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Original poster

Anyone want to join me in a minimalist journey?

953 replies

lucysnowe · 13/12/2012 14:30

I've been reading a load of minimalist mum blogs and have been brainwashed inspired Xmas Smile. 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. Xmas Grin Anyone fancy doing the same for the New Year?

OP posts:
lljkk · 05/01/2013 15:57

When I was a kid I found many interesting books to read on my parents' bookshelves. So I want to keep some, but only the ones I feel sharply happy to have read myself.

LentilAsAnything · 05/01/2013 16:11

We have a lot of books for toddler DS, because IME, these books are read and reread many times. Adult books, who reads the same book twice when there are so many other books to read we'd never read all the books available in our lifetime? So I have one or two reading books, and that's it. And when I've read them, they get passed on, never stored.

sommewhereelse · 05/01/2013 16:28

I am currently unpacking books following our move.

With the novels, many of them are going straight into the 'dispose of' box. I am keeping the ones I really want to share with DCs in 10 or 15 years time,. I am making a pile of 'not sure/can't remember' novels which I intend to reread or start rereading over the next few months. I suspect most of them will go, because I don't usually forget a novel that I've really enjoyed.

madwomanintheattic · 05/01/2013 17:53

Blossom, thanks for 'genres' tip. I've been thinking in terms of 'areas' which isn't quite as helpful when I'm looking at the daunting mass!!

Pixie, mm, 'old me' and yearning. V interesting... especially in terms of books, here... Food for thought. I have to say I recoiled with horror at the thought of getting rid of books I used for thesis (was that you, Remus? Someone mentioned it up thread). It feels like contemplating chopping off a limb, which is ridiculous, particularly as the damned things probably haven't been opened since the ink was dry on the copy...

I am going to make a start today.

QueenofWhatever · 05/01/2013 18:16

Very insightful post pixiestix. I went through the book trauma a few years ago which might be why I'm finding that easier. But do I really need 32 cookbooks (yep, counted then this morning) when I mainly cook from experience and the Internet?

This thread has made me a bit more methodical in looking at my stuff - is it beautiful, useful or ideally both. I'm struggling with the dawning realisation of how much stuff I've had for 10, 15 or 20 years and haven't used.

Today's struggle is with my tent, sleeping bag and mat. I camped my way across the South Pacific in my mid-twenties which has many great memories for me. But I hate camping in this country and am not a fan of it in Europe either. I haven't used my tent since 1996 but have faithfully packed it and unpacked it every time I've moved house.

I know I need/want to get rid of them but am holding on by coming up with reasons why I can't such as 'it's the wrong time of year to put it on ebay'. I'm hoping that by letting it sit at the back of my mind I'll wake up one morning (soon!) and stick it all on freecycle.

harrietspy · 05/01/2013 18:18

I love the 'genres' idea too.

Have been sorting photos as stage 1 of minimising 6 huge boxes. It's been much more emotional than I thought. Lots of photos remind me of sad, bad times and I don't want to keep them but dc's dad hates to get rid of photos, even duplicates. I don't want to keep things that make me feel unhappy when I see them... DC's dad and I share a house but we're not together any more and will be getting divorced at some point. Maybe I could scan the photos I really want to keep and let him have custody of the rest?

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 05/01/2013 18:19

Yep, it was me. It felt good to get rid of them actually - theories that as a twenty one year old I thought were incredible actually seem rather daft to me now!

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 05/01/2013 18:20

Opps - have just counted my cookery books. I seem to have 69 (and that's with frequent culling!). Blush

harrietspy · 05/01/2013 18:22

If you could keep one cook book, what would it be?

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 05/01/2013 18:23

Harriet - that must be so difficult. Am in utter awe of anybody emotionally strong enough to be doing what you're doing. Hope you don't mind me going off topic to say that? Sorry if inappropriate.

And yes, scanning the ones you'd like to keep and giving the actual photographs to your ex sounds like a v sensible plan.

harrietspy · 05/01/2013 18:31

[Aside to remus: it's actually a v good arrangement as we get on much better now we're not trying to be married! I think that untangling our shared 'things' is an important part of the process of separating. Hard but good].

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 05/01/2013 18:33

:) Dp and I are not allowed to split up, as we got rid of one of each of our duplicate books/vinyl when we got together. If he tried leaving, I'd have to kill him in order to keep the Smiths albums!

If I could only keep one cookery book, it would be Madhur J's World Vegetarian. You?

madwomanintheattic · 05/01/2013 18:36

I have over 150 plates.

I finished my thesis as a mature student, so hopefully I wasn't quite as random! (And someone subsequently published exactly the same stuff I outlined, about five years later - no such thing as original thought lol). I do still have a couple of potential projects that have been laying dormant as a result for ten years or so... I doubt they will ever come to fruition, but I suppose it goes back to pixie's 'old me' and yearning again... I can't decide if I like the emotional space it takes up in my head, or if I would be better to accept it isn't going to happen, and move on...

This thread is really making me think.

QueenofWhatever · 05/01/2013 19:13

remus that is so spooky as that would be my one cookbook as well! I got given HFW's three things for Christmas and have got rid of two others so that's a start.

harriet I agree with letting him have the photos, just keep the ones you want. DD's Dad is a photographer and used photos of her as a way of control. I left after years of DV which included a lot of financial abuse so I have complicated feelings and thoughts about keeping things or buying what I need.

