S&B Minimalism / Kondo support thread

[FrugalFashionista]

Are you interested in decluttering, organizing, or downsizing? Or just being more mindful how you approach clothes, shoes, jewellery, makeup or any other objects in your home. Perhaps you are already Kondoing your belongings or are thinking about 333...

I'm a newbie, I've been decluttering our home for a couple of months now before and during a major house move. Is anyone else interested in sharing experiences, goals or ideas or just chatting with like-minded people? Please join us!

[Coastingit]

I'm in. I need to read the book - but definitely want to declutter my life, starting with my S and B life.

I've had a baby very recently, and also in the middle of moving house - living in temporary accommodation for now, so I am living out of a suitcase really. And it's fine - one cosmetics bag and a few clothes and I don't miss the rest of my wardrobe and endless drawers of beauty stuff! It's lightening for the soul, isn't it. I have in the past travelled a lot and the feeling of living lightly is one I really want to recapture, albeit with children and the baggage that comes with being a grown up. I think moving house is an ideal time to refocus so I'm grabbing the opportunity. I have several bin bags of clothes I have meant to EBay but I simply don't have time or motivation to do so. It's not that I need the money so much as it makes it easier to let nice things go if I get money for them! Which is silly. I don't wear them, so they can go to charity and I will be happier for it. I am in the process of losing weight and being very disciplined about that too, so it will all go hand in hand for me.

[Coastingit]

I only ever actually want to wear navy or grey tees with distressed skinnies, or vests if hot in same colours with denim shorts. And red toes. And navy sundresses. And stripey tops and dresses. And I have this week bought two perfect merino jumpers in grey and navy from Uniqlo. My temporary wardrobe is perfect, I don't want to contaminate it by putting all my other stuff with it, it just confuses me! Why oh why I buy endless random patterned items and experiment with clothes is beyond me. I'm like a drug addict and it's silly, I'm vain and love to look good which I'm happy with, but buying lots of clothes doesn't achieve this. I think I'm not very good at shopping, it's like I'm shopping for a fantasy version of myself sometimes!

[StopColouringInYourSister]

I've recently started the Kondo method. One of the things I've found really helpful is the shift in mindset for letting things go - acknowledging that they've already served their purpose means I don't have to feel guilty for getting rid of something that's still perfectly usable (but not right for me). For example, clothing that still has the tags on - I've learned that I bought styles that I don't feel comfortable wearing, so I will pass those on and will only buy things I really do like.
I'm really looking forward to having less 'stuff' then working out the storage I need, then having a comfortable home that is quicker and easier to clean!

[Deeznutz]

I have a minimalist approach to dressing and ruthlessly go through my stuff because clutter soon becomes overwhelming.

I now try and buy the best shoes/fabrics I can afford rather than trying to acquire more stuff. I find having a very narrow palette helps.

[Greenstone]

Are you me Coasting?! House move in progress here too. Suitcase living and recent baby. Penchant for distressed skinnies, grey, navy, stripes :) I'm definitely up for this thread.

[Coastingit]

Greenstone! Congrats and good luck with the chaos. It truly is a great time to be moving, no?!

Can someone sum up the key Kondo principles as they would apply to S and B stuff?

[Diamondsandpears]

I'm in too. Love navy and grey too. Really want to go look at some merino jumpers now Coastingit. Also have new baby and house move! What are the best ways to declutter products and clothes that you don't use? Would like to try Ebaying them but worried about P&P costs.

[Greymalkin]

I'd love to join. I joined the Kondo thread this week and have started on clothes; I've already chucked out loads of old tatty clothes as well as ones that are just 'not me'. It feels really good and I have loads still to go.

I am particularly interested in building a capsule wardrobe and the KonMari method is already helping me to pinpoint my style.

Coasting I also seem to buy clothes for my fantasy self rather than my true-self. That really has to stop!

[Itscurtainsforyou]

Sounds good to me!
I've been doing 333 for a year now, but since the shops have been getting more autumn colours in, I've had a bit of clothes-creep, so need to review it all again.

I agree with PPs that it's really quite liberating to just have a smaller number of clothes/make up etc to choose from. I have loads of toiletries that I'm trying to work my way through, so at the moment have the bare minimum out and only go to the stash when I need to replenish.

