The minimalist quiche

[educatingarti]

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

Ah, I do remember you posting about the calendar now. This may not be the place to admit it, but I'd have kept it too :)

I still have old Countryfile calendars from 2010 and 2012 as well!

Don't tell anyone though or they'll throw me off the thread! AS you can see I do actually use them though!

Hi eminem Looking forward to hearing great things at the weekend!

hobnob - an amazing collection of medication related items! could you use them instead of cutlery?

notcitrus - It is really annoying when you have half-finished work! Really ahrd to organise anything. Can you give him an ultimatum?

Sokmonsta - I'm glad you didn't recycle the evidence of the class's learning for the term! Have you taken a photo of DD with it? I love the idea of framed Gruffalo pictures - I think you should definitely do that when you do the room swap. Do you have a date for the end of the world as we know it room swapping?

Ooh it was lovely last night! In the middle of the night, instead if playing dodge the clutter I could get out of bed and walk to the children's room without tripping or stubbing a toe.

Hobnob I think I can equal your collection. They're all housed in a tub in the drawer. Quite why I don't keep them with the medicines though... We've even got a few of those stoppers that came with some of the syringes. Can I justify keeping 4 of each just in case each child is on a different medication which requires administering at the same time? Plus I'm sure I've got some in the changing bags in case I ever need them while I'm out....

Anyway. Dh has gone off to work muttering and wanting our old coffee table back. He was trying to feed our baby boy and eat breakfast at the same time. Ds2 kicked his bowl full of milk and cereal, all over one of our side tables - just so you can see what i mean. Personally I think he needs to just eat his breakfast. Ds2 is quite capable of holding his own bottle and I usually put him on the floor on a cushion.

So today's mission is to actually go and get the vinyl I've been meaning to for a little while, just as a cover up when the dc's are about. We can store it in them when we don't need to use it.

Other than that it's pretty much a non-decluttering day today as I'm off for lunch with my mum.

Hope everyone else is successful with their missions for the day.

Queen I'm impressed with your ebay selling. That is an amazing amount of pp funds. It is spurring me on. What kind of things are you selling?

citrus dd has two sleeping bags but we mostly use just one.

arti I'm on my phone and sometimes it won't let me see profles but looking forward to seeing your mirror.

I finally got my music magpie money and now have someone coming to look at dd's playcentre, that was in the shed and going to be listed at some point. The fb page is great for wants as well as sales.

We really need a new boiler this year so any funds I raise will go towards that.

Now that we are sorting the house out it means that it is a lot tidier and both my boys are having friends round after school next week. It is something I always mean to arrange and am then put off because the house is a mess. It makes me happy that I can happily allow my children to do things that make them happy all because of this process.

Hello everyone, trying to catch up on thread, got distracted by finding companies to do secondary glazing in our new house

Arti - dd's teacher was most shocked when she saw dd come back with the box. So I've brought it home again.

I did take a picture for her album.

The end of the world as we know it does not have a specific date now. It was supposed to have been done in half term. However, it's coming up for their birthday so it will be done before then. My plan is going to have to be to enlist a willing friend/family member or two while dh is at work and the big two are at school/preschool and just get on with it I think. With help it will easily be done in a day now the clutter has gone. Might even go over the walls with a fresh can of paint if I can do it over a Sunday/Monday when one of ours stays at their grandparents.

Sokmonsta I bet your DD's teacher is on a decluttering thread for teachers saying "Ha - I've managed to declutter the class 'boat' by persuading littlesok that it would be the coolest thing possible to take it home!"
Followed by: "Oh no! WWYD? Littlesok's mum brought the 'boat' back again. It is so frustrating when parents keep sending back evidence of valuable learning experiences junk. Has anyone talked to parents and explained their decluttering policy to them? Did it help? Do parents really ever 'get' the philosophy that the school is there to produce the junk and the parents to store it forever afterwards!

If it were me, I'd let the dcs play with the 'boat' for a day or two. A bit of robust play is pretty certain to reduce it back to its constituent parts for easy recycling

Can the grandparents be persuaded to take all 4 more than 1 littlesok on the weekend of the end of the world?

arti Carpenter turned up yesterday and has finished enough of the cupboards for us to start putting noise insulation in and painting. So that's progress.

