The minimalist quiche

[educatingarti]

This is a new thread to replace the minimalist journey one which is nearly full!

Xc post with you arti!

Right, what can we chuck out? Gazes around empty room.

Hello! Thanks for the new thread Arti.

Now, shall I put up a lovely pegboard organiser for our craft projects? No?

Pixie! Step away from the blutak!

Pixie - only as long as you cover every inch with handmade stickers label everything very carefully.

Thanks for starting, EA. Just putting this on my TIO list.

Hello all. My decluttering hasn't been as speedy and thorough as I would have liked. I had a bit of a meltdown at DP left week about all the STUFF that is everywhere, it's getting on top of me. He asked me if I wanted him to put more shelves up. Bless him, he does try but I think he has totally missed the point. I don't want homes for the junk, I want the junk to be GONE!

I have been through boxes, drawers, cupboards, and got rid of stuff, but it's all stuff that is normally hidden from view anyway, so the house doesn't actually look any different.

I did go in the spare room today and found the large box from DD's birthday present (her birthday being in July) so that's going in the bin, along with a few other bits. The bed in the spare room is now clear of junk, which has made me feel slightly better.

Mmmmm nice new thread! Hello everyone.

Does this mean we should all be not posting to keep the thread nice and spacious?

I've fallen off the bandwagon somewhat. Too many groups and school runs and after school activities for me, and not enough time at home getting annoyed by clutter. Must Try Harder.

Have sent off another eBay load, more to go on Facebook once I get a minute to do some ironing.
Our carboot intention has stalled too with the snow. If I put it on the calendar maybe we'll manage...

You shouldn't be feeling guilty hobnob.

I was just thinking that if I was at home less I would prob have less connection to my stuff.

hobnob real life intrudes on a regular basis for me. I've been doing the FlyLady hotspot thing and that makes me feel more on top of things.

My office at work is being minimalised as I inherited it from someone who just loved printing things out. I'll get started on all the old files on the server soon (I am sort of in charge so it's not as reckless as it sounds!).

More excitingly I have finally worked out how to create folders on my Gmail account and am busy filing things away but also deleting the vast majority. I'm (almost) exuding calm .

For me the minimising can be a diversion from things I'm avoiding. Nothing wrong with minimising in itself but for me it can become an obsessive avoidance strategy.

Really anxious about going to the Garage of Doom. Short version: it's attached to the house we used to live in 90 miles away. We've been renting house out (at a woeful loss) for a few years and have finally found a buyer. Garage is full of stuff we stored there. It has hugely stressful associations: 1) not being happy in the house or the village 2) packing house-worth of stuff into the garage when I was just over swine flu and taking care of 2 small boys & about to leave the country 3) returning to UK (but new city) when my dad died unexpectedly and trying to grab some essentials for our rented place the day before his funeral. Ugh.

I've been down once or twice to pick up some bits and pieces, but there is so much there that I want to dump. Like all my interior design scrapbooks - kept for years but with virtually none of the ideas/projects becoming a reality. That stuff is easy. Dump. The other stuff - boxes of quite-useful - not so much. Also may be hard because will be doing this with separated h who doesn't share minimalist passion - although he hates lugging Stuff from house to house too, so maybe that will help. It may be that it's all horribly water-damaged, in which case, it will all go in the skip. Last time I went down there was a dead mouse on the floor in the middle of the tiny path through the towering junk. Not fun.

I know I'll feel much better when this is all dealt with, when the garage is empty, when we hand over the keys - even if we have to bring some of it to our current house to sort out. It's not a big deal but there is so much emotion attached to this lot. When we sell the house we'll have cleared our debts but, at 40, will be starting again with no savings, a rented house etc. We will be getting divorced, too (which is a good thing and we both want it). So it's all pretty symbolic.

Sorry for the mournful essay. I guess that sometimes that shedding the Stuff we carry means we have to face our feelings, and that has to be a good thing.

ps why quiche? (I've been on MN for a while now under various names but still don't understand the half of it...)

Good evening shiny new thread. Thanks EA for this.

Hobnob life is really holding me back too atm. I am hoping to get on with more later in the week. Feeling rather run down too which doesn't make me want to do much in the evenings.

Queen I decluttered my office last year after my ML. We physically moved desks around to make the space better. I also decluttered the hard drive. Couldn't really delete anything just in case, so moved all old folders no longer used into a folder called archive. Tidied up our main drive a lot and made it much easier to find stuff.

Harrietspy We've all got our Garages of Doom (stealth boast - mine is a double ), be strong and yes you will feel better when it's all dealt with.

Prepared to be corrected but think way back there was a mis-spelling of 'clique' as 'used to describe a group of 2 to 12 (averaging 5 or 6) "persons who interact with each other more regularly and intensely than others in the same setting"

If you'd like a picture of Terry Wogan to cheer you up, let me know. - another old reference.

Thanks, BB!

Old Tel? Why not! (None-the-wiser).

Well, didn't quite manage to de clutter kitchen as, with everyone else, real life intervened and I had to pick up dd3 from pre school and take her to gp, poor sausage.

Managed to de clutter very long sort if shelf stretching length if kitchen above rayburn, it was full if pots and pans but have got majority into cupboards and out now feels a lot calmer when you wall in. interesting.

Harriet the Garage of Doom does sound like a huge and daunting task, and obviously is going to bring back all sorts of unwelcome feelings. It sounds to me like the stuff that's stored there is like a millstone around your neck, holding you back and anchoring you to a place you want and need to move on from. Once it is done I expect you will feel so much lighter, and able to make a fresh, clean new start.

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&tbo=d&rlz=1T4ACAW_enIM437IM341&biw=1264&bih=679&tbm=isch&tbnid=H1pHvNZW24BUMM:&imgrefurl=www.tvscoop.tv/2007/10/terry_wogan_ups.html&docid=T5fQYlqA66Qv0M&imgurl=www.tvscoop.tv/wogandm1510_468x352%252520(2).jpg&w=244&h=345&ei=FmMAUfDbHOiU0QXz1oDYDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=2&vpy=92&dur=240&hovh=267&hovw=189&tx=52&ty=156&sig=103519657406985396861&page=1&tbnh=146&tbnw=100&start=0&ndsp=27&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:82" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Old Tel

Hello again. More papers gone here, and furniture moved to enable dd's room to be done, but house more of a state as had to empty the loft space to put a water tank in.

But lots of toys from loft about to go to the charity shop, and 6 bulky baby items about to sell. And I have a bag of decent clothes and binliner of other stuff to take to a swap party this weekend, but need more clutter to take.

What about other makeup - surely eyeshadow and foundation don't get contaminated like mascara?

Luckily we don't have a garage...

Hello everyone!
I have continued the decluttering - sold some costume jewellery, perfume and clothes on eBay, and music magpied our entire DVD collection.

I also sorted out my underwear drawer and got rid of all my old socks bras and knickers. A pile of books are waiting to go next, I don't think they would be worth selling so probably will just donate to charity.

Unfortunately I can't be smug just yet - there's plenty of work to do in my wardrobe before I achieve 'capsule' standards!

New thread!

So... about empty sitting rooms. We currently have: tv/tv table, 2 grown up Poang chairs from Ikea, one child sized one, a travel cot for the baby and some toy storage.

I think we are going to get a table and a bench and then just live with chairs... trying to prioritise function. We don't have a dining area in our kitchen (well, a tiny wee bench that seats 2 max, the kids and I have breakfast there at a kiddy table but not suitable for all of us for main meals) and I really want a family meal.

Am I buying a dream or is this sensible....??????

Oh I have done the capsule! 25 items... eeek!