To Be Completely Obsessed With Konmari?

[SheDoneAlreadyDoneHadHerses]

It's a revelation!

I'm a convert and am spending 2-3 hours a night decluttering, thanking things for their use and their service, and binning them letting them go.

It's so utterly freeing and pleasing.

I've hated my house and it's complete inability to be clean and tidy for YEARS and this is making me think I can actually live somewhere peaceful and lovely.

Querky

Talk to me about using your china.
I have some we don't use but I love.
I would hate it if it got broke so don't use it. My usual solution is to pack it away or just leave in kitchen cupboard.

Someone asked about boxes - how about these from Ikea - they are fabric and different sizes so fit different things:
www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/60192633/#/00192631

NewLife - what's the point in having beautiful stuff if you don't use it and enjoy it? What happens if you die with an unused set of crockery in your cupboard?
Why not use it and love it?
Or get a shelf unit and display it at the very least?

Or use it on Sundays as special and appreciate it? This is what we do. We have a nice set and use it for special meals and roast dinners. The other cheaper plain stuff I sorted out and threw out what I hated - just bought some nice plates, I like, that match - and use these on weekdays - so still liking it - and enjoy my nice things too.

I love KM-Ing everything! 😍😍 why would that be unreasonable? It's like, common sense 😂

NewLife4Me Well I looked at the China we use every day and some of it was a bit dire. So that went to the charity shop. Dinner plates for example. There are only 2 of us but we had 14. So we now have 7. 4 nice ones and 3 ordinary.

I use the 'naice' ones when we have a naice meal. They stayed at the back of the cupboard before as it was such a faff to get them out.

I am a massive tea drinker. Yorkshire tea in the mornings, but lighter teas I the afternoon. So I use my nice tea cups with my nice teas and am very careful about washing them up.

Last year I broke one of my favourite bone china mugs, but after a moment of kicking myself for my carelessness, my life has carried on with out it.

Our Charity shop sends a monthly text about how much they have made on the donations. I think it is by a unique number. After we sent all the stuff from the kitchen, China, Pyrex, large cooking pots, it was over £80.

Previously I had held on to all the kitchen stuff, for when all the kids come. Even after a massive cull, I still had more than enough. If more than 7 of us are coming for dinner (very rare) I ask them to bring some dinner plates with them.

Now my philosophy is,

life is too short too
Wear uncomfortable kinickers
Wear clothes that make me look like Haylee from Corrie ( a red Mac that I hated)
And
To eat a dinner I have lovingly cooked from an old plate.

i've ordered the book!

Querky

Thank you so much and I too love your philosophy.
I think I'll get dh to put an extra shelf up, we are having extra cupboards and breakfast bar, so hopefully they can go on there and I'll use them more.
I just couldn't get over the "What if I break something"

Sparta

You are completely right, I know it's completely daft, hidden at the back of a cupboard, I wasn't even looking at it, let alone using it.
Dh said he'd take it to charity shop if I didn't do something with it.

I read the book last week, don't remember the click point. What is that?

I've definitely seen people talking about the click on the big FB group (Konmari Adventures) but I haven't got there yet.

So quickly i realised how much of the same darn thing i've kept buying (clothes 'basics' like plain vest tops and plain skirts) and where the gaps were in my wardrobe (something with a bit of colour and/or pattern!).

It's a bit scary looking in your wardrobe and seeing only a third of what you did have. Mind you - i can only clearly recall one or two items out of those whole 6 sacks now they're gone!

So i was going to say - once i have filled the gaps with what i need and got rid of a little bit more of the things i don't, then i recon i'll feel the click.

I can understand what she means. I'm almost there.

I have tried but I just can't do it. I hate the folding and the thanking is just to woo for me.

When I started, I dismissed loads of the woo stuff. I have however put my own interpretation on it so that it works for me. This really helps with the decisions about what to keep. Every one takes from Kondo what work for them.

I also translated what she said to my OH, who hates getting rid of things. Recently he bought, yet another coat. Seeing the charity bag he said that he had a coat, but it was too good to go to the Charity Shop.

