Anyone want to join me in a minimalist journey?

[lucysnowe]

I've been reading a load of minimalist mum blogs and have been brainwashed inspired . We are undergoing some building work at the mo and the amount of stuff everywhere is absolutely doing me head in. Once it is finished I want to have a ginormous sort and throw out. We are getting a tumble dryer and I plan to start culling clothes, sheets, towels etc, with the aim of getting ALL washing done each week and not have massive full up bins cluttering up the place. Next: toys, ornaments, and random bits of paper. Anyone fancy doing the same for the New Year?

Hello all, you have been very busy! I, on other hand, have been with a baby who has a cold, a tummy bug and, I noticed tonight, has just cut a tooth. Poor sod wanted lots of cuddles today and slept only on my boob or in the pram. And once he was asleep tonight I wanted my first shower since Sunday, then my tea. So I haven't had much time for minimal journey today. Binned two broken toys; two half empty bottles of horrid flavoured vodkas and put three toys in a bag for charity shop (DS in 9mo so doesn't have that many and most were gifts. I am not yet ready to get rid of them!). So 7 items gone; tomorrow I will aim for 8... it may be some time before I am at bluecarrot's level.

I have, however, had time to read and ponder your discussions. Think it was mm who mentioned difference between minimalism and decluttering. Totally agree that decluttering is an emotional thing, and I think it helps to have some sort of 'philosophy' driving you to make those emotional decisions. For me the 'what we need and no more' description is very appealing - both from an emotional but also a religious viewpoint. Also it chimes with the sort of parent I want to be and the way I would like DS to grow up. So I guess next time I am agonising over something I can ask - what is more important to me; this item or the person I want to be?

Does that sound too woo/up myself? Anyway, I am enjoying reading about your journeys and thinking about my own.

Oh, and I missed it before but today read the reference to bunnies in a hammock. [frgin] What possessed them??

And Harriet I would be tempted to keep, too, since I'd want to encourage DS's inventive play. Maybe get him an inventors box, fill it with his bits and bobs but he can only have that and if he finds new stuff then old stuff in the box must go?

Thanks for the welcome Gorgeous and nourishing is now going to be my mantra for 2013!

blossom, if you're woo, I am too. I can't simplify without thinking about why I let things get complicated. Sounds like you did masses today in the circs!

Oh, and just read the posts I missed while wittering on myself. Calm and authentic, gorgeous and nourishing will be my mantra, too. Beautifully put!

Anyone got big plans for the day?

A hallway to WC is now stacked literally floor to ceiling with boxes. While satisfying to look at, it obv can't be a long term fixture so decluttering my "useful" boxes is top of my list before I leave for the dump.

Then it's onto my bedroom which is holding all the boxes of tiny things I felt needed proper sorting, plus boxes of stuff to put away properly. I felt the "need proper sorting" boxes would slow me down last two days but no point in doing all this hard work and having these last three shoeboxes kicking about.

Then I'm stopping the main work for Christmas :) Though will def keep an eye out and try to use those boxes under stairs. I photographed the bin bags of stuff ready to leave and keeping it as a reminder that I often buy stuff that has limited purpose/ I didn't take care if well enough / was never worth space in my home.

Hi, could I join in too please?

I was very happy to find this thread yesterday, read the whole thing. Ideal timing for me as we have recently completed a massive '1st stage' purge, I estimate we got rid of 30% of our possessions. The house is gorgeous without, much calmer and cleaner.

I now need to do 2nd stage - which is go right back through the house and get rid of all the small fiddly bits I couldn't face doing first time.

After reading yesterday I was inspired to start and did more linens, spice cupboard and other kitchenalia.

I am amazed how easy I find it to purge once started. Also just a month later I can honestly say there is nothing I regret getting rid of! The kids really got into it and were surprisingly positive. We had a fairly tidy home before just overfull, now every cupboard has a little space, which makes it so nice for them as they can find their things easily.

Am just 'wow' at some of the mega decluttering described upthread! Well done to you.

bc you are doing great! My plan is to take a bag of stuff to the charity shop. I checked eBay and it wouldn't sell for much (am only going to sell stuff for £5+), so just getting shot. Oh, and posting a book I sold on amazon for £8.

Inspiring thread ! Thank you. I'm writing this as surveying a scene of chaos in our open plan house with limited storage. (Grr)
One great book is Organised Simplicity and the author's website :
Simple Mom.net - also her podcasts are REALLY good to listen to, especially when tackling the ironing mountain or doing a declutter.

