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 work from home and don't go out very often in the evening, lol! I'm a bit of a home bird and all my friends have young DC too so we tend to meet in the day rather than for evenings out IYKWIM? I LIVE in skinny jeans/ boots and just mix it up with different print tops/ vests/ cardi/ chunky necklaces! I only buy tops I LOVE so it's taking a while to build my wardrobe! I hope to add more next season!

I think the fact that I don't need work wear /evening wear makes a HUGE difference...

If necklaces/ footwear counts it's more than 27 items, though not a lot, I have wide feet and hate shoe shopping!!!!

Now this is probably going to sound stupid but I find if I buy cheap with clothes I don't care for them as well as I might for a top that I have been hankering after. I line dry rather than stick them in the tumble dryer and press them really carefully etc. I definitely find less is more when it comes to taking good care of your clothes, it's just not so overwhelming!

Oh dear . Clothes are my cluttery nemesis. I am at the Antoinette end of the scale! In fairness I'm good at throwing out stuff I don't wear, and I wear all the clothes I have. My job demands quite a varied wardrobe (not just suits) and I get cold easily to tend to layer up a lot.

I am working on the 'just don't buy any more' mantra for now..

Banish Clutter Forever I bought on Kindle after reading the sample chapter. I'll probably keep it, I've reread bits and tried to reinforced the bits I glossed over first time through.

With the Kindle you can return your purchase within 7 days even if you've read it. I don't know if there's a limit on this but Francine Jay was just a little bit too smug for me so is no longer cluttering up my screen.

Here's a bit from Appendix 1 to see if you like the Banish Clutter Forever tone
Five Ways to build a new mindset.

Forge your vision
Why do you want to clear your clutter? How will doing so enhance your life? What is your personal 'tidiness style'? 'Cosy' or 'minimalist'? Visulaise the way your space will look when you have finished. How will you feel?

Deal with resistances
What are your personal 'downsides'to clearing you clutter? I s there anything that scares you about doing it? How can you take care of these concerns seperately?

These areas are all enlarged on in a first person, 'chatty' way in the early chapters along with detailed discussion on bathroom, kitchen, bed and a good chunk on home office/paperwork management.

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Thanks everyone finding this thread inspiring.

Wombat clothes are my cluttery nemesis too, I love that phrase! I have used every excuse in the book to keep a huge amount including many I haven't worn for years but keep because they still fit and what if they come back into style and I have to buy a replacement dark pink satin pencil dress (or whatever)???

I have tried all sorts including the 'box up and if you don't wear in six months bin/give away' but I can never do it. I, too, like having different things to suit different moods and play about with, but I do often wear a core wardrobe (even before breastfeeding limitations). I'd like to try something like project 333 partly as a challenge and partly cos I always read that capsule wardrobes save you time in the morning and I'm about to go back to work part time after mat leave so saving time is big on the agenda.

However, given it will take time to sift through stuff I might leave the project til I've finished clearing our living room. One thing at a time, or I'll never finish anything!

Blackbag I didn't know that about returning your purchase on kindle. I did download the sample chapter and thought it looked good from that

Blossom I believe I have the pale pink twin of your satin pencil dress!
I agree with you about doing the quick wins first. My next step will be dressing table and bookshelves.

I have just tried to count the clothes in my wardrobe, ignoring those in the chest of drawers and the heap of summer stuff I'm already at an embarrassing amount. I am with Antoinette and Wombat - I love clothes, love new clothes but am now operating on the one in one out policy (which is how I'm justifying my sale shopping!). I am considering trying the Project 333, I reckon I probably only wear about half the stuff in my wardrobe anyway so it could be easy, I would love to test my new found resolve but would struggle limiting my scarves and necklaces....will continue to mull it over.
Anyway I've managed to list a few (15) items on ebay (more to do this evening) and have also sorted out all our towels and bed-linen so another huge bag is on its way to the tip. We now have one towel each, the DD's have two each and we all have a swimming towel each. Guests will have to bring their own .
Blackbag - thanks for the book recommendation - I have downloaded it and am looking forward to going through the working from home/home office bit as that is something I struggle with.
I am feeling so much lighter and clearer as a result of all the excellent advice and tips on this thread - I went into town today and felt no desire to dip into any of my usual haunts for a quick fix of clutter; we went in for new school shoes, and that is all we came out with. So even if my posts aren't minimal (!) my home and head feel much more ordered....I do hope this continues into 2013. Thank you.

