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?

Queen how many DC do you have? Thank you for working it out for me!

635 sq ft Queen I just googled it for you!

One DD who is nearly eight, DP works from home and I work part-time so we're in the house a reasonable amount of the time but it doesn't feel cramped.

DD has triple bunk beds in her room which works for family friends staying over and should future proof us for sleepovers.

We also have a (very grumpy) cat.

My DD's are going to be in bunk beds once they move, I'm hoping my older girl doesn't wake her younger sister when she climbs down from bunk bed...

they meant we

Just decluttered my kitchen drawers and I have a bin bag full of stuff to throw out and more importantly I found £10 in loose change

Hmm, we must have the measurements down somewhere, I will try looking this evening. From a quick glance at neighbours online ( think they are he same or roughly), I think it's 540sqft

Children are 18 months and 3. Currently in cot beds that are big enough until 6years approx. and then will probably get bunkbeds or move ( and still get bunkbeds). Clothes in draws built under their beds.

The cabinet we brought abroad, but is basically a low tv long cabinet size ( if that makes sense). It has a door at either end and 3 basket size gaps in the middle. So along the floor it goes door-basket-basket-basket- door. the equivalent can probably be brought at somewhere like ikea I would have thought. All toys at the smaller/ foldable option ( ie folding tabletop play cooker, that is hidden behind a door but can be put ontop at perfect play height)- ( until they grow!) . Cabinet is approx 65cm high ( with legs)

Similar to what we have Forever, baskets in a bench with large baskets on top.

bluecarrot Wow!

ForeverGreek I am moving into very similar sq footage to you then, my DC's are older though. The plan is for my two DC's to be in bunk beds, sharing a room.

Your toy cabinet sounds brilliant, would love to see pic!

Santa great find!

This is a brilliant thread - may I please join?

I'm only truly happy when things around me are ordered and clean; in an ideal world I'd live in the "American Psycho" flat / wardrobe

In the past 12 months we moved back from Australia (after 8 years in Sydney), had our first baby and bought a house, so all the STUFF from both our parents' houses, our childhood, our previous UK home and 20 boxes from our Australian flat converged in this house. Plus all new baby stuff!

Our new house is quite large and has a lot of storage, so I've managed to function as I don't necessarily see all the clutter, but I know it's there... lurking.

Another big problem I have is digital rubbish - I have too many blogs/sites on my feedly (best reeder and beautiful to boot, by the way), too many passwords, too many "read-it-laters", too many email subscriptions.... I need to sort this in 2014. Any suggestions on where to start?

I dont know how feedly works but what about not reading any and if you miss it, you can add them again? Maybe have a target time to spend on it a day? Or have 7 and only read one a day for 15 mins?

Passwords - simplify and record. lets say your parents are called adrian and beatrice, your kids called Callum and Danielle. and your favourite number is 42 and your first child was born in 2002.

mumsnet password could be Adrian42. You record (somewhere not in plain sight) "A4". ebay password could be beatrice2002 and you record "b2" etc. you can use anything thats significant enough to remember - honeymoon country, favourute doll as a child etc. You can have plenty of combos.

Or just use a password saver like roboform.

Ive just counted my stuff a la project 333

Autumn/winter/spring wardrobe
6 tops
3 leggings
2 jeans
1 pair black trousers
1 black cardi
1 navy cardi
4 vest tops for layering
rocketdog flat boots
heel boots
flat black pumps
dressy heels
dressy coat
duvet coat
scarf
gloves x 2 (ski and regular)
hat
1 necklace

Summer wardrobe

most of above plus
two maxi dresses
heels sandals
flipflops

dont count towards the 33...
2 sets "working clothes" for gardening / painting etc
"working coat"
1 set gym clothes
2 pairs winter pjs
2 pairs summer pjs
1 dressing gown
1 pair slippers
underwear (10 socks, 10 pants, 3 bras)
2 x swimsuits

minimalistmommi, yes it's free postage.

Now have 4 bags for charity, have been through clothes and taken out tshirts I didn't wear last summer and bedlinen we never ever use, also through cosmetics and thrown out ancient make up.

The spare room is now looking lovely & welcoming - dusted, dejunked, decluttered.

