anything that 'might be useful'

I, however, have no such qualms - have just kondoed my hair from shoulder length to short & spiky :eek: Well it was weighing me down! I'm A bit chilly round the ears now :rotfl:

Pinkdebster

Long-term follower and avid kon fan here. I have a long-term medical condition which means I'm going to have to pace myself but I've just finished all my clothes and am halfway through our books. The thing I like best is opening my wardrobe and drawers and seeing everything so neatly displayed. I actually WANT to put things away properly now.

Anyway, I'm toying with buying some new coat-hangers so that they are all the same. At the moment, it's a real mishmash of different ones. Can anyone recommend something cheap but reliable? I've been looking at some velvet ones on Amazon which look quite good - has anyone used this type?

Thank you x