KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

GreyQueen

Evening all.

How woo about that chair, must have been the KM magic working behind the scenes. It's very pleasing when something happens like that.

Re storing household linens, I took three towelling tea towels (Spring, Autumn and Winter, Summer was worn out and ragged) from Nan's household, plus some brand-new cloth hankies and a flannel. Plenty of other things which I could have had but neither need nor space. My airing cupboard is floor to ceiling but only two feet wide.

I have Winter and Autumn tea towels in play and all others safely put away in the many simple cloth drawstring bags which hold them together by category and keep them out of daily circulation on the top shelf. As individual towels or teatowels or flannels wear out, another one will come into play, from the stock.

I think I am good for most kinds of linens for the next ten or possibly even twenty years at least. :rotfl:

Karmacat

GreyQueen wrote: »

Evening all.

'Ello :kisses3:

Re storing household linens, I took three towelling tea towels (Spring, Autumn and Winter, Summer was worn out and ragged) from Nan's household, plus some brand-new cloth hankies and a flannel. Plenty of other things which I could have had but neither need nor space. My airing cupboard is floor to ceiling but only two feet wide.

I have Winter and Autumn tea towels in play and all others safely put away in the many simple cloth drawstring bags which hold them together by category and keep them out of daily circulation on the top shelf. As individual towels or teatowels or flannels wear out, another one will come into play, from the stock.

I think I am good for most kinds of linens for the next ten or possibly even twenty years at least. :rotfl:

You're where I got my inspiration, GQ :rotfl: Oh, and its working with the pens as well. A month or so ago, I gathered up every pen and pencil I had - halves of pencil, and three quarter used pens, and put them all in a bundle with an elastic band. They went back where the main stash is, in the top drawer of the desk. And since doing that, I've used up **two** I'm happy about that! Knickers, socks, towels, teatowels, bedlinen (though I've still not found that single duvet cover, grrr), fleece for curtains - all has fallen to The Power Of The Woo.

Save

GreyQueen

I gathered up a lot of part-pencils from Mum's home which were cluttering up the place and not being used. Put them all in a mug and selected 2-3 of the shortest ones to go in the pencil case in my work bag (my office has a perpetual defecit of writing implements, most of us have learned the hard way to bring our own toys).

That way, they get used until they're too short for my big paws, then binned. I have also removed a couple of wooden spoons from the utensil jar into a drawer, to come into service when required. And the one slightly chipped dinner plate is always at the top of the pile to be used in preference to the un-dinged ones.

This simple technique can have dramatic effects in terms of reducing the amount of Stuff in the way of daily life and actually getting things used up and outta here.

When Mum & me were making pairs of old socks from her odd sock bag (think of a huge sack) there was a leftover sock whose style I recognised because I had a pair of them at home. Think these were originally a three-pack now reduced to three survivors, the lone one of which was at Mum's.

She was about to put it into ragging when I suggested I take it as this pair at home are one of those on heavy rotation, and I was sure one of the two in that pair would give up the ghost first. Which it has done, so that one is ragged and the stray is now cuddled up with its long-lost packmate.

If socks have emotions, I wonder if they're happier now?:rotfl:

MMF007

DH went into loft just now so I requested my small suitcase with my wintersun clothes in. I wanted to try my swimming cossies on for size. Yipee! One is being released Also, a couple of tops into CS bag and 2 more have been brought out for daily use. They are 3/4 sleeved and will be great, no idea why they were in with 'hot weather' Stuff.

As an aside, today's work included putting up a shower curtain rail, buying a phone, kondo-folding dry washing, light domestic cleaning and helping a 3 y.o. on with his socks and shoes! Oh, and delivering the HM soup to my friend - butternut squash with carrot, red pepper and a few flakes of chilli. Recipient said it was delish

eltee12 you are doing fabulously :T

gallygirl

GreyQueen wrote: »

(Spring, Autumn and Winter, Summer was worn out and ragged)

Sums up UK weather really :rotfl:.

