KonMari 2018 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

silvasava

Well spotted Slinky! Not much kondoing you g on at the moment apart from tidying the garden and getting organised for the coming season. Have found where I can get some free donkey doo for my climbing beans
Lots cleared out of the RoD as the boat goes in the water tomorrow so all the cushions, curtains etc have been put back. Room doesn't look much better for it though Part of my new kitchen is arriving on Monday. It can be fitted before the main lot is done so I plan to move as much as I can from the old units into the new ones to give DH a breathing space for when the old one is taken out........that's the theory anyway lol.

GreyQueen

Got some small niggly bits and bobs out today, probably less than half a carrier bag by volume but stupid little bits which needed specific rehoming/ recycling. Guess I could have just chucked them in the bin but that wouldn't sit well with me.


Am having a cuppa and fixing a light meal before heading out to play on the allotmentino for a few hours. The process of processing the carp left for me by the previous incumbent of Plot 2 is ongoing but I'm getting there slooowly.

greent

So the Easter hols have started..... the main project for this coming week (before the 2 students come home next weekend) is the total blitz-ing of DS2's bedroom. I'm prepared to invest in some new storage for him - providing we actually get somewhere in sorting things out. Sadly, DS3's and DS2's bedrooms are the smallest and slightly awkward rooms (whereas DD and DS1 each have the same sized rooms but much bigger (DD's just has an ensuite) which are good doubles - DD's was the original master before we had the loft done) and both are still at the age where they have lots and lots of 'stuff'. DS3's is organised and clean and tidy and DS2's is a total mess and grim (can't vacuum anywhere bar the square by the door as there is stuff (mainly Leg0 everywhere)) I fear it will be a battle, but I want to see some things leaving (he hangs onto everything) - but with his agreement - and the rest organised!

Other than that, small things have left. I have a bag of not-suitable-for-CS clothes (and some bedding from my Nan's) to take to H&M to swap for a £5 voucher so will do that next time I venture into town (once every couple of months, maybe - can't believe I used to go in every weekend!!) and a couple of piles of outgrown clothes of DS3's which I will aim to sell via fb00k (funds going to holiday fund ) As it's the end of the tax year, I will be shifting some paperwork over to the accountants and I've got out the 2 oldest sets (1 for me, 1 for OH) to be shredded - gotta keep on top of paperwork - it breeds! I've acquired a huge set of paperwork which I'll need for the foreseeable future in respect of my Nan - she has dementia and is now in a care home and had no LPA, so I've applied for Deputyship through Court of Protection. It's currently all organised into folders and sat in a large plastic box in my dining room - I need to make space for it in the office..... I also keep gaining things from her house - mostly on a temporary basis before I send to CS/ re-home with someone in family/ sell and put money in her account - but some bits are more permanent (eg: some garden pots)

tibawo

It is Easter hols her so I too have plans for the allotment.. i have plants sat on the table in the back yard waiting to go up. I get so busy with the kiddies activities that i don't get up as much as I would like. My friend has given me a few ideas with long lasting plants that I can put mulch around to keep the weeds at bay. Currently on the look out for a artichoke plug/plant... not doing this one from seed as want to get the allotment up and running as much as possible these next couple of months.

I've got my 'to do' list down, it looks huge but quite a few bits are things like photocopy bank statement and send so i'm hopeful I will make a good dent in it. it's a bright start to the day so that always lifts me.

I don't always do KD in order due to space, time and my mood so KD wise I am currently locating all the Tupperware, sandwich boxes and water bottles to sort thru. They must have been multiplying because there is no way I bought that many!

Just having my second brew and hanging out the first load of washing before I decide what exciting thing to do first!

Icey77

Slinky wrote: »

Signed the estate agency agreement and put it through the agents door overnight. Cheeky sods have got 'Sole selling rights' written into their standard contract. I crossed it through and changed to Sole Agency which is what they quoted on their initial valuation letter. I used to work, briefly, for an estate agents, so they're not catching me with that one. If they're not happy with this, I'll go elsewhere, but they do have the best photographer in the area so I'd rather use them.

