The minimalist quiche

[educatingarti]

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

Oh good! I had literally JUST put a pic on facebook, had a proper "Argh!" moment when I saw your post :) Well done on decluttering your shelf, looks like you managed to clear out a good bit of stuff.

Well done Sommewhere, I'd have done the same. (Not religious but have huge respect for others' faith, and knowing it was so valued by a family member would make it a very tough decision.)

Lemon 40 boxes does sound like a huge amount! That's pretty hardcore, I'd aim for 40 items myself.

Right, MQers old and new. I'm offline for 40 days+. I really hope this thread is still going strong when I come back. I'll miss you! Thank you for all the support, wisdom and fellow-feeling. I wish you all space in your homes to make room for a juicy, colourful life. and . xxx

Bye harriet

I am pleased to report that some of my moaning ideas seem to have inspired DP! I got home from work yesterday to find a large pile of clothes folded up ready for the charity shop.

So proud of him- he comes from a family of hoarders and finds getting rid of anything (even an old train ticket!) quite difficult so it's a huge leap forward!

Eminemmerdale. Def hit the one space hard first off. I was overwhelmed with piles and piles of stuff. Just tidying the hall (albeit stuff up in loft to sort later) gave me a great incentive to keep going. I can now happily let my youngest crawl round it.

We have a teeny 2 bed house and 4 children so I feel your pain. I'm working through a check list of things to do as it is quite satisfying to see them checked off. Although I am only putting half a dozen items on there at a time. There is so much to do, if I wrote down everything on one list, I would get disheartened again.

Storage is becoming interesting here. We have a friend with rental storage unit. He's offered us to use it to help declutter. Part of me wants to leap at it. The other, rational part, says further out of sight is further out of mind. However, I am thinking it would perhaps be sensible to sort stuff out here then take the stuff I can carboot there until the weather is a little better. Ideas ladies?

I don't know if I should laugh or take this seriously: DH says that we have to keep the vidoes because 'Some of them are really rare and valuable...' Honestly?? At least I have persuaded him to get them into the loft - it's a start

Sokmonsta I would try and resist using the storage unit. My father has 3 of them, all full, which he never visits, and pays thousands for. I know you wouldn't be paying for it but I think it's way too easy to just dump stuff and then forget about it-when you could dump it at a charity shop or on eBay or freecycle instead!

Good morning everyone!

eminem - If the videos are really valuable they will be being sold online somewhere. Ask your DP exactly which ones are "rare and valuable". Suggest he can keep them if he can show somewhere online where they are being sold for more than1p . I'd try not to let all of them just go into the loft - they can't all be rare and valuable surely?

Ive been trying to sell some of my dads old Haynes manuals. webuybooks.co.uk took some of them but I realised that for others there were lots of the same selling for 1p plus p&p on Amazon. It wasn't worth my while to sell them (actual p&p would have been more for some of them than Amazon allows you to charge) so I took them to my local charity shop.

Sokmonsta Are you definitely going to do a car boot? If so it might be reasonable to store some stuff in the unit for a couple of months (especially any larger things eg baby gear, children's bikes or whatever) however I just wouldn't put any unsorted indiscriminate stuff in there. It's too easy to put stuff away without making an actual decision about what to do with it! I'd be very wary about putting stuff in there and only do it if you have a definite plan about what you will do with the stuff and the timescale you will do it in!

I am wondering about doing shelf 2 today!

I need to go out to the bins and recycling first. I am in a flat and I have to go downstairs and across the courtyard. It is snowing. I am procrastinating!

He also has roughly 700 albums.... I actually agree we should keep them to be fair, but other things will have to go for them to stay !

emin - how many of those albums does he actually ever listen to?

Well, none. Ever. Since about 2005. They are quite nicely tucked away though -oh god I'm beginning to sound like him...
It isat the moment completely non-negotiable that they go though. Although, when we are in full de-clutter flow, I may suggest some of the really huideous ones can be removed.

Cheers antoinette and arti. I feel stuff would get forgotten about if we just put it there (dh's idea). So my plan would be to organise stuff specifically to carboot then take it to the storage unit ready for CB. That way I just have to drive there and load up the car the night before.

Anything else that is neither used nor necessary will go straight to a local charity shop rather than hanging round. Obviously if I see a 'wanted' on freecycle I shall offer it up. But sometimes things just don't go and my lovely but unwanted coffee table is a case in point.

eminem I agree that the albums are probably not your highest priority - maybe work on getting rid of the videos that are not "rare and valuable!"

Just store the "why on earth are we keeping them if no-one ever listens to them?" thought for a later phase of decluttering.

I did have to go upstairs and laugh at the 'these videos are rare..' comment. Hmm 'Rosie and Jim - Butterflies' circa 1993, always pops up on Antiques Roadshow...

emin loving the valuable videos. Ours all went in the bin years ago.

I took two black sacks of clothes to the cash for clothes shop today. I got £9 so am quite pleased. Space in my house ad money in my pocket. :)

I also have a large holdall of stuff to go to the charity shop tomorrow.

I wish I had listed all of the things I sold and how much money I have made recently. I have probably made almost £100 and that is without the baby carriers currently listed.

