KonMari 2018 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

star_trek_fan

silvasava wrote: »

Is anyone on here getting a bit picky about which charity shops they use? The bigger ones in my area seem to have gone 'upmarket' and the prices have gone the same way. I wonder how much actually reaches the charity. I've just found a new (to me) one that provides breaks for disabled people thereby giving carers a break. Clean, tidy and welcoming with realistic prices so my next bag (s) are going there.

Yes me, I'm picky. We've got 5 here, 2 very smart, looking like a boutique with prices to match. The other 3 are scruffy, support local charities in this town and have real bargains. It's the scruffy ones I support, by donating goods and buying.

GreyQueen

Yeah, I'm picky. I divide my allegiances between Red Cross, SENSE and a small very local indy animal charity. They're all modestly priced, run by the loveliest people and you feel appreciated as both a donor and a customer.


I've pretty much given up on even going into the likes of Oxfam, BHF, Cancer Research etc as I find them overpriced in all categories and more into styling up the shop etc etc. I prefer a charity which doesn't seem to be spending a lot of its money on shopfittings and managerial/ CEO salaries.

silvasava

Dropped of a bag to the new charity shop and nipped into the Exchange Bureau a couple of doors along to sell some currency I found from a country I won't be visiting again - £27+ in my pocket
Going back to the subject of being picky over CS has anyone found that when replacing items they now look for good quality second hand before considering new? I've just realised there is nothing new in our living room apart from the carpet and curtains!

GreyQueen

Definately! On the rare occasions I look at new-new stuff I find myself incredulous at the lack of quality in materials and the pi$$-poor construction techniques. I much prefer to buy gently used quality items 2nd hand.

Siebrie

Yes, I, too, look for secondhand first!

My parents always have stuff for me to look through before it will be passed on; they are almost a clearing house for several friends, neighbours, and family members. They are involved with or know about many organisations that help people find their feet (e.g. local council charity shop where they train unemployed or damaged people into the job market, asylum seekers housing projects, domestic violence victims rehousing projects, sometimes Dad will sell an object and then donate the money somewhere, Mum likes to knit with gifted/inherited wool and donate the items, etc). Although I can appreciate something brandnew, there often isn't a need, and very often I'm not willing to spend the money.

Operation Freezer: I have reached the bottom in one corner of my chest freezer and have dug out 550g of rhubarb from 2013! It is currently defrosting and will be cooked and eaten tomorrow. The tub has been washed and is already back in use.

Speaking of tubs: we had three large round containers (I think we brought them home with African food made by my sister in law) cluttering up ourplastics&pans cupboard. I have taken them out and will return the to sister in law as soon as possible. I really don't like round containers, they take up so much space!

Slinky

Dear Kondoites, please send decluttering vibes to my OH who is currently putting stuff back into his newly decorated office. I've encouraged him to seriously think about what is going back in, there are crates and crates of 'stuff'. Seriously, I've never seen him re-read a single book. He only reads books when he's on holiday, and when he was studying for a qualification he passed 9 years ago. I hope that he can bear to part with some of the carp, otherwise we'll have to pay to move it to our new home. And in the meantime, what won't fit in his office, will have to go into the loft....... And I was making such progress up there, ditching stuff he'd long forgotten about.

GreyQueen

Slinky, consider good vibes being sent. How frustrating.


Could you perhaps intimate that there is something inately harmful about having books in the loft? Overloading of joists/ damage to the books from acute temperature fluctations in the various seasons/ humidity/ mice risk? If he's really keen on them, the thought of them being damaged might prevent them going into the loft. If they're downstairs, in view and in the way, they are more likely to be dealt with.


Books are on my mind because Kid Bruv is sorting out his book stash. Imagine a very modestly-sized room with just about enough room to crawl onto the bed. Boxes and boxes of books piled ceiling high on all sides, with books singly loose on the floor in mounds and heaps. I could hardly bear to look at it.


He's now sorting out. It is already much improved. Some books are leaving via chazzer donation, some are being sold (he runs a snall online bookselling business). He's told me this afto that he is inventorying the books remaining in his room, some are duplicates of ones online already, and will move into 'stock' when those ones are sold.


You could knock me down with a feather, frankly!

greent

Good luck, Slinky!

Random items have left here this week - worn out (holey) PJ bottoms and socks to recycling, a well worn & broken pair of fake cr0cs to recycling (I love our kerbside collections), a bag of not-good-enough-for CS clothes & some fabric scraps to H&M for their recycling programme (and a £5 off £25 spend voucher for me :T), a pair of walking boots sold to a mum at school, an unwanted Xmas present and a bottle of drink which I got for free donated to school (tombola), a bag of pots of various coloured glitters donated to school, several as new stainless steel / new still with price tags on small animal dishes/ food clip things for cages (carrot holders...??) to CS (we had heaps - still have too many, really but will re-visit when our current (and final) 2 g-pigs eventually die), a broken small pet carrier to the bin (bought a replacement from CS for <£3), a well worn broom head with no broom handle to bin.... (has to be at least 20 years old, so I can't complain) (I would have burned it if it had 'real' bristles but it had sharp worn green plastic bits) Several items also listed on t'bay - no bids yet, but quite a few watchers, so maybe some will go that way (will be donated if not) HAve also gone through clothes with DS2 & DS3. Some of DS2's outgrown/ unloved clothes have gone straight to DS3, a couple to loft for future passing on to him. DS3's clothes have been sorted -outgrown school uniform and some plain/ dark clothes will go to school after half term for spares/ sale. Too-small 'normal' clothes have been put in a pile and I will attempt to sell on fb00k as a small bundle in Spring (lots of tshirts in there) Successful start :T

carrielovesfanta

Another few randoms left ours too. Plus OH had a Kondo of his clothes. He does this quite frequently.

2 carrier bags of oversized and undersized men's tops to the Sally Army bin. 3 balls on crochet cotton and some horrible slate placemats to the cs. I don't know why I liked them when I bought them but they aren't very "us". They have been replaced with duck egg blue ones in leather (or leatherette?)


Also Kondoed some roundtuit jobs, with some more to do...

Slinky

Sadly GQ, probably what will go back to the loft will be business paperwork rather than the books. I shredded literally boxes and boxes of stuff relating to jobs he'd done 20+ years ago (thank goodness we have a loft ladder so I could get up there while he was working away from home). He's just gone through a lever arch box, about half was passed to me to shred, the other 'interesting' stuff has gone back into the box to be lost in clutsville until some distant future point. There's no filing system to this random stuff, so the chances of him finding it again if he did remember it are slim. We're still on the lookout for a particular book he can't find - I defintely haven't got rid of it - I suspect he's loaned it to somebody and never got it back, or left it somewhere.