KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Sweetpea69

Morning All

Clutterfree, I'm envious that you are on the move! I haven't exchanged yet despite having sold my house 11 weeks ago, due to some seriously outrageous unprofessional and unacceptable behaviour on the part of my buyer's solicitors. Basically they've been lying through their teeth!!!! They suddenly wanted to exchange yesterday and for me to move at the end of next week, but still haven't got all the necessary paperwork to enable it to happen, so I am looking at the week after next.

I've been on the KonMari bandwagon for the last year, Flylady routines and decluttering for a few years before that, so that my son won't be bogged down when I pop my clogs! I bought Karen Kingston's book at the airport after my Dad died, and my brothers and I took several car loads of stuff to the charity shop and the tip. That was the start of realising what a burden stuff can be and deciding that wasn't going to be my legacy. There were things in tea-chests that I remembered from growing up, and I was in my mid fifties!

The house I have bought has very little storage, unlike this one which is an ex-Council house with loads of big cupboards, so there's still some more sorting out and donating to go in the next few days! I do plan to get at least one built in wardrobe made to hold my remaining joyous clothes!

I must get a wiggle on and jump in the shower! Have a great day wherever you are!!

SP xx

silvasava

Managed to get rid of some Grubble yesterday - a yoga top that looks nice but is not very comfortable for stretching so it's in the CS bag along with about 6 paperbacks that I'm not desperate to read and a small glass bowl that's neither use nor ornament. DH was given a boxed set of books about 4 years ago. They sit on the side unread while he rereads others. It has been mentioned.......;) I did comment that my Kindle has some books by one of his favourite authors & maybe he'd like to try it when we're away on holiday.Baby steps! I've also measured a kidney shaped dressing table that been in the loft for about 15 years that a friend is interested in - fingers crossed. It was mine when I was a teenager & my mum thought I would like it when we moved
GQ hope you feel better soon
Sweet pea - hope the solicitor gets a move on for you.

elona

GQ

I hope the tummy trouble gets better soon. I know you said the flat was small but it was not till your last post I realised how small.

I am trying to declutter and sort things so they can be given away to be appreciated and enjoyed and so I can organise things so they can be found. There is no point in having candles, torches, matches etc if you can't find them when you need them. The tall freezer in the garage was tripping the electrics so I unplugged it, cleaned it and am using it to store cans of drinks, tomatoes, soups etc so it does not clutter the kitchen cupboards.

My wardrobe has been sorted out, a huge chest of drawers has been used for the bedding and moved out of the bedroom to the hall where it is handy when family stay over. A nice slim one has been ordered that will take up less space in my bedroom and the small tv can go on top.

The builders have assembled the old wardrobe in the garage so I can store cleaning stuff, toilet rolls and toiletries in there out of sight.

Hugs to all

Karmacat

The tiniest of tiny things to kondo, caused by getting rid of my huge great bookcase that dominates my living room. I have a tin of pencils and pens etc in the living room. I don't need them there! They can come up to the desk, where they'll flat in a tray. But I love the tin they're in, its a tin of tea I bought in Turkey .... it might hold grubble (:) ) inside the desk itself, and I want it to be useful ... any suggestions?

Floss

Kitchen utensils? Makeup brushes? Scissors?

PollyWollyDoodle

Keep it, and its use will become clear - if you really haven't found a use once you've Kondoed the desk, then you'll know you don't need it. I kept a lot of things like that when I began Kondoing, and many of them revealed their purpose - a few didn't and have been sent on their way in the world.

Can I endorse the many comments about not leaving your clutter as a legacy. My work brings me into contact with recently-bereaved people, I reckon about 90% of them have a relative's house to clear and I frequently hear things such as 'we opened a cupboard and it was full of brand new stuff still in the wrappers' or 'she must have kept every Christmas card she ever received' or 'he never threw anything away'. It's a burden you don't need when you're dealing with loss and grief.