It's been nearly four years since I left and it's been a real journey about finding out who I now am. I think that's why I have these complicated reactions about things I have from before I met him. I have very, very few things left that were acquired while we were together.

blossombath · 05/01/2013 19:30

Wow remus I am jealous of your cookbook collection . I have just counted - 29, plus two 'recipes' books with magazine cut outs and word of mouth type recipes. This is post a recent cull which saw me get rid of...2 books.

Then a small (and getting smaller) pile of food magazines which I'm working through seasonally (ie next month I will take an old one from a past Feb, make as many recipes as I can, keep the ones I like then chuck the mag).

However I feel fine about all the (cookery) books I have now, as a few years ago I challenged myself to cook a recipe from each book each week - had to cook in the order on the shelves, and if I had used that book I had to cook a new recipe. If the recipe didn't work I tried two more from that book and if those didn't win me over I passed it gave it to charity shop. So I know I have cooked from all the books (except two I got for Christmas this year) and have culled ones I don't like.

Just one for life?? I think the one I use most is Nigel Slater's Appetite as it has some great basics. Ones I use most right now are Annabel Karmel and the BLW cookbook Smile.

I throw up my hands and confess I will never be a book or cookery book minimalist. Although I do know all my books are gorgeous and nourishing so no guilt, just joy and gratitute to have time to enjoy them.

madwomanintheattic · 05/01/2013 19:41

52 cookbooks, plus a few magazines.

But today is clothes. All my jobs are done, and I have three hours alone to get to it.

blossombath · 05/01/2013 19:44

*gratitude

Oh and harriet, I agree scanning and passing on to DC's dad would be a good way to deal with photos, you are clearly going through a real journey so now is the best time to get rid of things that make you sad.

pixie perhaps going through some of the books might actually help. Keep the ones that you know you would love to read again when you are less tired, but get rid of the ones that you don't love enough to read again. Maybe sell them if you can, and use the money to get yourself something that would allow you to enjoy reading in a new way - put it towards a kindle, or some audio books to listen to when driving/commuting. Perhaps neither of those appeal and putting the money towards a nice meal or night out would be more cheering...I guess what I mean is free yourself from a bit of that regret and yearning and try to turn the process into something positive about the person you now are.

Gah! that made little sense, I will try to think of a better way to phrase it, but better go start dinner before DH comes up [from putting DS to bed] and we have our second no-internet movie night.

LentilAsAnything · 05/01/2013 19:47

Can you not get any recipe you need online?

harrietspy · 05/01/2013 20:47

Thanks for advice re photos. That feels really good. Just scan the ones I love or copy them to put in a single album.

I asked about cook books because I've got rid of loads and I hardly use the ones I still have. The dc eat fairly plain food (spag bol, chicken casserole, etc) we don't do a lot of entertaining and I'm not a very confident cook, but I'd love to cook an interesting meal for myself every now and then. I like HFW Family Cookbook because it's so informative and covers so many fun things as well as basic methods. So maybe I'll keep that and then look online or get a book from the library if I need something else... I certainly don't think anyone should cull cookbooks if they're a thing of joy or genuinely useful. I have lots of books about writing/creativity and I'm not going to cull those. I've already sold/given away the ones I don't like/use.

Have a restful evening, all Smile.

SuffolkNWhat · 05/01/2013 21:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SilentMammoth · 05/01/2013 22:11

Can I share a story?

A few tears ago I visited dmil with children sans dh. She pulled out a large cardboard box, prob three foot by the foot by three foot. Remember when you used to take a film to boots for developing and you'd get it back in a little paper envelope? Well, every envelope fell of photos shed ever had developed were in there, along with cellophane packets if school photos she had bought but not opened.

It was an archaeological guide from the late 60s to early 2000s. It made my ocd shudder to think we might inherit this unlabeled box.

I now religiously upload photos every month to photo book making site and order album every year.

I decluttered my wardrobe today and have two empty shelves!!! And tbf, another is currently holding my hospital bag (pg with dc5) and there other holds out of season vacuum bag.

AntoinetteCosway · 05/01/2013 22:28

I have told DH that tomorrow I'd like to declutter the attic. He is looking scared Grin

SilentMammoth that's a really good idea to upload photos and then order a book of them once a year...

SuffolkNWhat · 05/01/2013 22:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsPennyapple · 05/01/2013 23:12

I love recipe books, but have bought some cheapies over the years that have turned out to be not very good. I took the rubbish ones to the amenity site today along with a few other bits. I find it much more inspiring looking at recipe books than looking at the internet, if I'm trying to decide what to make.

I was surprised and pleased that DP agreed to get rid of some bits as well - his ancient squash racquet and some old speakers that have been under the bed in the spare room for years. A small start, I know, but it's something.

sommewhereelse · 06/01/2013 08:22

About a year ago I boxed up about half my cook books, leaving just the ones from which we are guaranteed to enjoy any new recipes we try. Any books which had just one or two recipes I use, before boxing I typed up those particular recipes (no scanner sadly) to add to my recipe ring binder. There must have been at least 10 to 15 books like that. They have been in storage in someone else's place ever since and I haven't missed them so I will be getting rid of that whole box.