What's the difference Slinky?
Thanks

Siebrie

I was mad and grumpy about husband's disorganised wardrobe (we share a large four-door; he has two-thirds already and was creeping into my area), so I took all his trousers and sweaters out and put them on the blanket chest. He left them there for two days, until today, when I picked up every single one and told him to tell me 'keep' or 'no'. After only twenty minutes, he had said 'no' to 14 pairs of trousers and nine sweaters. I had found three more T-shirts in between the pile, and they have gone out, too. This was not even half of the total pile, but at least everything now fits nicely in the wardrobe again.

Purpl3

I'm in the process of applying the Kondo methods (only seen her series not read the books!) to everything in my room, and I'm a bit stumped if you don't mind a question?

I've put on a lot of weight in the last two years. I am working on losing it, but I've kept loads of "skinny" clothes. They certainly don't spark joy- every time I see them it makes me sad. But it feels short sighted to CS everything now only to buy it again later when/if I get back to that size. What would you do?

GreyQueen

Purpl3 wrote: »

I'm in the process of applying the Kondo methods (only seen her series not read the books!) to everything in my room, and I'm a bit stumped if you don't mind a question?

I've put on a lot of weight in the last two years. I am working on losing it, but I've kept loads of "skinny" clothes. They certainly don't spark joy- every time I see them it makes me sad. But it feels short sighted to CS everything now only to buy it again later when/if I get back to that size. What would you do?

Purists in any forms of decluttering would probably say get rid, but that presupposes that every declutterer has deep pockets and can easily afford to replace stuff. Which we know isn't true.


I would look at the 'skinny' clothes from this angle; forget that you can't presently get into it and imagine that you can.


Ask yourself, is this type of garment still relevent to my lifestyle? Has it got embarrassingly dilapidated? Is it too 'young' for me - regardless of what fashionistas say, some things don't look good on certain age groups. Does the colour flatter my complexion or make me look poorly? Is this garment a PITA because it requires special attention going through laundry, or to be dry-cleaned, or is it a must-iron and a fiddly iron job? Is it itchy? Recall when you did fit that size, was this something you wore a lot, a little, almost never? Oftentimes, the favourites will be revealed by their level of dilapidation.


Keep what you can genuinely see yourself wearing; the non-shabby, non-fiddly, flattering garments and think about the rest. HTH.

PollyWollyDoodle

Wise advice from GQ as always.

I'll just add that I have struggled with my weight for many years, and quite a few years ago I decided to stop beating myself up and just accept this was how I was going to be. I threw out stuff that didn't fit, and by the time I did MK a few years ago there were very few things left that were too small. I hung on to a few much-loved items eg jackets that could still be worn if not done up. (It's arguable how good that looked, of course!) I should add that I don't follow fashion or change my style much, and I keep clothes for years.

Fast forward and I have, to my surprise, lost weight. Quite a bit. The jackets can now be zipped up, and I need to redo my clothes because some things - trousers especially - are unwearable.

Do I miss anything I threw out? Truthfully, there are a couple of items I remember fondly and wish I still had, but only a couple; they were quite individual items, and 'going out', not everyday. So I would say filter out things that you've already replaced with larger sizes, eg jeans/trousers, t-shirts. Apply GQ's advice to the rest, and it will have the same effect, you'll have whittled it down to things you love. It's worth keeping those, if not too many, but put them away somewhere. This may be contrary to MK principles but as GQ says, we can't all afford to replace stuff.

GreyQueen

I feel a degree of impatience with some forms of decluttering, even kondo-ing, where there seems to be an undercurrent of affluence informing the promotor's decision-making processes.

There are almost certainly more folks of modest means, or even actually slender means, in any group than the comfortably-off. If one sheds things which will be needed later, you have to commit future income to replacing things which you would have otherwise have had on hand.

As a small example, I presently have more household linens than I need but they were all part-used before they came into my keeping. I'm happy to use a towel until it's thin and balding (and then I'll hem it for a cleaning rag) but know from experience that such a towel would be deemed to be rag only by a chazzer, despite it having the ability to provide many years' worth of drying service. Ditto with variations for the bedlinen.

Therefore, I would gain a tiny amount of space, but nothing else would be gained by the world, if I was to declutter towels or bedlinen that I will eventually use up. I have committed to buying no more, probably for the rest of my life.:rotfl: