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?

DC's school closed tomorrow and I have a whole heap of work to get done by Wednesday... They're going to start sharing a room soon so it's a good time for a clear out: I'm thinking about asking them to see what they might give away. However, they just watched Toy Story 3 with their dad (and I came in for the last 5 mins and unabashedly wept). Not sure if this will make them more or less inclined to part with their stuff...

Today I'm sorting under the kitchen sink, under the stairs, and the laundry room which is current doubling up as toy storage and its annoying!

Now it's on the Internet I have to do it cause nothing on the Internet can be a lie

Hope you all are a little more minimalist by the end if the day :)

My DCs school is open today, however they don't go to the catchment school. They go to one 10 miles away and I'm not sure I would get them back if I sent them, so I'm keeping them at home. It makes me feel better that our catchment school is closed anyway.

So with all that I'm not sure what I will manage today. I'm determined to sort out some of my bedroom today though .

My work thing was cancelled! Dc are on BBC Bitesize after a very industrious morning of snow fort building and homework... I am too tired to move after carrying 2 heavy rucksacks home (one on front, one on back!) from asda on foot and building fort... I had kept out 1 rucksack and put a whole load of bags away to see if we really needed them. Turns out we do need 2 decent backpacks after all...

Cleared some random papers from kitchen pin board this morning. Hope you're all warm and dry.

Hello - have lurked for a while but not posted since pre-Christmas.

Got a fairly clear day at home today so going to do a thorough post-Christmas de-clutter of my wardrobe especially sock & underwear drawer, then go up to loft and chuck out a load of cr*p I hastily shoved up there last week as we had weekend guests.

Still got re-cycling from Christmas to sort so am donning thermals and gloves and going outside to bins and getting everything in its right place then trip to tip - snow permitting.

Hate hate hate clutter - 2013 is going to be truly minimalist in this house, planning to be really harsh and just let go though - still find it hard with clothes/make-up/children's artwork .......

Will keep up with the thread for inspiration! x

Ll I managed to fill my car with rubbish/recycling & delivered it all to the tip! Very happy with that - however I didn't manage to chuck any socks/underwear at all, and only 4 x make-up items.

How do others decide what/when to throw? What criteria do you apply to clothes/ make-up?

Has anyone ever thrown then regretted?

Good question notquite.

With clothes I often find I'm emotionally attached to it, rather than actually using it iyswim? Acknowledging that makes it easier to let go (for me anyway).

I gave away my red converse today, which has whittled me down to 4 pairs of shoes including wellies. I think I'm going to charity shop my heels as well, as don't even wear them for work. So, leather boots (work), hiking boots (every day) and wellies it will be for me. But then I'm not a shoe girl!

I do love nice underwear and the way I handle that is buying 2 bras and 4 pants each year, but they do get ruthlessly binned after 12 months as find that's all underwire can tolerate!

Have I regretted anything I've got rid of? I was thinking about this today as I packaged up another lot of stuff I've sold on eBay. And I genuinely think the answer is no. I can barely remember the stuff that went even last month and I think it's because it was stuff that wasn't part of my daily life.

I'm still doing Project 333 for my clothes and really enjoying it. Ironically by only having 33 pieces of clothing, I realise how many clothes I have that I don't love. And that's become the litmus test for me - do I love it? Not is it in good condition, it was expensive/cheap, somebody once said it looked good on me.

I've been lurking on Style and Beauty because, possibly for the first time since I was a student, I'm spending time thinking about what clothing I want next and doing my research.

Sitting here on the sofa while behind me, DP is sorting through two plastic crates of cables and leads that 'might come in useful'. It's music to my ears!

Thoroughly enjoying this thread. Been busy culling the entire house. I'm tidy but MY GOD the amount of 'stuff' is ridiculous. I have masses of stuff for a carboot in the spring, bags and bags are going to charity. I've discovered tons of things I'd forgotten about and lots of things that I've bought hastily in the sales, carboots and charity shops cos they were cheap and a bargain, but no longer need, want or like. I've created enough space to empty a cluttered display cabinet in my lounge and have edited my vintage teacups and glasses that were hidden and inaccessible in the kitchen, and put them in there where I can enjoy them. It looks so pretty I really don't mind getting rid of so many things!
Tonight I came in and I have set myself a challenge to have 100 things to get rid of on the dining table by bedtime. Got about 50 so far (ranging from disposable Halloween cups, unflattering clothes and tea plates to books and pictures that I have no hanging space for). It feels gooooooood :)

Wow we are now up to 910 posts. We need to think of a fabby title for our next thread. We are now a minimalist quiche.