Even my post-Kondo house would take a few weeks to clear, but at least there are no broken, obsolete and unusable items, everything here is stuff I use and love.

Knit_Witch

After my Mam died my Dad had a big clear out - the main thing now is the rest of the Denby which we are bringing down here to sell for him, he wants to go into warden helped flat from a 4 bed detached so pretty much everything had to go!

GreyQueen

elona wrote: »

GQ

I hope the tummy trouble gets better soon. I know you said the flat was small but it was not till your last post I realised how small.

I riff on the smallness of this place in company to amuse listeners. In a mixed gathering of those who know me well enough to have visited here, and those who haven't yet joined that select band, variations of the following are often heard.

Newbie friend It can't be THAT small?!

Older friends, in chorus Oh yes it is!

Mind you, I did live in a bedsit for three years as a student, so it's a big step up in living space and quality from that.:)

I am about to taking the wally-trolley down to the chazzer with some donations, mainly things which I have used and enjoyed (music, a DVD movie, couple of books) and with a cushion. I am also making a late additon of a flan dish, which I bought last year when I still ate wheat-related products. I've been thinking about it every time I saw it and the internal monologue went like this.

It's that 9 inch pyrex flan dish again. That's taking up half a shelf in the saucepan cupboard. I could really use that space to put the frying pan on. OK, I can put the frying pan on top of it, and I do, but there's a real risk of breaking the flan dish and, when I eventually get around to seasoning that secondhand cast iron frying pan, there's no way in hell that can go on the pyrex. Hmm, paid £1.50 for that last year in a chazzer, bargain. What if I want another one in a few years' time and can't find one used? I could keep it and use it to roast vegetables in the oven. Not that I haven't got several other pyrex things which could serve the purpose, not to mention tins......... and I go from one year's end to another without wanting to oven-roast veggies anyway. OK, off to the chazzer it goes.:rotfl:

MMF007

Karmacat, Polly is right, a use will emerge! Keep the tin somewhere handy and when its purpose is revealed you will instantly know.
A couple of thoughts though, cos I can't resist!........... it could hold
sugar sachets if you don't go in for big bags of sugar (I keep a few for guests because we don't use sugar),
some craft bits,
elsatic bands for closing opened packets in the kitchen,
replacement razorblades,
seeds,
a sweetie or nut stash for emergencies,
Teabags or sugar in your picnic bag, to go with the flask of boiling water (or to be really obtuse, instant coffee granules!),
the emergency £10 in your glovebox,
folding reading glasses
....... ok, I think that is enough from me!

Off to make low carb lunch and menu plan for visitors tomorrow (who will want cakes!!).

M

Karmacat

Floss wrote: »

Kitchen utensils? Makeup brushes? Scissors?

PollyWollyDoodle wrote: »

Keep it, and its use will become clear - if you really haven't found a use once you've Kondoed the desk, then you'll know you don't need it.

MMF007 wrote: »

Karmacat, Polly is right, a use will emerge! Keeep the tin somehwere handy and when it's purpose is revealed you will instantly know.
A couple of thoughts though, cos I can't resist!........... it could hold
sugar sachets if you don't go in for big bags of sugar (I keep a few for guests because we don't use sugar),
some craft bits,
elsatic bands for closing opened packets in the kitchen,
replacement razorblades,
seeds,
a sweetie or nut stash for emergencies,
Teabags or sugar in your picnic bag, to go with the flask of boiling water (or to be really obtuse, instant coffee granules!),
the emergency £10 in your glovebox,
folding reading glasses
....... ok, I think that is enough from me!

Thank you all! Craft bits! Thats the one I have a cunning plan to make beautiful, detailed images (of cats, for the cat website) and sell copies of the images as a range of cards. Other ranges will be by their side (I love silhouettes, for example) but craft bits are paramount

Kondoed the spider by the kitchen sink, it stood on a plant saucer so I could just take it out quickly and let it run into the undergrowth :rotfl: