KonMari 2018 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Igamogam

Small carrier bag for CS has now grown into a bin liner of an eclectic mix of things! Cant get to CS until next weekend so maybe I will have 2 bags to drop off by then. I am going to try and get some stuff on Eb*y too.....its just starting it!

Read the BBC article on KM recent phenomenon post netf1x.......still cant warm to the woman I get it, but her methods dont suit me I guess!

teabody

I have to do a major declutter. I hate throwing anything away. Besides a local charity shop that I send things to...any other ideas for dedicated recycling etc.

clutterm

A year ago I had a cardboard box sitting in the middle of my living room floor. I was keeping it in case I would need it some day, and I would push it around from place to place every time I walked through the room. I had socks and papers piled everywhere and sometimes on top of each other. I had 15(!) dental flosses from various trips to the dentist. At the time, I don't think I saw any of this as an issue that needed fixing. I realize now, in hindsight, that this may have been an error!

A year ago I was on a flight and, on a whim, I checked out the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. After reading the book, I got motivated to try out the steps that it suggested. I think I got motivated because it made me question if being 'untidy' was just part of my personality, or something that could be changed. I asked a few friends of mine who I thought of as 'tidy' people, and they didn't seem to be sure either.

I aggressively followed the instructions from the book and tidied everything up until I was finished. Deciding what to get rid of was not as hard as I thought it would be - I had a lot of stuff that was obviously trash that just needed to get thrown away. The cardboard box in the middle of the living room was a really good example.

It was a very satisfying feeling when everything was finished, and I had a neat floor to walk on and my little shrine in the corner that has my puppet collection and photos of family members.

A year later, my apartment is much neater than it was, and I feel like I can do a little more because I am living in a neater space. I still have the processes and strategies that I learned for keeping tidy. I don't necessarily always practice them - I presently am sitting next to a mountain of unsorted papers, and a bucket of no less than 15 pens. But its comforting to know that I have a strategy for dealing with that clutter; and I know what the results of decluttering can be.

So overall, I would say, it is possible for an 'untidy' person to learn how to be 'tidy'. Or at least to learn how to be tidier.

So if you are thinking about tidying up and are on the fence - I'd say 'throw away that fence if it doesn't bring you joy' - and give it a shot!


Because decluttering was such a momentous experience for me, I made a short film: youtu.be/DkCtmrlHWFM

whiteguineapig

teabody wrote: »

I have to do a major declutter. I hate throwing anything away. Besides a local charity shop that I send things to...any other ideas for dedicated recycling etc.

We have given things away on free cycle, but only bigger things, it has the added joy of not having to cart them to the tip.

teabody

Thank you, Whiteguineapig,
Yes have used this for a while and shpocked the things that I can sell. I have mostly got rid of larger items now ( i think!) and I am moving on to purging the rest but always fall into the guilty behaviour when some items could be useful to others. Mostly stopping myself from chucking in the bin and everythings ends up back in a drawer again.:mad:

greent

teabody wrote: »

I have to do a major declutter. I hate throwing anything away. Besides a local charity shop that I send things to...any other ideas for dedicated recycling etc.

From the 2016 thread - am sure there are other ideas to add to this now:

How/ Where Can I Dispose of My Unwanted Items?

It is vitally important to make sure that you dispose of your unwanted items asap - less chance of any doubts creeping in and items making their way back!


To make money and/ or save items from landfill, you may find the following ideas useful:




Money Making:

https://www.ebay.co.uk - am sure many will use this already. Be careful of fees - ebay now charge final value fees (FVF) on your postage as well as the amount which the items sells for.

https://www.ziffit.com - can sell any unwanted books, CDs, DVDs & games. Download the app onto your smartphone/ tablet for ease of use - scan the barcodes and it will tell you if the item is accepted and what price they will give you. For even more money, go through a cashback site first (such as https://www.topcashback.co.uk or https://www.quidco.com) (tip: save your accepted items in your virtual 'cart'. If you have any items which they initially refuse, try re-scanning these several days later - I find about another 20-50% of previously unaccepted items go through on another attempt!)


https://www.preloved.co.uk - Quidco are currently offering 60p to new members to Preloved (Jan 2016); plus you get 10p for posting a new advert. It's free to join and post adverts to Preloved, you can post things for sale or free to a good home so might be an alternative to eBay, free cycle, facebook selling pages to offload unwanted, unloved items. All free ads include a photo and private ads are completely free, no listing fees, no selling fees and no catches


https://www.gumtree.com - free online classified ad site








Recycling/ Reusing Items: (often raising funds for charities at the same time )



Bras
You can post them to the Breast Cancer charity here http://www.againstbreastcancer.org.uk/get-involved/fundraising/recycling/513/bra-recycling/ or you can go hand them in to a branch of Bravissimo.
OR : raise funds for Nowzad Dogs - the only official animal charity in Afghanistan: http://www.nowzad.com/help-us/bras-for-nowzad/
Unwanted pens
You can post your unwanted pens to people overseas to help schools and orphanages via http://www.pensforkids.co.uk/how_you_can_help.html
Ink jet Printer Cartridges
Can be dropped off at Sue Ryder stores or posted off freepost for a charity from wide list or Tesco club card points for you via http://www.therecyclingfactory.com/our-partners/
Books & Music
British Heart Foundation and Oxfam both do specialist charity shops that sell books and music so you could separate those donations to maximise the money the charities make
Postcards: can raise money for Great Ormond St children's hospital. http://www.gosh.org/fundraise-us/shopping-and-recycling/recycling-and-environment
Stamps: Gosh also take all stamps, special and everyday, as do the RNIB http://www.rnib.org.uk/donations-and-fundraising-fundraising-your-community-recycle-us/used-stamps-appeal
Maternity items/ baby & children's clothing/ nursery furniture/ toiletries/ nappies - a baby bank (like a food bank, but maternity and child related items for families in crisis) Lots springing up around the country. Some independent, some part of a small network. http://www.babybanknetwork.com/how-you-can-help-2/ https://www.gloucestershirebundles.org http://www.littlebundles.org.uk/cambridge/donations Up to date list can be found on stripey stork's website
Toiletries/ make-up/ clothing (women's and children's) - women's refuge centres. Google your local area for one - but be prepared you may have to drop off to a 3rd party point - for obvious reasons they do not always want to publicise their location! Or post to : http://www.carolinehirons.com/p/give-and-makeup.html to help women and children in the Southern/ London area


charity shops
ziffit
ebay
gumtres etc

camelot1001

Thanks greent, there are some on there I hadn't heard of.

silvasava

Thanks for the info on the 'exit strategies' greent. I'd love to kondo DH's paperback collection..........;)
Good day yesterday. The bag of Christmas cards was joined by a collection of birthday cards and anniversary cards. The glitter ones had the backs torn off and joined the rest in the recycling so only a small amount in the rubbish bin. One bag of clothes passed on to a friend and my kondo tops given to the friend who gave me the first bag ( keep up!) A selection of ornaments and decorative crockery gone to a CS. Some cat treats gifted to my cat that she didn't like gone to cat rescue and some sachets of another cat food that she also turned her nose up at given to DS1 for his cats. Some other areas of 'kibble' to be addressed but it's good to have got so much out of the way.

luxor4t

luxor4t wrote: »

…….The bed base had caved in (very uncomfortable), but as the mattress was still good we just bought a new bed frame. …… We didn't need a base with storage drawers as they were all empty. The space under the bed is empty and will stay that way. :T ……..

On the bad days when things get too 'busy', I have replaced looking at my neatly rolled underwear in the tidy drawer with peering under the bed to admire the empty space...… :rotfl:

Igamogam

greent wrote: »

From the 2016 thread - am sure there are other ideas to add to this now:

How/ Where Can I Dispose of My Unwanted Items?

Thanks Greent....some there that I had forgotten about!!

Is there a way of pinning this at the beginning of the thread??

An addition for bras....my local DW gym has a bin in the foyer for bras....anybody can put them in dont need to be member. Just need to be in reasonable cond.

Bedding - local animal charities might take them RSPCA certainly does. Again my local Petsat H0me collects old bedding/towels etc. I have offered loads them on Fr**cycle/Fr**gle for pet bedding and usually its a volunteer from local animal rescue shelter will take them

Its always worthwhile looking on fr**gle and see if there is anybody asking for just the item you have and dont want!! The week I got rid of our solid fuel aga there was someone on fr**gle asking for coal scuttles and I was able to give them 3....serendipity