I have been thinking about where to move on from here with my decluttering. I've still got some bags that have not left the house yet. One for sure start and a couple for charity, but if stuff is in a bag it's on it's way and that is the important thing.

I'm going to try and tackle the DSes room again soon. I removed a ot of toys before Christmas, but there are many more that can go.

I also need to go through DDs clothes, probably more that can go to sure start there.

I've been revisiting areas and rooms that I've already 'done'. It's amazing after a nights sleep, what you can still see to get rid of even though you think you've been ruthless. One of my new resolutions is to stop buying items on eBay, particularly clothes for me. They never seem quite right and fit, and although they might be cheaper than new, the amount of stuff I'm now sending to the charity shop means I could have bought a couple of decent items new, for the amount I've wasted.

I havent regretted anything I have gotten rid of. Though I read somewhere (zenhabits maybe?) That if it will cost less than £x to replace and Id have to travel less than x miles to get it, then get rid. (He maybe used $20 and 20 miles?) I havent set a limit like this but I thought it was an interesting idea and may be one I will use in the future.

Of course, once you uncover a doohickey that you havent seen in years, realise this and give it away, The Very Next Week, you will have found a use for the doohickey. You may start to beat yourself up, but just remember that if you hadnt cleared out that space, you prob wouldnt have remembered it was there/wouldnt have known where to find it, and gone and bought a new doohickey anyway.

Really enjoying this thread despite mainly lurking. I probably don't have as much 'stuff' to get rid of as many as I live alone in a one bedroom flat-but over the last month of sent about 3 bin bags of stuff to charity, sold a few bits on eBay and have some nicer clothes saved for eBay and clothes swapping.
My real nemesis is clothes, I have 2 wardrobes and 2 chests full of clothes, I really fear getting rid of clothes as I think I might regret it-I have lots of quirky bits which i like but don't fit or suit me. I love clothes but waste so much money in charity shops and on eBay on things that aren't quite right that I feel overwhelmed and never feel like I have anything nice to wear. So my challenge over the next few weeks will be to try and thin out and try everything on. I will never get down to 33 items but one wardrobe and one chest of drawers would make me very happy-and only nice pants, bras that fit and shoes I actually wear. Eek

In my wisdom (probably not) compiled an inventory of my "stuff". Its really making me look at everything I have. Ive just finished the utility room one there and have done most rooms - just the hardest to go - my bedroom, the kitchen etc with lots of little bits. Im not doing DDs room as shes 10 so not my job to minimlise her life (Ill encourage it ofc. She donated her magazines to the dentist waiting room today)

I love lists. Though I did kinda think I should do a spreadsheet and write down values (a la Your Money Or Your Life) but tbh, Id get so sidetracked I thought id just list it for now!

Not so much a minimalist quiche as a few scattered crumbs?

Have set date to get rid of smart phone. Feels good! Tomorrow I'm at home with the youngest toddler and am planning to de clutter kitchen! Would quite like to bin microwave but it's so useful! Suspect well wend up buying new one (to avoid cleaning old and ancient one!)

Just looked outside and it's snowing quietly can and determinedly. Goodnight all.

Thread dropped off my list darn it... thought there was no activity.

Well we are at the dregs of decluttering phase 1 in our house. We have donated a lot, dumped a lot (dh reckons 30 trips to dump since December!) and sold some.. purchased a few bits (grundtal rails for the pots and pans in the kitchen to get them organised, some paint, bits and bobs for organising and storage).

I read somewhere that clutter is like holding onto the past while being afraid of the future and I remind myself of this when I am worrying about throwing some random item of wiring or bit of something I can't quite remember...