GreyQueen

gallygirl wrote: »

Sums up UK weather really :rotfl:.

Yeah!

I mean, if you get given a set of seasonal tea towels, wouldn't you choose to use Summer first? I know I would. Also, how else would Mum and I have had the surreal conversation I reported up-thread, with her telling me (in October) that we've lost Summer?

Mind you, conversations with my mother occasionally go a bit surreal, due to something I've christened noun loss. This isn't age related, she's always done it.

Mum; Where's the thingummy?
Me: ???
Mum; I last saw it on the doo-dah.
Me: Nouns, please.
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

She also sometimes rings me up to ask me where her things are. I last lived under her roof 30-odd years ago and visit about every 4-6 weeks normally. I do get to play cupboard re-organisation on some of these trips, so it isn't totally irrational, but she does own some things I've never even seen.

Worryingly, I do know where absolutely everything is in her very cluttery loft, so can give directions to any named item along the lines of It's on J's side between the chimney stack and the second truss in the brown cardboard suitcase.

J being the neighbour on that side of the terrace. It worries me slightly that I know the whereabouts of random things in the parental home but it does make it very quick for me to retrieve anything up there, as Mum can no longer get into the loft.

You want a paint roller, a cone of black wool, the parasol off the patio set, one of the three cat baskets, a spare towel-with-no-name? I can getcha one easy-peasy.:rotfl:

silvasava

Slogging my way through the photos - I've rephotographed about 70 odd but they all need photoshopping I've been cropping, sharpening and converting black and white to black and white as it takes out the yellowing - done about 35 so far. Going to be a long job............ still I've got to the end of December!!
Weather was dry yesterday so I managed to fill the green bin with prunings, hasn't made much of a dent but I did discover a robins nest in one of the shrubs - they're usually around in the garden so its nice to know they'd nested this year. That's as far as I've got

WeeMidgie

Two pairs of trousers and 4 books to the Red Cross shop.

From the beginning of next month I will be in full on Kondo mode, starting again from the beginning. I hope by May next year to have my house ready to let out, and to minimise what needs to go into storage. Following retirement at the end of April, I'll be living with family abroad for a year or two. At the same time, like Karmacat, I will store what's genuinely useful, so I won't discard duplicates which I know I'll eventually use.

Tea towels can take many years to deteriorate. I'm still using one I gave my mother about 10 years before she died. I've now been using it in my house for the past 17 years, and it's still in good nick. Its a linen one, great quality.

Floss

WeeMidgie wrote: »

....Tea towels can take many years to deteriorate. I'm still using one I gave my mother about 10 years before she died. I've now been using it in my house for the past 17 years, and it's still in good nick. Its a linen one, great quality.

I think a lot depends on how they are treated & washed - we have some from my mum & my in-laws homes, which are lovely soft linen, after years of hot washing & ironing. I'm aiming to leave my own linen purchases to my DiL in due course, which will hopefully be lovely & soft!

MMF007

Took 3 tops to Oxfam, 2 were M&S so they gave me voucher £5 off if you spend £35. I was saving the voucher for next week when I am due to take a lady shopping but...... I then went to the shop, just for some milk on the way home, and, er, I saw a perfect long fleecy cardi. I used my voucher!

I think I willl wear it every work day through winter. I need something warm that just slips on and off because although it is cold driving to clients' homes obvs I discard outer wear before going in. This will be snuggly!

So 3 out, 1 in, OK?

I also went through my hot weather clothes last night and have started a new bag for CS but pleasingly some items that have been stored away for at least a couple of years can come back into play because they fit me again Still more weight to lose but at least the progress is paying off!

Apparently we are forecast to get heavy snow tomorrow morning. I feel another kondo coming on. Have to decide which category to tackle. The lounge is bugging me because there is too much in here for a v small room but not sure what can go. If it was up to me I'd ditch 2 chairs!!

M