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?

I've really enjoyed your blog before BoffinMum, thanks for the link again.

Hope everyone has had a nice time this Christmas, and only got stuff that is useful or beautiful.

Oops, sorry MNHQ,if that went too far as a plug. Meant well.

Boffin if that was a link to your blog you could PM it to me, if you want. :) I've read it before and liked it but I lost the link.

Right, sorted things with MNHQ. There are new rules, because apparently some people have been signing up to MN with the sole purpose of promoting their blogs in an inappropriate way. Being good school prefects, they have to apply the same rules to everyone, even well loved and approved bloggers like oneself. So that was why they deleted the post. However I gather it would be OK to invite interested parties to google the words Austerity and Housekeeping, which would make the blog easy to find. BTW the Kindle version is offline because of formatting issues, but all the stuff's free on the blog anyway so you're not missing anything.

PS The well loved thing should have had a bit of a wink after it

Hello again! So it's eBay free listings this week - any idea if stuff sells particularly well or badly at this time of year (mainly maternity and baby stuff)?

Just hopping on before our day begins! Decluttered three very full carrier bags full of worn out/grown out of clothing yesterday to the clothes recycling bank yesterday. We also returned a beautiful quilt I had been lent that has hung over over bannister but the new house has a boxed in staircase so we will have no where to display it.

There was also a worn bath towel too that went into the recycling bank. I've decided just to keep four bath towels, one for each member of the family and a bunch of hand towels too.

In the new house we are moving into in the next few weeks there is only one bathroom (we have two currently, we're downsizing by at least a third if not by half!) so I'm wondering how many hand towels to keep. I have a dryer which makes the towel turnaround quick! What do you think?

Now it's the new year I really want to focus on decluttering. We're already very minimalist but I still think there is stuff cluttering the place up!

I've heard of one method of decluttering where everything is taken from a room and the only what is truly, truly needed is put back (or beautiful) and then the rest has to be dealt with! Thinking of doing that in our bedroom. Pondering getting rid of bedside cabinets as they are such a clutter catch but they are original French pieces and expensive too which always makes it harder!

Anyway, must go and start our day now, good luck decluttering today anyone who is doing it!

I'd keep one hand towel as it can be washed and dried daily. I'm replacing ours today - not v minimal, but think the new white company ones on order will be much more nourishing than the stained purple ones!

DH and toddler are out, so as long as ds naps, I'll be clearing the house (surfaces, laundry mountains, general putting away and decluttering w eBay and freecycle) As he only naps on me, I'm not sure how much I'll achieve . Trying to enjoy the snuggles and not get frustrated...

Have you got a sling Rarely?

MM, we only have one bedside cabinet at the minute, as DD was in a bedside cot before, so I got rid of mine, but we are going to get rid of DHs soon as it functions mostly as a dangerous and endlessly enticing treasure basket for DD.

My parents are taking DS for a few days soon and I am really looking forward to a good sort and donate of all of his stuff. He has approximately a million toys and never plays with any of them lately, just wanders around complaining that he's bored. Yet, when there's very little choice he can play with the same car for hours. So out it goes!

I'm just tired of having so much crap! It's everywhere, all the time, and no matter how many declutterings I do, it's not going to matter unless I buy less. So I really need to work on that!

arses I do and I love it. DS doesn't agree though...
Still, am very gifted at doing things with one hand.

Rarely, oh dear, maybe a different type would work?

cheerfulyank agree that the more toys they have, the more 'bored' they are. DD and I got rid of a shedload in November (we do every year for Christmas and her January birthday) and she hasn't missed anything.

This year she couldn't face working out what to give away so I told her to go through the drawers and take out what she wanted to keep. She preferred it and we got rid of about 40% of her stuff. Unfortunately no cuddly toys have left the building.

Merry Christmas ladies, hope you all had a lovely time whether minimising or just merry making.

I tried to turn off the nagging frustration,about stuff everywhere for two days but today it is back with a vengance. Starting to plan my full on minimalist mission but just don't know where to begin. I want to do a box challenge in each room but it will probably be a slow process as, like rarely, I have to do it while ds naps or with him in the sling.

Current procrastinate/faffing hurdle is which room to start in... Nursery/ junk room which is junkiest, bedroom which is messiest, living room where we spend most time, smallest room for easy win? Please help me to stop dithering

No bedside tables here, agree they just store clutter.

Broke another plate too, AND a cup - so I am accidentally getting more minimalist!

I love the idea of clearing a room then only filling it with what is gorgeous and nourishing!

We have bedside tables. Mine is empty, dh's is full of crap essential stuff he hasn't used in years. We have different definitions of minimalism .
blossom I'd start in the room you use the most. This way you get a gorgeous and nourishing place to relax in.

Thanks for the advice on the bedside cabinets, I imagine they will have to go as our new bedroom is small and we have a kingsize bed, so it would end up looking cramped anyway. I'm very use to decluttering, but these are going to hard to part with as we bought them with wedding present money and as I said they were expensive. I'm going to find it very hard!

Haven't done any decluttering today although I have been thinking about it...really need to start work on my bedroom, it's been done several times already in the last year but it needs another sweep through plus I need to start packing.

Next week furniture that won't fit into our new house needs to start leaving, I have some friends that I know want a few pieces so I need to arrange for them to get picked up or ask my sister to drop them off. As we're downsizing, we just need to keep basics, like dining room table but getting rid of two bookcases and a toy shelf and a chest of drawers as my children are going from a room each to sharing a room and only one chest of drawers can fit into their bedroom.

I'm finding it hard to focus on one area of house at the moment! It really does need to be my bedroom! I'm thinking of hauling it all onto the landing into a pile and then going through it...

I like the idea of no bedside table but would need somewhere for water, book and phone to pass time in night feeds. I have been furniture-lusting over thesefor a while. Mounted on wall By bed, just space for essentials. Like you mm we have sentimental attachment to our tables so will probably remain just a dream.

BB I too need a glass of water at night and somewhere to put my book...

Thank you for the no fees on eBay tip a little down the thread-I've just listed a load of books! Don't know how well they'll sell but I figure if they don't I'll just charity shop them.

books to look at though don't buy them and re-clutter your bookshelves

When DD was in the bedside cot I put all my stuff in a basket at the bottom of the cot. And now, we've a futon, so it's right next to me on the floor. I started having a bottle of water rather than a glass so it's safe whether it tips over etc.

For a normal height bed I like headboards with storage, even if it's just a shelf above. www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20228709/

Hello all.

Re cutting down amount of towels, sheets etc, what if you're trying to minimise and also cut down on tumble drying for ecological and financial reasons? For me this is a good reason to keep a few sets of something in circulation. Any thoughts?

Well. I just took all of DS's toys out of his room, but because he will have to earn them back with good behavior, not in the name of minimalism. I am at the end of my rope with that boy!

However, I was at the amount of stuff that has crept in since last time I did a good clean out! It's like it breeds or something.