[Misssss]

I think I've found my people. I started Kondo ing my clothes this week. I had a ridiculous amount of stuff, yet i live in the same old clothes. So far I've got 12 bin bags for cash for clothes, I've sold 32 things on fb selling page (I'm plus sized and there are loads, I think there are ones for other sizes too). I used to be a closet hoarder and hated the idea of waste. However some googling of sunk costs and MK is finally freeing me of this mindset. It's much easier knowing I've made some money.

Does anyone follow her advice re folding and hanging? I'm going to clean my wardrobes and begin to put back the things I'm keeping today. Just wondered if it works.

[Kennington]

Coastigit
I like the sound of your new wardrobe - you dress like me/like how I want to dress anyway!

[daimbardiva]

Hello, I'm in. As always!!! I am constantly striving to be more minimalist in every way but always need help to stay on the wagon! I've made huge in roads in reducing my skincare/make up addiction by focussing on 'empties' a la the 'ashamed of my beauty product hoard' thread. Clothes, I always need more help with...although I find that simply not looking in the shops/at websites is the key for me. And 'shopping' my own wardrobe. Amazing what reorganising uncovers that you've forgotten about!

[Greenstone]

I did a lot of this when dd1 was about a year old and breast feeding winding down. Bought a new wardrobe and threw out all rags and tat. It felt great and I kept it up until I got pregnant with dc2. Now dc2 is almost 9 months. I've gotten rid of most of the maternity and feeding crap but a few bits remain as I'm still feeding. Wardrobe needs a few things but I'm going to go slowly. Might indeed start with one of those merino sweaters Coasting! Then I need a pair of perfect slimline boyfriend or girlfriend jeans, and in the longer term a wool coat or cape and some new underwear.

Now does anyone have any tips for getting an OH on board he is terrible for accumulating multiples of things.

[Greenstone]

In the process of the house move I have actually binned perfectly serviceable clothes that could go to charity it's awful but i know they would languish in bags forever we are so busy with this house move. Will never be doing it again, but it's kind of liberating in a way.

[homeaway]

Green perhaps a charity will collect stuff from you ?

[FrugalFashionista]

Wonderful to see so many like-minded people here - I am too living out of a suitcase and have loved he marvellous ease and lightness of two pairs of jeans, about six tops, two coats and three pairs of shoes. I haven't even worn most of the stuff in my suitcase.

We are in the middle of a house move. Yesterday, 220 boxes of stuff (this includes our furniture in pieces) were unloaded. This morning, I counted 84 unopened boxes. I have been organizing them all day and have done about half of our kitchen, emptying 15 boxes in the process - so you get the idea, we have a ridiculous amount of stuff... We did a fairly thorough cull before having our stuff packed but I have continued to set apart items that I will sell or give away or donate to charity.

The biggest Kondoing success today: I found 20 old cookbooks that I haven't needed in decades years. We live on a fairly busy street, so I put them on the sidewalk in a cardboard box with a sign 'Free cookbooks!!' All of them except a particularly lurid one that featured a whole roasted pig on its cover were gone within an hour!!! I tried to replicate the success with chick lit paperbacks but there were far fewer takers, just four found new homes.

If you have any tips how to downsize please let me know. We took four bin liners full of stuff to the local charity shop yesterday and gave a mattress to my mother. DH is fully onboard, he is minimalist at heart I'm not and he has rented a removal van for Monday so that we can take some old furniture to the local sorting center. He sorted patiently through a drawer full of old adapters, cables, computer peripherals and dead cell phones today.

I still have far too many clothes, and need to face the facts tomorrow...

[FrugalFashionista]

Coasting I love the phrase 'living lightly'. In the past years I've travelled up to 100 days per year and I love the extreme pared-down simplicity of living out of a carry-on suitcase.

Learning to be more minimalist is going to be a long process for me but letting go of stuff or repurposing or using up what I already have feels super satisfying...

[Callycatsy]

I'm in! My particular issues are skincare and clothes.