I'm a stay home mum which helps with my minimalist wardrobe, so yes, I have just what I said at the beginning I'd this thread, recap for people that don't want to go hunting back:
I have:
One pair of skinny jeans
Two short sleeved tops
Two long sleeved tops
Two coloured vests
One maxi dress for summer
Two fine wool fitted sweaters

One pair ballet pumps
One pair black boots
One pair flip flops

One pair of PJ's
One coat

That is all the clothing I own! Since 'finding' minimalism I hate shopping, it's so tough finding good quality clothes on the high street that I end up giving up and not buying anything. Obviously, with owning so little, my tumble dryer is essential

I don't own accessories, I decluttered them all as you can see, I'm quite an extreme minimalist!

Sorry about typos, meant 'beginning of this thread'

Does the footwear count? If so, then it is 13 items I own

I think I have about 66 items of clothing, rather than 33. 33 seems like a good amount. I have work to do!

We only have one set of bedlinen for our bed, and one set for the spare bed.

I do feel some conflict between who I think I would like to be (simple-living gypsy monk minimalist) and someone who likes being surrounded by nice things! It is the former mindset that I'd prefer DS to grow up with, not someone who is puts value in possessions. I do feel better every time we clear a little bit from our home.
I think I will compromise: live as minimalistically as possible January-November, then treat December as my month of indulgence, with all my lovely Xmas decorations.

I minimised my screen time today - no MN/facebook/twitter while the DC were awake, and I did some batch cooking while they napped in the day! . Just had an ebay listing frenzy to get shot of some maternity wear.

I am a sahm, and when I go back to work, I'm a wahm. Like lola, my social life revolves around daytime stuff, so I don't need workwear or going out stuff. Excluding coats, accessories, shoes and underwear/sleepwear, I have:

2 naice, smartish jumpers (cashmere/merino). I refuse to believe acrylic keeps you warm, and prefer quality over quantity.
2 skinny jeans. I need one more pair.
1 denim skirt.
1 tea dress that I hate and will probably go to the charity shop tomorrow
Countless short and long sleeve Ts. I need to work out how many I actually need. These are all in my colours, and I can just grab one in the mornings.
2 going out/work party/wedding dresses. One is in action, one should probably be culled, but I was wearing it when DH proposed and I love it. It will never fit me again, a size 10 Reiss bodycon dress
my wedding dress!

I do plan on buying a few more items though - a wool blazer is top of the list.

Just checking in. What a great thread. So many inspirational stories and people. I'll update you all with my progress as and when.

Rarely, why are you keeping your wedding dress? I have kept mine, I mainly feel so that a DD, should I have one, could wear it if she wants to (her 'something old'!), or do something nice with it (it was adaptable, could be worn short and not look like a wedding dress). But a part of me thinks it's taking up a lot of space (although it is out of sight, in PIL's loft). Just interested in why others keep theirs! I did try on my mother's wedding dress when I was about 13, and it was nice to wear it, but I grew much taller than she is, so of no use to me.

Btw, I have no merino/cashmere/wool anything, and manage to keep wonderfully warm in other fibres, so it is very possible!

Am going to cull more clothes tomorrow, ready for a fresh start to the new year.

Hi, Wanda, and welcome!

I have had a brutal cull of underwear, jammies, towels and bedding and I already feel better and less cluttered. Got rid of 2 bin bags of rubbish and one to go to the charity shop, as well as a few bits I might try and eBay.
DH is off work tomorrow so he can do a trip to the dump and jobs a goodun!

Next on my hit list is coats and shoes. I can't believe how small some of your capsule wardrobes are, I'm very jealous but think I need to build up to that, it sounds scary to have so few clothes. I know I'd be invited to some event and then panic buy new clothes cos I don't have nothing suitable.. Thus how I have too many clothes on first place, eh?

Evening all.

I don't have heaps of clothes - they fit in a kids' size chest of drawers and a hanging thing on the back of a door - but some of them I never wear because I don't like the colour or the fit or I don't have anything to go with them.

I work part-time, mainly from home, and about 4-5 days a month I need to be moderately smart for work-related events. I'm in awe of minimalistmommi and your minimal wardrobe but like glitterkitten I'm not ready for that yet. One of my challenges is thinking 'there's loads of wear left in this' and feeling that it's wasteful to get rid of clothes because I can't afford to replace things at the moment... What I might do is give a minimalist wardrobe a trial run - just pick out the things I love and always wear and put the rest in a suitcase and see what (if anything) I miss and see how it works practically to have a smaller amount of clothes.