Has anyone here tackled the attic? That's where the real mountains of crap are in this house. It seems like such a big job, I'm not sure I can face it till after Christmas, though I'm itching to get up there.

Binned some storage pots last night that I had been keeping 'in case' I needed them. It has finally clicked for me that if I buy storage I will use it, and therefore create a hot spot of mess and unnecessary stuff. I have a lovely stair basket, for instance, which has been full of crap for months. If I didn't have the basket, the crap would have to go.

The basket is going today!

Hi Antoinette, I have no attic here but the garage was full to the brim. My approach was to move the stuff inside in big chunks, put it somewhere annoying/conspicuous so I couldn't ignore and I was forced to get on. I was also totally determined if it hadn't been used in the 3 years since it went in, we didn't need it so it went. Garage still not empty (my target) but only a quarter left I think. Hard work tho.

hi stillsmiling and antoinette. No attic here but I have a garage at my currently rented-out house. The house should be sold in Feb so we have to clear the garage before then. I am dreading it, but I know I'll feel so much better when it's done. It's 1.5 hours drive away so I can't do it in small chunks of time. I will need this thread when I tackle this.

there's a very sagging shelf in attic from all my old work papers. There are 2 shelves full of books & papers, but one shelf looks perilously close to collapse.

I am thinking to get back in touch with my old employer because impossible to find any other job.
So that's my excuse for not tackling it yet & I'm sticking with it .

Harriet
BIN!

BB you're not up youself! You talk complete sense, it's not about the stuff, it's about spending time and connecting with people (if anyone wants to read a great book on connection, 'Playful Parenting' is right up there along side Simplicity Parenting)

...should have read 'yourself' of course not 'youself'.

'StillSmilinginteresting you called it a first stage purge, I feel that decluttering definitely happens in layers. Once one layer is pealed away, I've gone onto the next and so on & your home just gets cleaner and calmer. BB was talking about it being a philosophy, that is certainly he way it is for me. Again, without wanting it to sound too much, we've simplified to the extent that for the past four years my children have been Screen free apart from a family film once a week. I know people tend to eye roll about reduced screen time etc but for us it has made the most enormous difference to the atmosphere in our home. I guess simplicity/minimalism is a huge part of our day to day lives here. It is our philosophy and our way of being.

AC in the home we've rented for the past five years we haven't had an attic which is probably why I started on the minimalist journey in the first place!

...and we have no garage either...

cuddleup thank you to the link to the podcasts.

Cuddleup I've found her site but can't find podcasts on there? Could you post direct link to it?

MM, are the adults screen/tv free too? In the evenings? Do you have a tv or use pc?

IWA no adults aren't screen free. The TV is strictly off until children are sleeping and then I try to watch TV intentionally rather than just on in background. I watch an hour in the evening, something like Mad Men, we use LoveFilm to order series mostly. I spend the rest of my evening reading, resting. So, yes, we have a TV. I know some families who are TV free adults and children, it's an area I'm interested in but I don't think DH is interested in being TV free 100 % . I know not everyone will agree with this at all, but we do not let DC watch news or see newspaper headlines as I feel like they are too young to have to have the worlds problems on their shoulders. Anyone who has read Simplicity Parenting will know why we chose to take this path several years ago. I think there is plenty of time when they are older to see pain and suffering in the world I know not everyone would agree with this at all as its not very usual but it's what we do.

Morning all. Its the basement thats the dumping ground here. I have no idea whats in it, whether its usable or not as I can't really get in to it to have a look. Its just a wall of crap.

MM we are screen free here as well - apart from half an hours MNetting every so often People generally look at me in horror and say that when DD starts school she will have no cultural references to connect with the other children. I think that the fact that they believe that is pretty tragic in itself.

It's interesting to hear different approaches. We've been tv-free on occasion, but ended up mainlining iplayer, so it wasn't much of an improvement, though nicer than just having it streaming in. DH likes his Xbox and it's nice to watch films on the big screens, but I'm making a conscious effort not to put tv on automatically and I'd get rid in a heartbeat if DH was happy about it.
I need to limit my internet use mainly now. It was simple when we just had the one desktop in a separate room, with a laptop that sits on the arm of the sofa I'm permanently online. It's addictive.