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?

Still no decluttering happening here... DP is still off work so we're out and about doing things, but once he's back at work I'm going to get started.

Hobnob I don't know about the Salvation Army bins specifically, but most charity shops get money for rags. I bag up any stuff like that separately and tell them when you drop it in that it's just rags, they are normally grateful to have it.

Actually I lied, I have decluttered my dressing table. My cousin gave me a small square jewellery box which is pretty, but too small to be any real use, and I've looked at it resentfully many times, sitting there taking up space and being useless. So I put a few bits of cheap jewellery in it that I don't wear, and they are now in the charity shop bag.

Hello all. Back from a few days away visiting family (although I couldn't help but stay on the thread while I was away...). Back and ready to continue simplifying tomorrow.

In answer to graceless, I have radically reduced the number of toys in the house but haven't always involved the dc in doing it. When they were younger, I quietly hid away toys they rarely seemed to play with, then if the toys weren't mentioned or missed, they were passed on to charity shops. Tbh if I'd involved the dc in the decision-making, they would never have let anything go - a bit like if I let them decide about how much screen time they should have, they'd watch telly/play Wii all day. (I know there are children who self-limit, but not mine). So I took the view that they would be happier with fewer toys and quietly removed things when they weren't looking.

DS1 is 10 now and I talk to him about passing on things he doesn't play with any more. DS2 is 7 and very unsentimental. He basically wants to keep Lego. I think I'm going to consult the boys about selling the rarely-touched toys (Scalextric, Hot Wheels, etc) and dividing any money we get between them. (DS1 really wants to see his football team play but the tickets are really expensive, so he could save for that).

Mooncups are very minimalist!

Lemon it is crazy how much space ordinary baskets take up! Who invented them anyway??

I have removed about a bag of toys - again, just rubbish, but plan to do the Simplicity Parenting guy's thing of storing most of them and just taking out a couple of boxes per few days, say.

Thanks everyone for the toy input. It's all very sensible, I guess it's the doing bit that's the hardest. I rarely (never?) have time without the kids unless I'm working and so it only gets done in dribs and drabs. Managed to do another bin bag of rubbish last night and am using the top shelves of their cupboards as a holding area for collated stuff (play mobile and the train stuff) with the vague notion of them asking to have a specific toy, getting it out playing with it and then (this is clearly a dream...) putting it all away before they get another one out... It's a soothing, minimalist dream anyway!

Suffolk, that is a really great blog. I have tweeted about it and wonder if you might like to do a guest post on my blog? (I tried to reblog it on Wordpress but it was beyond me ...)

Thanks for all the advice. I've had the baby stuff on facebook and gumtree to little avail - it just doesn't seem to sell round here despite the astronomical birth rate . Maybe I'm asking too much? Is £2 an outfit/coat optimistic? It looks like the 6 crates and 2bin bags of stuff will have to sit around until the next local baby sale in Feb then a clothes collection company for what is left. Need patience...

Managed to do my whole bedroom and move all furniture around and found £20 in change which paid for a takeaway treat last night

Oh Reaa I would love to get our bedroom sorted. Unfortunately that is where dh keeps his vinyl collection, and I know that will be going nowhere! Might look into nicer storage for his turntables and vinyl though.
hobnob could you sell the clothes as a bundle? I probably wouldn't travel across town for one outfit for £2, but would for a bundle for £10.
I really need to get started seriously after a good start. DD7 has found 5 toys to give away (it's a start!) and today I aim to tackle upstairs a bit! But I still have 4dc at home, so it will be slow going. May have to glue them to the TV/Wii for the afternoon.

Suffolk, I've just read your blog. Currently unpacking from a move and realise that I am a rainy day and sentimental hoarder.

Eg I have far too many thick woolly jumpers in case the heating breaks down or we can't afford to heat our house properly. It's not helped by the fact that several were knitted by my late mother and that I often receive beautiful woollies as gifts from Ireland.

I've had no problem putting various pairs of 'barely worn bought for other people's weddings pairs of shoes' up for sale because I cannot foresee a rainy day when I would need to wear heels. (not very good for keeping feet warm or running away from zombies)

What does your book recommend for rainy day/sentimental hoarders?

Hobnob, thank you, the Enjo looks good.

All the stuff we put on eBay before Christmas has sold for a slightly surprising £185 and DP has sold some records via www.discogs.com for £80. The satisfaction for me though comes from knowing they are all leaving the house but also going to someone who really wants them.

I downloaded the introductory chapter to Simplicity Parenting and that has made me decide not to find an after school activity for DD on a Tuesday. I changed jobs three months ago and can now pick her up from school. I was starting to think she 'should' be doing some extra activity but have realised that keeping it simple is the way to go.

hobnobs I would offer bundles of clothes. That would motivate me more to make the effort to get in contact and travel to collect. Maybe three or four complete outfits and a coat rather than just tops or skirts etc.

