KonMari 2017 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

VJsmum

catshark88 wrote: »

I don't know if I should be posting on here.

Have read some extremely moving, very personal posts on here and my heart goes out to everyone who has had or is having a difficult time.

I feel a bit of a fraud though. I grew up short of cash but have been financially secure for some years now. I think my love of being decluttered is linked to the fact that I finally feel safe now and that it's not all about to disappear and so I can let things go. There is also emotional baggage being released, shedding of persons I once was etc., etc.

My tidiness/ minimalism IS a conscious choice though. I'm doing it because it makes me happy, not to be fashionable, but it is a choice and I know I can replace things if I wanted to.

I don't want to bring anything annoying or negative to a thread that is so helpful to lots of people.

Same. In that we are now comfortably off. If amything I am now a bit of a fraud because the bulk of my decluttering is done. (DD and PH are another story). But i love it here, it keeps me on track..

Karmacat

Catshark, I'm the same, sort of - no, drat, I *am* the same - I *feel* poor, but I'm not. If I live at the level of the state pension, I have savings to last me until I *get* the state pension, as well as pay for essential building works. But I still have too much stuff in my house, and I like the KM method, and thats why I (and you, if you want!) belong on this thread.

Even if I decided to wrap up my mfw diary, because the bulk of the financial work I need to do is done, I reckon I'd stay on this thread

greent

Above posts also echo-ed by me. We are comfortably off (ish) - in that the replacement cost (540!) for a new shower this weekend made me go :eek: but will not mean we go without food/ heating etc..

I am reasonably km-ed. I am still way too untidy and have to make an effort to put things away - but the vast, vast majority do have a home - certainly when it comes to 'my' stuff or 'family' stuff

x

Floss

We are the same - we are comfortable and have a financial cushion (thanks to my in-laws provision); I go with KM because we need to adapt the amount of "stuff" we are hanging on to.

kboss2010

Cat shark - I think kondoing is more a state of mind than a necessity for financial reasons so no need to feel like a fraud! Whatever our financial circumstances, we all have clutter of all kinds that from time to time we need to get around to ditching for our sanity.

There's no one reason to kondo and you shouldn't feel that your reasons are any less valid than another's. Our stuff is tied to good & bad feelings I'm discovering along this journey and sometimes acknowledging the negative can help you recognise & deal with it.

Please don't go anywhere, this lot are a lovely, welcoming bunch of fine folk! :-) They have certainly made me & my sporadic posts feel welcome and I appreciate that.

MMF007

All are welcome. Come on in and join us!
Over time some of us have realised (some) reasons why we have clung on to items that no longer bring us joy, and some of the reasons are undoubtedly poverty and deprivation.
Others have bought lots of, say, cookbooks, or craft supplies, planning on using them to the max, but our enthusiasm dwindled for one reason or another.
It is hard to release things that you spent good money on if you feel that money was wasted.
Of course, the spending on those items was in fact just money spent on a valuable lesson in life eg, I will never actually concoct a 6 course cordon blue meal, I will never spend months making a quilt, I will never knit a Fair Isle style jumper, or whatever.

We have found the magic of Marie Kondo is that you put all items in one category together, to see what you really have (not the few things you *think* you have in that category), examine each one to see if it sparks joy in any of the ways, and decide to keep or release on that basis.

Of course there are many and varied reasons someone may love to keep any particular item, same as there are for releasing things.

Interestingly, this *magic * seems to have made many of us think laterally, too. We have repurposed and relocated (and creatively folded :rotfl:) ) lots of things. We have discovered some things really bring joy when they are brought back into use, and we have had great pleasure from releasing even small things.

Summary - it sounds odd, looking for joyful sparks when thinking about inanimate objects, folding clothes, putting towels in colour order in the airing cupboard, or deciding which of the million mis-matched plates or inherited teasets to keep, BUT IT'S NOT ! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: It's a revelation. x

MMF007

Today's alien (masquerading as my DH) really got the hang of it, although I think he will need a rest for a while now!
He actually asked, after a late lunch, if we could finish kondo-ing his COD. Well, he didn't use our magic verb, to kondo, of course, but that's what he meant.
So, with DH saying keep or release, we went through categories - nightwear, T-shirts, socks, undies, washbag for on hols, personal grooming, walking gear, jumpers, trousers, joggers.
More stuff in CS bag -
- 8 pairs of unworn socks (a gift, too small),
- 2 pairs joggers (too full of static :eek:)
- hair conditioner, unopened
- pair of shorts (unloved)
- 2 pairs of walking trouser (too tight!).

I then shooed him out while I kondo-folded like a little demon, and with permission, moved all socks into one drawer (why would you have them in seperate drawers, anyway?!). I rationlised locations for a few things, made space in a previously *full* drawer for all remaining tshirts, and then showed him the results. He said it looked nice!

NICE? NICE ?!

It looked like a different room!! No floordrobe, no clutter, no over-spill. Just *tidy*.

Even I was gobsmacked and truly believe in Marie's magic!

A great day.

Oh, yes, I even got to use some shoe boxes as storage, to corall things in :rotfl:

Sorry for getting all hyper, it's joy overflowing

minnie2

savvy wrote: »

Been following the thread for a while, but seriously don't have time to implement the strategies.....even though desperately need to as am renovating the place as I live and work in it. And lil son desperately needs to move into BIG son's old bedroom.....but so much stuff has been left behind by various people over 26 years, the task is huge!!


Ahhhh this so reminded me of my youth, we lived in an old bungalow in the sticks, we just had a wood fired heater, so when the fire went out overnight that was your lot for heating and hot water :eek: It was so cold we had ice on the inside of the metal frame windows and I had to get dressed for school under my duvet as it was the warmest place!!!

I'm 50 now and finally living with central heating (only downstairs though) and upvc windows instead of metal or rotten wood - isn't it nice!! :rotfl:Almost have a house that doesn't leak....that's a first too

The first part of my post was quoting someone else post but it didnt quote properly but i was saying that that is how i live now. Currently looking at a wooden window that is sealed shut not one weve managed to change yet as hopefully when we get work done it will be bricked up.it has the old DIY double glazing sliding things too infront of it but still have a draught on my face and that window looks into a very poorly constructed conservatory (i hate calling it that because it sounds like a usable space but its not everything rots in there) that you cant get to without walking outside very weird set up and still got a breeze!!

minnie2

So i listened to the whole audio book today which tidying and a few seminars.had quite an emotional day with the realisation over a few things i keep and why.ive let go of so much.and i am not a hoarder.didnt get to finish an area as kids came back and trying to do it in category rather than location will take some time to develop.but finished positively i think.stressing about when i can do more though and if what i have achieved will be wrecked before i get to do and complete some more!!

Siebrie

I'll join the Fraud Squad!

We have decent money coming in, own one house outright, and live in the second one (but it's mortgaged). We hope to finish connecting the first one to electricity and water mains soon, and it'll be ready for renting out. Dh works fulltime, I work 4 days and have 1 day parental leave every week. Upto two years ago, we couldn't afford applying for parental leave, because we could not miss 1/5th of my income.

I come from a modest background, my parents always counted the pennies, we had enough to eat, enough to wear, had one cheap sport (gymnastics for me, ballet for sis), no candy, few biscuits, and always two weeks camping in summer. As long as I had my library books and weekends at my mum's best friend's hobby farm, I was happy.

Dh comes from a poor background, as in one meal per day was provided, any other meals had to be scrounged off neighbours and friends. Clothes were always at least third hand and were worn until almost indecent. Roofs were not always waterproof. (He grew up outside Western Europe.)

We both know the value of our money, and enjoy to splurge occasionally, but we have goals. One of my goals is to sit in the sun and read uninterrupted for a few hours. For this to happen, my housework needs to run smoothly, take only little time, and not bug me when I try to relax. Hence, kondo. I want to be able to walk through my house without switching the lights on, and to grab whatever I need within seconds. Hence, kondo.