I've just bought the Elemis set from QVC so now I have enough products to sit with until I use them up. I think have scarcity issues, usually I declutter like a banshee and then feel I don't have enough stuff so I go out and buy loads of things to fill up the gaps. I've recently decluttered my clothes and hung on to some 'maybes' which seems to have done the trick as far as scarcity goes.

As for skincare I'm a sheep and follow any and every fad. Recently I threw out everything but Elemis and Decleor and committed to not buying anything unless it was from one of these brands as I know and love them and they work for my skin. Following the acid toning, Asian skincare and retinol path was a costly mistake for me and I was never satisfied with the effects so back I go to my tried and tested methods.

I really want to find a uniform, my wardrobe is mainly navy, grey, bright blue and a bit of red, pink and purple. I want to throw out everything that doesn't make me feel good but I'm scared I'll have nothing left. I buy clothes around the £20 to £50 mark and have lots of ok stuff but nothing I love. I want to spend more on classic pieces and have less. I think I have about 80 items of clothes not including shoes, sleepwear and underwear.

[Coastingit]

Frugal - yes, 'living lightly' is something I try to do in every way I think. I have achievements that I wear lightly, my work when I do it is impressive and people are always surprised to learn there is more to me than meets the eye. It's not all good though, I think it's low self esteem really - if people's expectations are low of me then I can only impress. I want to appear like a youthful and carefree person, with no baggage. It's permeates every aspect of how I try to live my life. Some ways for good - I am modest and don't talk myself up - but of course in the world of work where men do exactly that, it's hard when I realise I do actually want to be taken seriously despite being a young woman, an image I have cultivated! I am attending a wedding child free next weekend and the biggest compliment someone could pay would be to be surprised that I have two children. I want to wear motherhood as lightly as everything else. There are sometimes feminist discussions on here about how women want to take up as little room as possible in every way, and I think that is what I do.

Bit of a wild tangent, and self indulgent - sorry.

[TheWombat]

Signing in - we're also moving house and I fantasise about decluttering now so that in the new place we are surrounded only by things that bring us joy. I aspire to minimalism but don't think I could ever really achieve it. But I've been lurking on the Kondo thread and have found it so inspiring. Ive chucked out/donated/Ebayed several bags of stuff already and today I'll be listing several bits of clothing too.

I kondo'd my tops the other day - now down to 78 from 123. I'm actually really embarrassed by that. Not exactly minimalist is it? But that does include all knitwear, jackets, shirts, tees, camisoles, sports kit etc. Still I think a second go might be required!

[Halojones2014]

Hello, can I join? I've almost finished kondoing my wardrobe and now love my drawers!! I've found this website great for capsule wardrobe inspiration / advice - //www.into-mind.com
It's a bit like project 33 but more detailed in how to find your style etc.
I gave away loads of clothes to my cousin who was very excited to receive my unloved but perfectly fine stuff. It felt good that she was so pleased with it all. I'm sure Marie Kondo says not to do that though...

[Greymalkin]

Some more successes today: have kondo'd my half of the wardrobe and the ironing pile. I even managed to get DH to do his half of the ironing pile! This is a major success as he is the worst at chucking things out, through sheer laziness rather than hoarding tendencies.

I am faced with a bit of a difficulty though. I can't say there are more than three or four pieces of clothing left after the purge that I truly love. I am going to need to spend some time shopping for really good quality, capsule wardrobe type pieces.

Tricky though as I am currently a size 18 but am starting to lose weight though a sensible approach. I would be thrilled to be a size 14, but I size 12 would make me ridiculously happy. So I don't want to spend a lot of money on clothes that I hopefully won't fit into in six months or so.

[Callycatsy]

I've just had another Kondo sweep through my clothing and discarded two dresses that I liked a lot, one of which looks really flattering on but they're both too low cut and I don't like the look of a vest or cami showing above so I have let them go. One I tried stitching as its a wrap V neck but it pulls the fabric out of shape :( I'm sad about letting it go but it just doesn't work for me and I haven't worn it in 3 years. Every time I try it on I just get sad about how lovely it looks apart from the neckline!

[WhatAboutDebbie]

I really like the Unfancy approach to building a capsule wardrobe. Just need to save the £ to buy a few things for this autumn...