KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Slinky

camelot1001 wrote: »

Sorted the bucket under the sink, how many cleaning cloths does a house need? Must be 30 in there! Kondo'd a pair of marigolds to the bin, they aren't leaking but my hands smell when I take them off. Using another pair that I obviously didn't like as they have been used, they'll do until they get a hole in.

For future reference if the smelly marigolds happen again, wear them inside out - the smells will get washed off and you can keep them until one gets a hole in.

When I get a hole in one glove, I keep the other one and use a new pair until I get a hole in another one, and I then have a pair of 'free' gloves. If they both happen to be lefties (I'm right handed), if you turn one inside out it becomes a right hand glove.

VJsmum

PollyWollyDoodle wrote: »

With sadness I am Kondoing an almost-new pair of jeans, bought only a few weeks ago from M&S. They're stretch jeans, they fitted comfortably in the shop but after only a couple of outings they were so loose that I could take them off without undoing them :eek: I've tried a hot wash, but yesterday I realised that they're not going to cure themselves and it's a lost cause - I'm hanging onto them because I paid £35 but they don't fit and I hate wearing them.

That might sound obvious to some people but believe me, a year ago those jeans would have stayed in the cupboard and kept annoying me! The ability to recognise when something isn't working is one of the benefits MK has brought.

Have a similar thing with a pair of trousers i spilt some bleach on last week. :eek: I love them and will try to dye them but I think if that fails I will have to bin.....

Trouble is, my new kondoed project 333 style wardrobe means i don't have many pairs left to choose from, and struggle to find some i like

GreyQueen

I'm chuckling at myself - just went to the chazzer with a big donation bag, including the aforementioned kitchen scales, came back home and went into the kitchen to fix myself a bowl of soup and what did I see?

The pan off the scales which I'd forgotten to put in said bag. Doh! Will go back up there with it in a minute, only 5 mins away.

Had been helping pal out in his shop and had pulled a mare's nest of clutter out of the display counter and sorted it out. Much better for the customers to look at now and hopefully some of the random carp will actually sell. He was pleased at the transformation and I love a tidying sesh.

PollyWollyDoodle

Thanks for the tip about Oxfam and vouchers, Maryb. Yes, I always think now that someone will be thrilled to find these practically brand-new jeans, it's just overcoming the irritation that I spent out on something that has turned out to be not fit for purpose. Lesson learned. I wear jeans almost every day so I'll need to find some more.

DawnW

PollyWollyDoodle wrote: »

Thanks for the tip about Oxfam and vouchers, Maryb. Yes, I always think now that someone will be thrilled to find these practically brand-new jeans, it's just overcoming the irritation that I spent out on something that has turned out to be not fit for purpose. Lesson learned. I wear jeans almost every day so I'll need to find some more.

I would be inclined to ask M&S if they would replace them or refund, if you have only had them for a few weeks. It seems unlikely that you are the only person who has had this problem - they may have had a lot of this line returned.

greent

Small cupboard removed from DS1's room when we re-styled and re-decorated sold via fbk for £10. Strange new unwanted plumbing pieces freegled and hopefully being collected tomorrow:)

A tidy up of DS2's room has resulted in some small bits into bin/ recycling, a car mat being passed on to DS3 and a tshirt being removed from his wardrobe as he doesn't like it. DS3 loves it but it is currently too big for him - so off it goes to the loft for the time being. DS3 managed to give me 2 empty cardboard boxes from his room for recycling - ah well, it all helps!

GreyQueen

I'm mid-process of moving back into one of my two wall cupboards on the party wall-o-damp. Y'know, the ones whose contents have been in shopping bags on the sitting room floor for two months now.

It's so novel to have Stuff in cupboards, I find myself entranced by the joyousness of it. Am finding a couple of things which can go into the next chazzer bag, too.:rotfl:

Oh, and I saw something on a blog when rambling around the web; a home-made fabric pouch, the legth of a full-sized pantry door, with wide shallow pockets to hold the lids to your tubbywares.

I was suitably-impressed, what an inspired solution to a pesky perennial problem. Won't be suitable for my home, as all suitable doors are already pocketed for other things, but I thought I'd share.

Had a bit of a LBM moment about my fleet of small rectangular L&L boxes, which are liable to riot and throw themselves out of the cupboard whenever I reach for them. I've got (from Nan's) a plastic caddy, those ones designed to hold cleaning materials etc. It fits on the middle shelf and I shall keep the containers in there, and bring the whole thing down when I want them; it'll just fill that half of the cupboard and make everything orderly.

Feeling smug at that idea.

The folks have been doing a little light sorting of the few things of Nan's which remain at their house and some more clothes will be leaving soon and their home is becoming much more livable as a result. Gentle progress all around.

Hope everyone is having a good day.

MMF007

My folded socks and rolled knickers give me great joy and mean I can find the right combo in a millisecond and the drawer looks so neat that I have a spark of joy everytime I open it.

Rubber gloves : my new line of work, cleaning and other domestic jobs, involves several pairs of gloves, red ones for bathrooms (loos,), white ones for kitchens. Obvs I use diff pairs at diff houses to prevent cross contamination. When I get home I put all the gloves in very hot water with some washing powder and let them steep! Then I throw them into the washing machine with my washing. Keeps them fresh and very clean. I always make sure they are dried thoroughly inside and out of course. I do the same with all cleaning cloths, too.

Like GQ, I also solved the rioting tupperware type boxes by coralling them into one high-sided box. The lids sit beside the containers in said box, and all seem far happier like that. Rather than delve into the cupboard and disturb the peace I lift the box out and can then see exactly what to aim for. This same tactic has been successfully deployed for 2 cllients who now have thoroughly tidy and easily accessible baskets of medication :rotfl:, as opposed to the random paperbags of who-knew-what meds jumping off high shelves whenever they opened the cupboard door
:rotfl::rotfl:

confession I have made a purchase, having identified a gap in my holiday wardrobe.... a jersey fabric, short, sleeveless dress for wintersun hols. It was very inexpensive and it looks really good on, better than I was anticipating! A real spark of joy. I do wonder if I should get my swimming costumes out to try on. It occurs to me that they may be too big!!
I have asked for vouchers for xmas in the hope that I may get some summery clothes in the sales, need to prepare a list of needs!

Low carb 'lasagne' just bubbling in the oven and a chicken carcass making proper stock for HM soup tomorrow.

DH says he wants to go to see a film and have a meal afterwards and there is a fab Greek restaurant that will suit my low carbing perfectly (think yummy chicken skewers and loads of salad!). Looking forward to it
The joyfulness of being organised, less cluttered, and losing weight. All of which seem to have
stemmed from the amazing little book and the inpiration on here:T:T:T
Tai Chi is going well, too. I reckon a whole change in mindset has occured and I am still building on it. :eek:

DawnW

Thanks for the ideas on storing plastic boxes and their lids - mine are currently taking up a whole drawer in the kitchen :eek: I have a deep sided plastic basket somewhere, I will look it out and see if this might keep them under control a bit better!

GreyQueen

One of the bits of slower sorting out from my Nan's home was a carrier bagful of small diaries. Dad has now gone through them and is releasing all but one which details events around his father's last illness.

The others don't contain personal stuff, just notes of things like parochial church council meetings, church cleaning rotas, flower rotas, things of that nature. These have gone to be recycled.

Several emotions have been stirred by the clearing out of Nan's home. There is a certain gentle sadness, but there is also humour (what the heck was that dino-platypus toy?!), and a recognition that some things kept for 'best' lived their whole time in her keeping in their original packaging.

It's a lot easier to acquire (or be given) Stuff at a far greater rate than you can actually use. How often do we completely wear out a garment, an item of household linen, a piece of furniture, a pair of shoes?

Most of the time, we have things ranging from along the spectrum from the totally usused, via the barely used, to the heavily used before we get to the rare thing which is worn up and exhausted of all its utility whilst in our keeping.

Just think, any one of us has quite probably got more goods and chattels than an entire medieval village............... :rotfl: