KonMari 2018 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Olga_da_Polga

Hello, long term lurker but infrequent poster here, hope it's ok to ask a kondoing question.

What do you do with photo negatives when you kondo the pictures?

I have been going through my printed photos from way back (the more recent digital stash is another task ahead) and am keeping a fairly small proportion. I'm ok with getting rid of the rest of the prints but I'm stuck on what to do with the negatives.

My head says ditch them, I can't imagine ever wanting to reprint them especially as most are for the prints I don't want to keep, but I'm still stuck. The photos I am keeping are scattered throughout many different packs of prints so i'd end up with a lot of individual negatives or strips to store.

My partner suggested scanning them, and his parents have a scanner I could use. I'm a bit wary of going down this route though as he is from a family who don't find it easy to get rid of things so he's always more likely to want to keep stuff (they have an inherited blacksmith's anvil and sharpening wheel in their garage, I kid you not).

Any help much appreciated!

GreyQueen

Hi Olga, what I did with mine was to get an ordinary A4 ringbinder and then go to Jess0ps (this was a few years ago, they may or may not still sell these) and get sheets of negative storage thingies (basically, they have slots which you slide the negs into, you can get a film's worth of negs onto one page).


I went thru my negatives from the envelopes that they came from the developers in and only saved ones which contained things I might want to reprint.


Anyway, it worked for me, was inexpensive and the A4 binder doesn't take up much room. HTH.

Karmacat

lessonlearned wrote: »

Actually there are some great domestic lifts on the market now, that might be an option. Certainly cheaper than moving.

If you really don't want to move and it's only the stairs that are an issue then It might be worth investigating that route. It wouldn't work for me because I would still have a steep flight of steps to the front door.

I don't particularly like the house or the area, actually - its just the effort of moving thats kept me here so far. I bought it as a work-life place, and it was really good for that. Interesting about domestic lifts: the firms all seem to say around £14k so far, and I could certainly move somewhere for £14k.

GreyQueen wrote: »

I am so thankful that my parents spent a few thousand in the 1990s having a single story extension which includes a shower room and WC, built on the back of their little terraced house.

Hmm. My bathroom is downstairs, so technically I could live downstairs, and I could release some equity to have someone come in, I guess. I'm 3 or 4 years younger than lessonlearned, and physically capable of stairs for quite a while yet, but I can see it coming.


The flat I've just been rabbit-sitting at is first floor, and the steps up are wide, shallow concrete stairs, but those are the common areas, not somewhere for a private stairlift/lift. Hmmm. It's not urgent, but it does need thinking about.

Karmacat

Olga_da_Polga wrote: »

What do you do with photo negatives when you kondo the pictures?

Hi Olga - I've cut my negatives down the middle, to have them less identifiable, and thrown them, all of them. But I've also got the negatives from my mother's snaps - I've stored those as thats a joint decision that has to include my brother and sister. I don't want them, and the only one who might will be my sister.

I've scanned the photos - and when a lot of them are tiny little things from World War II that are only an inch or so square, scanning is the only way to realistically see what they're like. But it has to be your own choice, a way forward that you feel is right.

Good luck!

Elona_2

GQ

You made a good point on wet rooms that I had not fully realised. Fortunately my walk in shower downstairs is not wet room but has a very slim, narrow in height massive shower tray. Upstairs bathroom has a bath with a shower unit above and I found it a bit daunting when I used it a few times when work was being done on electrics etc.

Trying not to think I have done everything need to future proof the house as then something will pop up when I least expect it but at least I have done everything I can think of.

silvasava

.Really good to read the views on future proofing etc. DH & I have dithered too long , we're now early/mid 70's and I know he couldn't face moving the garage now! We've had a brief conversation and we have a downstairs bathroom that could easily be extended to include a shower. We could with minor adaptions move downstairs if and when necessary and we don't have steps outside the house so Im a bit more confident of our ability to cope.

PollyWollyDoodle

This is an interesting discussion. I'm only in my late 50s, but a few years ago I fell and dislocated my knee. I was unable to use the over-the-bath shower for weeks, luckily somebody gave me a bath seat so I could eventually sit on it and swing my legs over. I have a downstairs loo, which was fortunate, because getting up and down stairs was something I only want to attempt once a day! I made a full recovery, but it was a real eye-opener.

I'm thinking of moving in two or three years, and I am definitely looking at houses with a downstairs loo and stairs which are not too steep. I expect the next house to take me (with luck and a following wind!) into my 80s and so I need to look ahead.

Pooky

We future proofed as much as possible when we brought this house. We are mid 40's but DH was in an accident 8 years ago that has left him with mobility problems and he's likely to be wheelchair bound completely in the next 5 years (he copes with crutches around the house at present but we have a wheelchair and scooter for when he's out and about.

We were in a 3 storey terrace with no parking but found this lovely house and snapped it up (luckily it was cheap as it needed work or we would never have afforded it). 3 bed semi in a quiet village with a drive and garage, small garden and downstairs loo. The garage is attached and could easily be converted into a decent bedroom with ensuite (plumbing for the downstairs loo is all the right places for this). Just one small step up into the porch and plenty of side access.

When we refurbished the bathroom last year we went for a huge deep bath so he can have a decent soak but have steps for him to get in and out and invested in a bathlift seat which is amazing.

We also picked straight stairs so we can install a stair lift if needed.

It only takes on day, one accident and the rest of your lives are changed. Don't put off making yourself future prof whilst you can!

WeeMidgie

I've just done the future proofing move 4 months ago, into a retirement flat, and although only in my mid 60's it was a huge effort, much more tiring than my previous downsize six years previously, even though I had less to dispose of and less to.move. This is definitely now my forever home!

It's one of the few flats still with its original bath with overhead shower. Most flats have over the years taken the bath out for access reasons. However, I love a good soak, so will keep it unless/until there's a need for change.

Still kondoing. A friend is doing a car boot sale and has agreed to take unwanted gifts to hopefully sell - a pair of Hunter wellies, a pair of genuine Aussie Ugg boots and some other bits and pieces. If they don't get decent offers she won't sell them.

Not sure if this counts as a Kondo, but it transpires there's a storage cupboard one floor up from me which is a well kept secret. A key holder had noticed my rather large and very lime green suitcase tucked behind an armchair and last night we took it up to its new home, with a smaller case nested inside. Hurrah!

FrugalinShropshire

Hello Konmariers,
I am following ‘a plan’ and have almost finished books.
Interesting discussion re wet rooms etc. We bought this house as it has the potential for a downstairs ‘living area’. We had my dad with us for a few years and had to move him downstairs due to Parkinsons. My husband has CMT and is an amputee so we had a downstairs wet room put in. He can still do stairs but we are sorted for if the time comes. Our next move will be to a bungalow though.
We are enjoying the KM journey as we have tons to organise!