This afternoon I have done another chunk of my mirror craft project. I'm really pleased. It was an old mirror with a broken wooden frame that I got off freegle. Using only items I already had in the flat, I think I've made it look really good and it should look fab over my fireplace. It just needs a coat or two of varnish now.

Now you see exactly how non-minimalist I am! If I hadn't got some wood glue, pva glue, small tacks, masking tape, thin wire and an old 2011 calendar with arts and crafts designs (William Morris et al), I would never have been able to make my mirror.

I've taken some stuff out from the next shelf up in my cupboards. How many flower vases/jugs do you think I need? They are all different sizes and shapes so suit different flowers which is why I'm finding it hard to get rid! Although I've discovered one has a crack in so that is going out.

My net output total is now up to 35 items

Wonders may never cease. Got home from work and DH had cleaned under stairs cupboard and actually thrown out some ancient bits and pieces . I have had lots of fun tonight with him - he's been watching Antiques Roadshow and I was saying 'look, 17th century copies of Robocop and Jaws!!' I have a couple of days now - although will have children around, so intend to make a (small) start!

Vases: I would be minimalist on vases (one big one and one small one only) if I didn't have DCs but I have a small collection of handpainted ones which they have given me over the years.

Today I have added a few more books to the charity shop box. It was a difficult step because they were prizes (school and Sunday school) awarded to various deceased family members on my mother's side. I had about twenty ie a small box full so I have decided to keep just a select few, the ones that I've actually read. I also chucked a program from a village sports event that I participated in over 25 years ago!

Wow eminem - result!
Can you enjoy setting out your under stairs cupboard the way you want it- just to store the things you actually want and use ( eg coats, shoes or ironing board or whatever - ) and put just the right racks, pegs, shelves in? One little bit of decluttered heaven? You could even move in there, a la Harry Potter!

Would your DC's respond to a competition? Could you set a timer for 20 minutes and say "Right who can find the most things they don't want anymore that can go to the charity shop so that other children can enjoy them!" I don't know what ages they are.

I'm glad your DH is responding at least a bit to your desire to declutter. Love the jokes about the valuable antique videos!

somewhereelse - well done on the difficult decisions. I don't know why I'm struggling so much with vases. I think because they are all so pretty in their own way! I've realised though that I have 3 jug shaped ones of similar sizes with a floral design on so 2 of those can go!

39 items and counting!

eminem your DH's vinyl may well be worth something if he agrees to it going. We've made several hundred pounds already from putting DP's stuff on www.discogs.com. £43 worth of Happy Mondays albums are on their way to South Korea as we speak.

I think some of them are - he's old you see I will have to get him to go through when i'm not here. as when i am, he will tell me their history, where he got them from, who introduced him to 'Pog and the Frogs legs' or whoever and how much he really used to like the 'third track'... and it will take months...

The cupboard under the sink is really getting to me.

So have decided that each night I'll bin at least one thing (Thirty, yes, thirty scourers!!!!) Sooner our later, itll be decluttered.

Right?

Arti I think I only have 2 vases now but don't have flowers very often.

I really need to do the cupboard under the sink in the kitcen and the bathroom. Both are awful. My dc are back to school after half term tomorrow, so hoping to get back in the swing.

I am going to start counting items out for lent to see how far I get.

Delurking now I've finally caught up with the thread - can I join you? I moved back into my house two years ago after extensive building and renovation work (sounds grand, but actually still a compact Victorian terrace!) and need to clear out those last few boxes and cull the tide of toys so that I can finally breathe a sigh of relief and say it's finished.

Was derailed somewhat by my marriage coming to an end at exactly the same time, so have huge sympathy for harriet - it adds an unwelcome extra emotional angle to getting rid of stuff. But reading this has been a much needed kick up the arse and today I've managed to take three bags of toys and jigsaws to the charity shop, filled one bin bag and promised some books to a neighbour who regularly collects items to send out to a school in Africa that she supports.

I've been pleasantly surprised at how willing the DC have been to let go of things, and am now wondering whether it's actually me that's been more reluctant to part with their toys than they are?

The Husband is home today. So plans for our loving valentine's, after taking the bigger two to nana and Grandad's for the night, are to.... tidy up our room and rearrange the living room so it's more user-friendly.

Dh actually was pleased last night as I organised all his stuff into one box in our room. Had to really as one of the 3 completely collapsed when I picked it up. It's given him the incentive to organise his stuff himself.

Welcome teddimac! Well done on the bags you've got out of the house.

Sokmonsta Wishing you a very romantic room tidy and furniture rearranging!

Lemon - do let us know how you get on with items out for Lent.
My net count of items out is now at 45 .

Eminem - can you get your dh to look up his albums on discogs.com - I've found it is much more motivating to get rid of stuff if I can get some money for them.

I have a day of various appointments and jobs to do outside the home so I'm not sure that much decluttering is going to get done - altough I should be passing a charity shop and can drop off my latest bag of stuff. I have to do an Aldi shop too so will have to resist the urge to bring crap unnecessary items back. They always have those central aisles with things that are such good bargains!