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?

Just cleared another bursting carrier bag full out to the bin and another into recycling. It feels so good to keep on decluttering, even though we are already so minimal, I really feel like we're almost there and it feels so exciting! Even by chipping away with simply a couple of carrier bags a day, I still feel like I'm making a real difference to our home.

I'd love to know what kind of things someone who has been minimising for 2 years can find to get rid of!

Still sorting through boxes of books and have a couple of boxes worth to take to the charity shop on Saturday. I realise I have moved my degree novels 5 times without actually rereading any. There is always something better to read.

After a big struggle with the sentimental hoarder in me, I am also giving away books which were gifts that I haven't got very far with, always being put down in favour of more exciting reading. I've been using the busy mother excuse for too long and I have to admit that I read a reasonable amount every week and it's not because of lack of time that I've never finished (or started in some cases!) those books.

I wonder where it comes from. I can tell you who gave us what for our wedding and that was over 10 years ago. I think about that person every time I use the particular pan or serving dish (or ironing board!) whereas DH probably doesn't even remember they were wedding gifts.

I haven't managed to get anything done yet this week, with being back to work and rather busy.

I have been making an effort to keep on top of housework and laundry though, so that tomorrow when I am off work I can get on with some things.

I may try tonight, although it is mostly longer projects I have now. In fact I will do my cupboard in the living room tonight. If I write it down here then it will make me do it. I will try and get DH to confront some of his clutter while doing that too.

Somme really, there is still 'stuff' - I'm literally just paring everything down even more so everything is very, very simple. I often get asked that question by my family They ask me what I could possibly be getting rid of now?!

I really do believe though that even though I feel like I'm almost there, decluttering and minimalism is on-going throughout life, as people needs change, the stuff that needs to be an house changes too.

Got rid of 2 mattresses yesterday - thankfully the Freecycle person actually turned up as agreed!

Lots of stuff we thought we would want for the kids or to show the kids etc, it's now clear that it just isn't that useful or interesting, or is very easy to replace. Off it goes. I try to think of some of it as being generous donations to the charity shops.

Papers are my main problem - thanks to my historian parents who would tell me to keep things for people studying my life later! It's recently occurred to me that however famous I get, no-one's going to be that interested in every bank statement since I was 14... And the notes from courses and training.

Happy New Year everyone! This thread has really grown, I've read all your updates and its really inspiring. I talked upthread about phases and we are definitely moving into a new phase as we move to a smaller house with no garage. Me & DH are keen to experiment with this smaller space as it will mean we can move anywhere - it will mean we can afford rent in nicer areas if we need less space.

We had already decluttered masses but are now doing it all again. I have to say I find it fairly easy to part with stuff, its the time required to sort that I'm finding daunting.

Hi everyone ~ stopping and starting with the decluttering because of work but even with sporadic approach it's really working! I cleared out behind both sofas the other day (might make some of the more minimalist inhabitants of the thread recoil in horror to discover that I have intermittent build up of utter crap under my sofas, but there you go ) and it felt great! I even cleaned the skirting boards. Brilliant!!

Impressive work going on here. Well after my big clear out when the kids were away, things have skidded to a halt here. The school and nursery runs, plus lots of baby activities and feeding and colicky evenings have meant that my available time is zilch. Meantime my washing mountain is taking over the dining room and my housework remains undone. Oh, and the kids have spread their remaining toys around the house and are ruining my zen.

Resolve needed.

Well, we're definitely going to be having a student stay with us from March. This precipitates a major rearrangement (everyone swapping bedrooms!) so there's incentive and a deadline to get the house in order!

Btw I can't truly say I'm minimalist. I'm minimalish.

gracelesslady I fear we may be kindred spirits. My sofas have not been tackled yet. It is mostly toys under there. I alos feel ridiculouslt proud of myslef if I manage things like cleaning the skirting boards.

I really need someone to restrain me from minimising photos/towels/bed linen/crockery etc etc.