I might also look at the clothes that I don't love and see what I could do to make them work: eg could I dye them? (eg the slightly sad pale grey cardy that's a really great shape). Could I remake them? (eg the charity shop skirt in a gorgeous fabric but a terrible cut). I've made a mental list of what I love to wear and it's amazing how many clothes I'd happily say goodbye to!

Good work, glitter!

I don't really go to fancy events, apart from weddings, and I have a couple of dresses set aside for those (though I think I've hit that age where most of my friends are married, so not many more weddings expected). I am thinking if I do need to go to a fancy event, I will hire a dress.

harriet, putting clothes away to see if you miss them is a great idea! I have done that, and ended up just chucking loads! Though I did make a nice cushion from one dress, so it's still kinda around.

harriet, that's really what the Project 333 has done for me as it's motivated me to pack up the stuff I don't really like and/or wear that often. What I didn't expect was for it to motivate me so quickly to getting rid of a bunch of stuff.

Also by packing it away rather than just getting rid of it straight away, it's given me time to see if I do or don't need stuff. Much better for my anxiety levels! The very capsule wardrobe stresses me out a bit but this way it still feels quite indulgent.

A good tip I picked up on a blog was to turn around the hangers of your clothes and only turn them the right way round when you wear something. After a few weeks or months you can easily see what you're using and what you aren't. This is more an exercise in minimalism than decluttering.

I too love the phrase 'cluttery nemesis' and will be adopting it .

Hello my fellow minimisers! I namechanged (from RU), but in answer to the wedding dress question, I've kept mine as I plan to get it altered to a non-wedding dress. It's a tea-length dress, non-meringue style, but still ivory lace which begs the question of will I ever do this? Did just sell my wedding shoes on ebay though, so that was a good break with sentimentality.

My clutter nemesis is books. I find it very hard to get shot, even of those I will never read again. Get a bit panicky in places with nothing to read (my job is an editor, so I guess books are an integral part of my life). I also like minimal room decoration, apart from big bookcases full of colourful spines, not that I have this, the books live on the landing! I will, however, get shot of the box of books under my desk that hasn't been opened since moving here. But they're DH's... Decluttering dilemma.

More stuff to go on ebay later, and perhaps shelving to go up in the understairs cupboard . It's a major dumping ground and perfectly useless as so chaotic. I envisage lots of shelves and everything dumped more neatly.

I asked my DDs (7 & 5) last week about their toys, as I suspected some of them which I choose they don't really like. So the lovely wooden fire engine & dolls house are leaving. The Barbies are going to, we all dislike them but friends thought my DDs were missing out on a childhood necessity and donated them. I am trying to master my guilt over sheddiing that lot. My parents would have made me keep the lot and consider me ungrateful for admitting I did n't love the naice, good quality possessions.

Anyway, this will leave more space for the favourites and ones to grow into like construction sets/marble runs, etc. i am the parent and I say that lovely things we don't like have no place here.

2 recycle bags and 1 bin liner out of the main bedroom plus general tidying. Not finished yet either!

Can I join? It has taken me a few days to get through this thread but am feeling hugely inspired!
We have 4 dc age 11, 10, 7 and 5, in a largish 3 bed house. They have waaaaay too many clothes and general stuff. My problem is books. I want a lovely, serene mostly empty house. My aim is to get rid of 50 % of the 'stuff' in our house, and limit screen time (although dd11 needs the laptop a lot for yr7 homework)
Yesterday I cleared the tupperware, got rid of a black bag full! Left us with a lunch box each, 6 small snack pots and 2 cake tins, but would like to cut it back a bit more (but need to allow for lost snack pots!)
Also have a stuffed IKEA bag for ebaying, a binbag of my old stuff has just gone to somebody on Freecycle (I have been waiting to slim back into it, never have. Maybe now it's gone I will drop that dress size!), dd7 wardrobe has been halved and a bin bag gone to another home, and ds5 has also halved his clothing and that has gone too! I want to get rid of at least 60% more clothes as I am drowning in washing waiting to be washed or ironed or put away.
Feeling very inspired and ready to really tackle it when the dc are back at school on my days off work!