I asked him to show it to me, so that I could get him to hold it. I asked him if he could see himself wearing it again. He was not sure. Then I asked him, Can you see a time when p, given a choice, you will choose this coat in preference to one of the others? Straight away he put in in the Charity bag.

I hope to goodness I don't have to have this conversation with everything he gets rid of, else we will still be Decluttering at 90.

the FB group has about 800 new members since I posted the link above on Saturday afternoon!!

I have to say I've not literally thanked an item of clothing for it's service, but I have mentally let it go. It's right for me then, got some great memories, etc, and then gave it to charity to make someone else happy.

Hmm, spose that is thanking it, but in my mind, silently.

DD (4yo) just had to throw away a used up pritt stick which she was quite sad about. She took it to the bin, give it a big hug and said 'thank you for all your help' then binned it.

I wonder just how much of being happy as an adult is just about getting back in touch with how we felt as children...or accepting that we still feel those things...

Downloaded the Kindle version of the Marie Kondo method. Felt rather silly at age 52 being informed how to tidy and organise my stuff.
Was determined to make a start though and decided that I was going to need pull out drawers inside my wardrobes to be able to fold and see clearly the stuff I was keeping- I found the perfect solution at Muji, different dimensions of rigid plastic drawers that are stackable and opaque, I have organised all of my clothes and feel so much better for it. Can't believe I had 9 white short sleeved round neck tee shirts! 35 pairs of pants- a ridiculous amount of potato socks... So I rationalised and cut massively. All my cosmetics and hair/nail/personal grooming/ sanitary stuff are also in smaller Muji stacking drawers - possibly marketed for CDs or DVDs - they are fab and neatly tuck in unobtrusively in my bedroom. I have a couple of tray inserts where my go to regular make up sits, so I can just lift that out and take it in the bathroom and put it straight back when I'm done. No juggling with a clutch of makeup risking rolling off the window into the loo.
I did my DSs room.. He now only has clothes in his drawers which properly fit him AND that he likes to wear, all folded on end, easy to select, folded undies, socks, amazing. Doesn't take extra time. I no longer have mini piles of everyone's clothes sitting around or still on the airer waiting to be put away- simply because there was no room for them to go anywhere- it's a joy. Also, all sons Xbox and DVDs are separately stored Muji style in pull out drawers so they are always neatly away.... Have done my kitchen cupboards and thought the handbag thing was going to be tiresome- but actually I think that could be my favourite revelation, never saying 'where's my handbag' or looking for my handbag because I had something I wanted in there- all the regular daily stuck that I might want to put in my handbag lives in a tray in a bedroom drawer and when I select my handbag I grab my purse, lippy, hairbrush, kindle,umbrella, tissues, shopping coupons, phone charger and pop them in my bag and return them as soon as I get in for the evening and put my bag away. Am moving house imminently so have ruthlessly applied KonMari especially to the kids school books, very old paintings, Rubbish photos, old birthday, Mother's Day etc cards, mums medical records and personal papers and some of her old tat- she died 8 years ago.... I'm determined to go through again when I unbox just to make absolutely sure that what stays will bring Joy- sorry for the very long tale zzzzzzz

Still waiting for my book to arrive!!! Come on Amazon!!

always That sounds very inspiring to me. I've already started sorting things but really want the book to come. I can be too sentimental at times and hold on to things and then other times totally ruthless! I already do the handbag thing though not daily, probably weekly. It makes me feel better.

I've bought the book and I'm finding it hard to ho through everything by category. Putting all of my clothes on the floor, in one place is a really daunting task for me, especially as I have a toddler and a full time job.

However, reading the book has inspired me to declutter in another way and considering if things spark joy has been a revelation. So far I've got rid of about 15 full to bursting black bags of stuff. Last weekend I tackled my under stair cupboard and got rid of 7 coats and found a maternity coat which needs to be stored in my attic (hopefully to be used again).

I am also finding the 'spark joy' philosophy to be fantastic when I'm shopping and it's helped me consume less and be a more conscious shopper.

Book has arrived.....