IT'S NOT MY STUFF.

We have just put an application in for a house we saw yesterday. Small and modest place so I'm kinda glad we don't own much stuff at the moment. If we are successful with our application, I can start buying the basics of furniture and be glad to leave this house with someone else's clutter to my own simple, minimalist house with clean lines and not much of anything.

Love minimalish harriet, will shamelessly steal that phrase to go alongside gorgeous and nourishing and 'what we need, and no more'.

Had a minimalish week here, struggling to cope with DS at the mo and exhausted from night wakings so being kind to self about house. Just trying to do a little bit a day and anytime I see anything I can get rid of it goes right into recycling/charity bag etc.

But having this pop up in my threads definitely keeps me focused! And DH off work for long weekend now so will make the most of his help to try and get a few medium sized jobs done.

Minimalish is okay, but I really love 'ruining my zen'.

I have head clutter regarding dd2's med neg claim at the mo, so I need to dig some stuff out, get a letter written, and post it off to the solicitor. It's been pending for a while, but now it's fizzing and popping in my head and I need to get it out of the way.

Can I join in? I started downsizing our stuff about 2 years ago after we had DS1 and moved away from London and into a smaller house for a better quality of life. I was really ruthless and chucked / donated / sold probably 2/3rds of our stuff. DH likes keeping stuff and collecting stuff, so that is always a struggle. Mostly his stuff is books, music and clothes (think novelty T-shirts - he has hundreds). I've gotten it under control by limiting the space he has to store it is - if it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit. I also don't share wardrobe or drawer space with him as it stresses me out. We've just moved again and I am drowning this time in kids stuff.

From the moment I announced my first pregnancy MIL has sent package after package of unasked for toys, baby equipment, clothes, books, etc. We just got two stray packages from christmas delivered yesterday. I am so tired of it. I am really ruthless with it mostly, I don't keep what I don't like or don't need - lots of clothes with tags and unopened toys to the charity shop. I don't try to sell them anymore as it takes too much energy. I have gotten over any sense of guilt about it and have stopped asking her not to send so much. I've accepted she gets joy from shopping and it isn't actually about making us or the boys happy. For example, we asked for a contribution to a climbing frame for their christmas gift - something they would like and don't have. Instead we got 6! huge boxes sent from abroad containing mostly junk, some nice books (we already have way too many), things they aren't old enough for and a GIANT plastic horrid remote control train set with extra trains which I'm trying to convince DH we should donate as we already have a ton of train track and the boys aren't old enough for the remote control stuff. Also, she is very well aware that I prefer them to have high quality wooden, open-ended playthings - I cant' help feeling the train is directed against me, rather than something she thinks they will really love. Point being, I feel like her mental illness is literally dumped in my life and I am just sick of having to organise and manage all this stuff. I don't even buy my kids clothes there is so much that comes through the post! Literally I have given away thousands of dollars of stuff that has gotten no or little use. Argh! Sorry for the rant!

So, again, I am purging the excess in our lives that causes stress and creates work. I've got three moving boxes of toys packed in the car to drop off at the charity shop on the school run this afternoon. I have also taken down the disgusting conservatory blinds to drop off at the tip. I am going to go through at least one file folder a day to clean out papers we don't need any more and get our paperwork organised again. I am in the final planning stages for the house renovations and have planned in for smart storage which will work for what we need to store and how we live. I am not aiming for minimalist, but for simplification and streamlining. For example, the new utility will be upstairs in the family bathroom where the laundry is created. Eliminates all the hauling of washing up and down the stairs. The new system will include baskets for everyone - so I am not responsible for sorting, folding and returning everyone's clothes. Anyway, I'm on a mission to get the house renovated, decorated and the family life organised by September.

If you've made it to the end of this post, well done! I promise they will be shorter from now on

Hello wendybird. Sounds like you're dealing with the unwanted stuff very well!

madwoman good luck with the letter. Sounds like tough stuff.

Was this you lot?