We have done Project 333 on all our clothes - 33 items for me, dh, ds1 (3) and ds2 (7 months). I am not counting sleepsuits and vests for ds2 though because he requires about three changes a day at the moment and I just wouldn't keep up! I've also allowed us extra snow gear given the weather (that would have been first to bite the bullet ordinarily).

I still have a few books I am reluctant to let go of, and there are still two junk drawers and a storage area outside to tackle... but next on the agenda is going to be to go through the 8 boxes of "memory" stuff I have hoarded kept and reduce it down to one... that is going to be TOUGH. We are sentimental old fools. Dh still has a t-shirt from before he met me 14 years ago, I still have the pencil case I sat my school exams with. You get the picture. I will have to be strong!

30 trips? thats amazing! You must really be seeing the difference :)

Also have many people here been reading/doing any of the Simplicity Parenting stuff? We are all having tea and a biscuit after our dinner since early December and it's been great! I really want to start to build in more rhythm and routine in the coming months. Ds1 (3) has been a bit stressed out by the mass dumping of stuff, the house was a real mess for two weeks there and he was really hyped up.. you could see the difference in him when everywhere looked "normal" again and he knew where things "lived"!

I havent read it - my DD is 10 - is it aimed at parents of little ones?

Hello - have been following this thread with interest since it started up, and figured that it'd be polite to finally post rather than just lurking! We moved from the UK to the US last February, and I got rid of (I thought) so much crap in advance of that move. After spending months selling stuff on Amazon and eBay, giving stuff away on Freecycle, and then basically dumping lots of stuff on the day we moved out, I swore that I wouldn't let our new place get filled up with rubbish. But of course it creeps in, and I'm discovering that I wasn't as ruthless as I thought when we last moved. We're moving again in May, and I just discovered that the "few" CDs I kept for sentimental reasons was actually closer to 50 - none of which I've listened to since getting here...

awaywego, I know what you mean about buying clothes from eBay. I'm basically still trying to rebuild my wardrobe post-move and birth of DD (she's 15 months now!) and so I try and do it on the cheap on eBay, but then wind up eventually donating most of the stuff I buy because it never fits quite right, or the material's not what I expected, or the colour looks different than it did on screen. I've had to ban myself from buying clothes for myself on there! (I know rebuilding a wardrobe sounds contrary to a minimalist project, but I really had hardly anything - so little of my pre-baby wardrobe fitted or was suitable for breastfeeding. Too many 70s dresses from eBay )

bluecarrot, I read Simplicity Parenting in the summer, and although it's probably easier to start it with younger kids, it's definitely relevant to older ones, too. And so my first post on this thread is encouraging you to get hold of another book.

Ill find a kindle edition or library copy then! Thanks :)

Bab, just out if curiosity- have you tried that extreme coupon ing thing? I reckon if I lived in the US I'd be one if those crazy ladies with a lifetimes supply of fabric softener and loo roll stored under the crib. Would not go well with minimalist lifestyle at all!

Heh, we're in a tiny apartment in Manhattan at the moment (575 sq ft!), and the Manhattan supermarkets are all crap apart from Trader Joe's, so no couponing for us! (Ask me when I get to Colorado... )

bluecarrot my sons are 10 and 7 and I've been reading and rereading Simplicity Parenting for the past 2 years and will definitely be reading it again. I have it on kindle. The minimalist in me wishes we could share our kindle editions. The writer in me needs to make a living and wants everyone to buy books...

BabCNesbitt you're going to Colorado? So jealous!!! Spent a few gorgeous weeks there one summer. Heaven on earth.

I've been out of action over past few days with a bug, but today I feel a bit better and hope I can get on with minimising my papers alongside my work. I'm finding Evernote to be really helpful.

Thanks :). If i can get it from library I will! ill always choose real book over kindle ( though I just have the iPhone app, not an actual kindle) Audio version would be my top pref though. Love listening to books while doing housework.

Was ill yesterday. Was strange as I didn't feel sick- just randomly three up twice, so taking it easy today and not leaving the house in case... Well. Just in case!

So, today I'll be adding kitchen to my inventory list. Maybe a seperate list for food/cleaning products. And if I get through that before lunchtime, ill move onto the bedroom and list from there.