Am just sidling in to bookmark for later. Found the thread last week and read some of the blogs listed. There are five of us (with youngest 9yo) and two Labradors living in a 2 bed apartment (with a one room basement as the girls' bedroom.)

We are pretty much all hoarders, but not quite at the saving rubbish stage... At this point it is just accumulated personal belongings. I should add that before we moved here we got rid of forty cubic metres (yar) of stuff including 21 trips to the council dump with a stuffed to the brim ford galaxy, and numerous trips to the charity shop. We still have way too much claggage.

We need minimalism to stop the crazy.

Just been to the dump and it feels good!

Interesting about the bundles. I had offered them as a bundle or individual items. I personally avoid bundles in case there's something I don't like and then I need to deal with the burden of getting rid of it. More clutter!

Hobnob do you need the money? I'd be tempted just to donate it to get the stuff out of the house but appreciate you might want to sell in order to fund new clothes.

I'm thinking you could expend a lot of time trying to sell for what may turn out to be little profit.

What a great thread! I have made a start.... All wardrobes cleared out ready for back to school next week !!

I dragged a donation bag into work with me today - decluttered CDs and digital photoframe to the oxfam music shop. The feeling of walking out without a bag of stuff is very enjoyable.

Tomorrow will be bag of DH clothes. He hates decluttering but has accepted the principle of one in one out so has donated some clothes and binned some worn out things. He was upset about my decluttered CDs and wanted to keep some (they are mine, I wouldn't declutter anything belonging to him, much as I'd like to) but agreed they could go after an evening of poring over music sites to see if they were worth anything

madwomanintheattic When I name changed (because I was outed!) I wanted your name! Obvs MN wouldn't let me because you exist...so I am most glad to bump into you

(You may notice that I am, quite literally, your alter-ego. In name terms at least!)

Thanks for this thread. I have just spent the afternoon reading it and I'm feeling really inspired. We did a massive declutter a few months ago but whilst books/CDs/clothes were easy to get rid of, I have a mental block with my DD's toys. I am ordering Simplicity Parenting to get me past this!
On the subject of clothes, I find this blog fantastic (just need to be out of the maternity wear to get started ):
Putting Me Together
It's all about making each item in your wardrobe work with a few other pieces so everything you own works in different ways.

I sorted out a corner of my bedroom this morning. All of my toiletries etc. It feels so much calmer.

Also took the christmas tree down and the living room feels somewhat calmer. After taking the tree down I did also go through the bookcase it was in front of and picked a few things to rehome. Unfortunately most of the books are dhs so I couldn't make much change. But the bookcase is tidy and clean now.

Boffinmum can you please pm me your blog. Suffolk I read your first page, and I love your writing stlye. I really wish I could write. I'm also new to the following blogs thing. Is there a way I can have reminders to go and read them or something?

I've just spent a happy hour tidying out all of my knicker/sock/bits n bobs drawers in the bedroom and decluttering the top of my dressing table. Erm...I may have lied slightly down thread about my minimalist makeup, as I found another Urban Decay palette and a blusher that I'd totally forgotten about.

Filled one bag of rubbish - and that was from only 4 small drawers. The annoying things are those that I need to keep but that we only use v rarely, like mozzy zapper plug in things and European plug adaptors and the travel iron etc. I've shoved them all into a basket, so they are all together in one section of a drawer.

Hi all. Everyone seems to be doing brilliantly! I've had a pretty productive time while the dc have been enjoying a pyjama day after lots of travelling.

I thought I only had a few clothes but I've filled a big suitcase with those I don't love, (or clothes that don't work for some reason - nothing goes with them, for instance) and this is what's left:

2 skirts (good with boots in winter)
2 everyday/work dresses
2 cardigans
5 long sleeve tops
5 vest tops
2 other tops
3 pairs of jeans

We'll see how it goes! This is nothing like as minimalist as some of your wardrobes, but I'm taking it in stages. If I don't miss the clothes in the suitcase, I'll sell/donate them.

I've also cleared away books from my bedroom that I won't read in the near future and just put one by my bed. ('Are you my mother' by Alison Bechdel - a Christmas present that I really, really wanted - can't wait to read it tonight!). It feels so much calmer! I'm also thinking about throwing away old diaries that are largely filled with angst and misery. Do I really want to hang on to those feelings? On the other hand, they mention things about when ds1 was really little... Any advice?

harriet I have the same problem with diaries. I used to keep loads as a teenager, and during my twenties started and stopped so many times, but in a different diary! Now I don't know what to do with them. I never look at them. Ever. And most of them a moaning I guess.
Now I have one book I right in as and when with no guilty feelings, largely about the children, so will keep that, but the others. I just don't know. Maybe I will regret getting rid of them.
Also school year books. I hated secondary school. Hated it. Do I really want the yearbooks?
So, no advice, sorry