I've had a busy week with work and general home life so haven't been decluttering much. But I have been thinking lots of deep thoughts about minimalism .

One of the things that hit home when I read a lot of minimalist blogs over Christmas was how much time I was spending on the Internet. The thought of minimalising that made me feel quite anxious as I've become quite addicted to my iPad. I started by trying not to pick it up so often and also not taking it into the bedroom. Now I'm online probably 50% less than I was.

I've also really cut down on my Facebook use and am now only spending five minutes having a quick scroll through every other day. Previously I had it as an open tab so was checking it every couple of hours. Not only have I not missed it, I feel more relaxed by having less information constantly thrown at me. I've also kept unsubscribing from newsletters and blogs unless I really get a lot out of them.

wendybird I have to say that the MIL presents thing would upset me and make me angry. On a lot of minimalist blogs they talk about boundaries. It sounds like she is deliberately stepping over yours.

I wouldn't even open them or let them get past the front door. What you could do is contact your local Women's Aid and ask if they'd like them. Then every time one arrives, you can just write 'please forward to WA address' and it'll get redirected free of charge as well as benefit people in real need.

No bright ideas as to what to do with the novelty t-shirts though!

That is some passive aggressive mother-in-law-ing!

Hmm blogs. I hadn't subscribed to any until I started reading this thread!
I feeling quite overwhelmed by my desire to declutter the house and my lack of opportunity to do so. That plus being on maternity leave and wanting to indulge in other luxuries like reading and craft. Not enough hours in the day despite being up until 3am most nights! I'm getting so much reading inspiration from this thread I just hope I manage to do it justice and read thoughtfully so that this isn't just a passing phase. Whoever linked to Katy Says the other day, thank you. I needed to find her! I've seen a biomechanic in the past and he is a miracle man in my eyes. I'd love to become one and do for others what he did for me, but time and money and all that...

I digress.

We had some similar mil issues when dd1 was born, but on a smaller scale. Thankfully she has got better. I think it was from helping us with child are and seeing the lack of room here and the lack of attention her stuff got. She still has to work hard to contain herself at Christmas.

*childcare

YES! We got a house. An empty house.

I'm so happy that we can now pack up our car load of belongings and move away from all this clutter that isn't mine.

xMinerva that is great news. It will be so nice for you to be surrounded by only your stuff.

xMinerva, brilliant! Try not to buy too much stuff.

hobnob, Katy Says is great isn't it? Whre did you find your biomechanic? I wasn't sure what I'd be searching for iyswim. I need lots of help.

Thanks for the support all. MIL is truly lovely, but she has a very legitimate reason for having very bad boundaries. I don't live in the same country, so the stuff is how it spills into my life! DH still hasn't even looked at the giant train track, so that is stuffed in a corner still. The other stuff has gone and I have another few boxes to go through and that is the toys sorted for now. Next on the list is the kids clothes. I'm pretty good about putting them aside when they get too small, but I need to get a system in place for how to store the ones for DS2 to grow into and what to do with what he's grown out of! I'm down to two boxes of baby clothes for keeping and the rest has been donated to friends and charity. I am going to sort them out tomorrow - I suspect most of it can go in the charity bag. I also need to hang the light in DS1s room and get it off the wardrobe!

xMinerva - Excellent news! When do you move?

Good news xminerva, you can enjoy some lovely clear space.

Can you please help me with my reslove/a decision? DS is in cloth nappies and we have a few of a particular brand which were supposed to be great and were quite expensive but I didn't really like them after I took the plunge and got a few. He has grown out of them now and I don't want to buy the next size up, so am deciding between trying to sell them or keep them for any future DC who may fit them better....I feel like if I sell them and then future DC suit this brand I will be annoyed at having got rid, but it will be at least 14 months before any DC fit into them (assuming I got pregnant tonight, which is rather unlikely). So I know I should really just get rid, but it's that whole forgiving myself for the money spent thing I need a bit of hand holding on...