KonMari 2018 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

daisy_1571

GreyQueen wrote: »

The parental homestead is plagued with those charity bags, several arrive each week. The family prefer to take donations, in person, to charity shops where we're gift aid registered, and do so on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. I took a donation bag in today - books and some bric-a-brac.

At my suggestion, they turn them inside out and use them to line the large litchen refuse bin, so they serve as bin-bag substitutes and go into the wheelie bin loaded. It's not ideal, but we didn't ask for them to be created, didn't choose to bring them into our home and, short of sealing up the letterbox, it's very hard to keep them out. At least by using them it saves buying bin liners.

Lovely peeps, I have been having and edifying convo this aft with a Red Cross charity shop manager. I long since knew they could take worn-out textiles for ragging, but had no idea that they can also take in worn out footwear, bags, rucksacks, handbags etc. I'm pleased to find this out and share in case it may help others out there to get rid of some Stuff.

Thanks for that. Did they say what they do with all this worn out stuff gq? I'm always intrigued.

I also think that about the charity bags and random 'free gifts' from charities ie pens or a few Xmas cards. I used to but now i refuse to feel guilty, I didn't ask them to send me them, I support the charities I want to so the least I can do is use the stuff they send so they don't just get chucked without being used however i dont feel pressured to send money back so that they don't waste resources sending me stuff in future.

Dxx

GreyQueen

Apparently, anything which can be mended/ refurbished relatively easily is refurbed and goes out to countries where people haven't the privilege of being as picky as us in the global west. For the rest, they're shedded and used as fillers etc.

I admit to being a nerd for the waste stream as a whole and being very interested in this. I currently have one pair of work-appropriate shoes which have been in service since 2011. Their soles are getting a bit thin and are those bonded-rubber ones (H0tters) which you can't get re-soled. I shall wear them until they develop holes/ leak rainwater and then replace them. I'm keeping my eye out on the chazzer front but am a larger than average size so not easy to cater-for.

SillyLily

I read a book called "Garbage Land" by Elizabeth Royte few years ago, and it's an interesting read about where things go when they're thrown "away". I don't know if things are the same in the UK, but you all might find it interesting.

Wednesday2000

I went through my kitchen cupboards and got rid of a few things yesterday like a few tea bags I didn't want and a couple of out of date items. I went through all the pet food, but luckily nothing had expired. I had some dog food tins that I had forgotten about at the back so that was lucky.

I transferred rice, lentils etc.. into the glass storage jars and put all the packaging into recycling. It looks far neater and I can see what I have now.

I'm using up an organic face cream as body lotion after my bath and then will kondo another book from my kindle.

[Deleted User]

I feel the urge to do a bit of kondo today, trouble is that I don`t know what. Maybe burn a few more candles but I do look around and think I could pack up most rooms without clearing, maybe I am done kondoing but I miss the thrill afterwards. It always gives me a high. Maybe I could do it by imagining packing room by room into boxes for moving (that will happen as soon as). Maybe the tall tower of paper sewing patterns, in a tall tower of labelled boxes, sigh. I should be able to halve the number, really. Yes thats it, fabrics and patterns today and all stuff that the cs will like.

oceanspirit

You can come and help me if you like, Kittie .

Lots of Kondoing old emails over the last few days - it was sitting heavily on me to have an inbox of over 400 unread plus another couple of hundred read but need dealing with. Now down to 271 unread and still lots that need dealing with. Feels just as good to get rid of these as it does physical clutter.

3 books going to local NT secondhand shop as I'm going to be there today anyway. So far a total of 73 items gone this year. I wasn't really feeling the progress before as it has to be soooo slow due to my lack of energy, but now that I've been counting them it does seem significant particularly when living in a small space.

silvasava

Miserable day yesterday so spent it in the kitchen. Kondoed a couple of miniature whisky's into 6lb thick cut marmalade (tinned ready prepared stuff) I keep any miniature alcohol in my kitchen cupboard with my spices etc in case something needs a little extra I also used up the ends of packets of dark brown and muscovado sugar as well. Marmalade looks good! I also made a franzipan tart using an elderly block of puff pastry from the freezer. Had a tidy up of my bakng cupboard & noted low stocks for the next SM trip. All in all a productive day even though just pottering.
I put some glass jars on Freecycle last week, in spite of telling me when they would collect twice they're a no show grrr - they'll go in the recycling instead.
Not sure what I'll do today but Kittie has given me the thought of another cull of my fabric stash

[Deleted User]

I have done 50 minutes of sewing patterns and need a break, omg, hand on head, I will be keeping most, so far. The first pass must have been a good one. I was just starting to get boggled :eek: so am back with my online friends for a short break, while I clear my head and revitalise my battery. I removed a chunky roll of doctors exam paper, good for pattern making but I don`t need it for that, nice and soft so will be perfect for wrapping plates and glasses, one day. I will wrap that up and store safe with the 2 cardboard boxes that I have stored in the garage

The boxes of patterns are all catalogued in a book and all labelled

[Deleted User]

Oh I need to take a step back now, have taken out 23 patterns for cs and a bag of interfacing. I sorted everything else which is boxed in that tower. I need to hang onto much as I am always dipping in and out when in a sewing mood. I will carry on tomorrow

VJsmum

I also did a bit of kondoing of kitchen cupboards this week. it was mainly stuff that DD had brought home from uni, that she didn't eat when she was there, have sat in a cupboard not being eaten here and are now out of date... Slim pasta anyone?? Revolting stuff.

It has freed up a bit of space, but only to the point where the cupboards are 'less cramped' rather than an uncluttered cupboard.

We have finally finished painting and decorating after 'draingate' back in September; we ordered carpet yesterday to be laid a week Monday. Today we were looking at all the study storage solutions. As much as i want to get rid of tons of stuff, the reality is that we do need to keep a lot of it.

I did finally get rid of a load of lecture notes that are 14 years old and so well out of date, but i don't ever want to teach that subject again and that, even if i was forced to by circumstances, the notes are too out of date to be useful. I think i am also going to throw out the course notes for a creative writing course i signed up to - even though the course cost quite a bit of money. but i have never completed the course and i think any writing I now do would take a different direction and context.

This is kind of all in the mahoosive paperwork category that is really the only one i haven't done.