KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Charly27

Can I join you this year? I found my way to last years thread and reserved the Marie Kondo book at my local library! I try not to buy books anymore. This could be very MK.
I have taken another two bags to CS today. All Xmas decks down and returned to loft. Any that held bad or no memories gone in these bags. Off we go! Do you have a way of sharing photos out of interest?

jackieb

Charly27 wrote: »

Can I join you this year? I found my way to last years thread and reserved the Marie Kondo book at my local library! I try not to buy books anymore. This could be very MK.
I have taken another two bags to CS today. All Xmas decks down and returned to loft. Any that held bad or no memories gone in these bags. Off we go! Do you have a way of sharing photos out of interest?

I'd love to see photos! I use photobucket to upload mine, but I think there are other sites too.

greent

I *think* I've updated the first few posts with links/ ideas which people have suggested on here/ by PM - hopefully have either thanked the post or replied to PM. If I've missed anything or anyone has any others (there are loads out there!) please let me know. I toyed with adding the name of the person who suggested the link to say thanks, but decided that the post was 'cleaner' without (sorry if I offend anyone in doing so) Some great suggestions so far




Xmas decs have come down today (except the 2 large trees - 5 small ones get packed away decorated) and a few thrown and 2 couple of items put aside for CS. I donated 2 large bags of Xmas stuff to CS earlier in the year, so didn't think I'd get rid of much else, tbh. As I have 3 packs of Xmas napkins I have also donated the large unopened pack of plain gold ones to the charity I volunteer for - we shall use them when we sell cakes at our fundraisers


I feel a bit in limbo at the mo - am sure I'll snap out of it once everyone is back to school


x

Watty1

Just jumping in and saying hello. Am following thread. someone recommended the book and I've made a start

jellybeantinker1

Just kondoed the rest of the Bailey's, so bottle can go out! No more alcohol in the house either and that is the way it shall stay for several months! Not big drinkers at all anyway, so won't miss it!

Charis

Floss wrote: »

Yes, some may not work but why can't they be repaired and sold to benefit others and create jobs? Dumping because it's broken isn't acceptable nowadays, its an indicator of a consumption society. We are on limited resources and need to think more about what we do and why.

Unfortunately a lot of electrical goods are very difficult to repair, if not impossible. I once read the instructions for replacing an iPhone screen, but they were too complex for most amateurs (myself included) I think it also required a unique tool which most households wouldn't have. Printed circuit boards may need to be replaced for some items but that model is probably already obsolete. The cost of calling out a repair man to replace a 10p component might be in the region of £50 - if you can find anyone to do it. The average consumer is already eyeing up the next model which has more functions. My dad used to warn me about 'built in obsolescence' back in the fifties and I remember thinking he was overreacting. He was a TV engineer in those days.

Making the original manufacturer responsible for the cost of disposal/repair/freecycling is the logical answer. Those whose equipment lasted longest would not pay as much for the service. Every electrical gadget could have a chip installed and the reseller should have to be able to verify the chip. This would also make it more difficult to flood the market with fake electrical goods.

Of course if there was not as much credit freely available we wouldn't end up sharing the cost of all this profligacy, which props us the existing system and when it fails, taxpayers end up footing the bill. Excess - Our Flexible Fiend!

selement

Oh no had a few days away from the thread and lots of pages to catch up on! Working my way through, I WILL kondo the house this year.

I'm still in the same place I was about a month ago - went through clothes and put unwanted items in a black bag.... where they still are! I have between xmas and new year ordered a genie recycling bag, I will be getting rid of these clothes! Some are holey socks though so they just need chucking.... will sort through when bag arrives.

I didn't get to PJs, bags, shoes, coats (although i did all other clothes) so will work on that too. I did mostly fold things but already back to having a pile of clean clothes in the basket not put away, need to get forming some better habits this year I think!

Put away xmas decs today, threw out a few bits along the way. Might be getting rid of a mini tree we didn't even bother to put up this year (it belongs to OH so really its up to him). Even though I'm taking teeny baby steps I'm noticing small improvements, just got to keep at it!

Seaotter

I decided to read the MK book, ordered it on kindle, and then told my husband about it - as it seems to me that even just having a different way of approaching clutter out to help. Turns out he had ready about the book somewhere, and was going to buy it! He pointed out that the reason why both of us have actually managed to lose weight last year was because we did it together, so kept each other going, so decluttering together is the way forward!

So I cancelled my kindle order and ordered the book, which will be one more book in the house but we can both read it.

I suggested decluttering 2016 items in 2016 (loving the look of that thread) and he seems on board with that too. I'm messier than he is, so doing this together I am really hoping will work for me.

So whilst I'm late to bed, I've taken a few minutes to move an empty cardboard box which was in the hall (I think because no-one knew whether it was staying or going), wrote 'charity shop' on the side and put two things in it which hadn't sold on eBay ages ago, and were just on shelves gathering dust. Only 2014 things to go! It's not the MK approach, I know, but it's a start and it has made me feel better already.

fuddle

Thank you to the contributors of the links at the start of the thread and thank you greent for organising it all. It's a fab help to us newbies.

Ashamedly I will look at my under kitchen sink cupboard today. I say ashamedly as that cupboard was new-to-me just 6 weeks ago. It is the most hardworking/multifunctional bit of storage I have but it fills me with dread when I go in there. Something that fills me with joy (I like my cleaning stuff and like to clean) annoys me before I even begin the process. My aim will be to downsize my kit, clean and reorganise. I actually think I might enjoy this process.

CEW

Hi All,

I started KM early last year with the original thread. Managed to do clothes, books, paperwork (first cut) and kitchen/sideboard all with OH fully on board and helping.

Unfortunately we then sold a rental house which had a lot of "stuff" stored in the garage and loft which had to be sorted. We managed to get rid of a lot from the garage as it had died in storage but not so much from the loft as we ran out of time so it had to come back to ours. We now have a very full loft and room of doom. MK went on hold for a while although I have followed last years thread all the way through.

We have decided to start again working through the categories from scratch.

On the positive side we had no real increase in our "stuff" over the Christmas period as we had asked for either consumables (such as food) or vouchers (preferably National Trust to go towards an annual membership). We were lucky enough to receive both in abundance and very little else. Food stocks have increased dramatically but this is no bad thing.

Starting today with the Xmas decs and then clothes tomorrow.

We will get there.

Chez x