Harriet spy- you should sleep there tonight and pretend you are in a hotel. With complimentary bottle of wine and some chocolates left on the bedside table ;)

You lot have inspired me today. I've listed some jewellery on eBay, given a load of brand new crockery to my sister (it was a present but we already had a set) and made a pile for the charity shop tomorrow. I've also thrown out all the pretty glass jars I was accumulating on the kitchen windowsill for 'candles, maybe' and properly cleaned under there for the first time in ages!

I feel much better

Hello can I join in? My house has got a lot less stuff in it than it used to but still, I feel overwhelmed with the volume of stuff that we have. Haven't had a chance to read those blogs, but feel so soothed by the idea of only having the bare essentials. Have just started a 27 fling a la flylady who I loosely follow, hence the less stuff, although that doesn't really explain why my house still weighs me down terribly! My mum is a hoarder and it took me until relatively recently to realise that it's ok to get rid of things that you don't need or love. My mother won't even put rubbish in the bin...

I read clear your clutter with feng shui by Karen Kingston which is dubious in terms of the feng shui but incredibly inspiring in terms of decluttering! Might dig that out and have a re read. And read those blogs. And fill that bin bag that currently only has 17 items in it....

Serenity and an empty house are on their way....

I like this thread. Joining in, eventually.

blue, my mum is actually coming tonight or I might just do that.

Thank you for the lovely and un-minimal welcome :).
I believe I am rather amateur compared to many of you, but I have got started on the buymybooks DVD selling marathon (for which, thank you for the tips!). Well, I have put 'find boxes to post DVDs in' on my to do list, at least.

I shudder at the thought of counting the number of items in my (groaning) wardrobe, but I will go at this the Fly Lady 'one step at a time' way.

On the Xmas present front I am giving lots of homemade cookies, biscuits etc as presents so I guess I won't be contributing to the clutter of others - do I get points for that? :)

I like the idea of project 33!

lucysnowe we haven't had laundry baskets for some time now and it works fine. It just occurred to me that we were creating more work by putting them in a holding bay in effect before then putting stuff in the washing machine. By definition if you have full laundry baskets and/or a backlog of washing, you must have more clothes etc. than you need.

That is interesting (although I take your point bluecarrot!). I appreciate I am moaning and not decluttering, but I have so much laundry to do first before I can properly chuck things out. However have had a good go at DD's art (all good things in plastic folders, the rest unceremoniously chucked) and kitchen stuff.

I cleared out a carrier-bag sized lot of clothes today - old bras, socks, couple of tshirts, and it feels so good.
I really think I could do even more! One day at a time! Would be nice to have a fresh start for 2013.
Going to minimise the towels too. I think two each is a good aim, and a couple of spares for guests.

I have paperwork down to one large ring-binder.

Before we moved, I was ruthless and binned all greetings cards we'd been sent, wedding cards, DS's new baby cards, binned. I had about 10 photo albums, took out a few choice photos, scanned my favourites, then binned them too!

I now hoard a little on Pinterest!

lucy - what about taking it all to the laundrette? Its pricey, but its done far quicker and you are then on top of the washing. Maybe find out how much it will cost and calculate how much sanity you will save per £ spent :)

Photos are one of the things I want to sort when I finish the "big" decluttering. Plus the stuff I kept thinking Id scrapbook it. DD just turned 10 and none is in a scrapbook. Though I would consider outsourcing that job!

I've given up on the idea of a scrapbook, blue. But I do have one of those white Kassett boxes from Ikea for each boy in the kitchen and I chuck stuff in there that would otherwise go in a scrapbook - tickets from the olympics, programmes from school plays, etc. The dc love looking through them and when the box is full I go through it and chuck some of it.

Before we moved country I had a whole wall of boy-generated artwork and didn't want to ship it all, but I took photos with my phone of each picture and I'm really glad I have a digital record - just because so much happened that year and the pictures form a diary. But I have boxes and boxes of physical photos from other years and dealing with them is on the list but way down.

Whatwouldsantado when I clear out the garage I know there's a box full of wedding stuff including some bunnies in a hammock. (Whoever bought those doesn't know me very well). I may photograph some stuff but your hardcore chucking is tempting.