Have decided I will keep 5 grobags, 2 summer (one will soon be outgrown) and 3 winter (one clean on, one dirty, one drying), and any others will go. So that's one in the giveaway bag and I'm sure there's some more somewhere.

I do only have 1 syringe and about 3 medicine spoons though [smug face], but my main problem atm is I know I have 2 snot suckers with 4 tips, and the children have hidden both somewhere....

I have one of those stoppers for medicine bottles - not quite sure why, as I couldn't make it work properly so just syringed straight out of the bottle. Love the idea of using medicine spoons as cutlery - I can imagine the guests' faces at your posh dinner party hobnob, when you serve up delicious homemeade ice cream for dessert, complete with medicine spoons to eat it with!

Notcitrus DD has three sleeping bags, but one is quite thick but very annoying, so that only gets used if it's really cold. (The zip starts at the neck and closes down towards her toes. What's that all about? I guess it's so the pull-thing doesn't dig in her neck, but still, it confuses me every time.)

DP has gone away for a couple of days. Wonder what I can get away with chucking out whilst he's gone? There is a canalware jug kicking around the spare room, I looked on ebay and they were quite expensive, but nothing had any bids on. Do people still have canalware?

Nothing major to add but don't want to drop off the thread. I am going to go through a box of old letter and greetings card tonight.

Argh, MIL back from hols with another armful of stuff for kids. It's such a shame. They got some really nice skirts but they were eclipsed against the sheer volume of other stuff, all of which I want to bin but feel I can't because she will be in the house doing our childcare and will notice its absence. And the kids kept saying 'are there any more presents?' Which irks, mortified, infuriates and deeply saddens me in equal measure. Slaves to stuff already I know we need to speak to her about it but I am weak in that respect. I either keep quiet or risk trampling on her happiness which is spending FILs money on filling up our house with consumer detritus. And affecting our relationship and life saving childcare arrangements. But this thread is making me realise what an impact it has on me, my happiness in my own home. I do need to act.

I never answered the medicine spoon one. We had loads, and loads of nurofen syringes until recently, until I realised they were taking up all of the space in my cutlery drawer. I kept 3 spoons and one syringe.

notcitrus I have a snot sucker and two tips, and cannot for the life of me find it. It has been missing for months and is bugging me.

I am still going through a very enthusiastic phase with the decluttering. DH's clothes are going to cash4clothes tomorrow and the large drawers are going to the dump. Have not manages to get there this week.

This thread is keeping me going and each thing that leaves my house is like a little victory. It is really lifting my mood, and making me feel positive about our home.

lemon in response to your question about our impressive PayPal balance, I have to be honest and say a lot of it has come from DP's vinyl. The prices vary - this week we've sold a 12" for £2, an LP for £20 and one of my CDs for £10 but it certainly adds up.

With eBay, I find putting everything on seems to be the trick plus 99p start prices and reasonable P&P. A lot of stuff that has sold quite well on eBay I don't think would even get out it for sale in our charity shops just because they get so much stuff - shoes with scuffed heels, kid's coats that are a bit worn.

My sports stuff (diving, skiing, outdoorsy boots, jackets etc) have all gone for good prices. Clothes tend to go better when they're brands but you never can tell. Last winter I got a pair of trousers and a top in the Monsoon sale which I both listed. The trousers went for £22 and the top for £2.30.

I'm doing little bits here and there and find having an eBay box and a charity/recycling box makes it much easier because I just put stuff in one of the two and then it's done. I was also made redundant on Monday (mixed blessing) so I'll now have more time and energy for a more systematic approach.

hobnob
Could you have a MiL rotation crate? ( Not for rotating your MIL I hasten to add!) Keep out a selection of the stuff, but put the rest in a crate. Keep crate i garage or somewhere out of the way and and swap stuff from it for other MiL stuff after a couple of months. Explain to MiL you are doing this so the DC's get the benefit of the stuff she buys them, but aren't overwhelmed, lean to appreciate gifts and can store stuff and tidy up easily without there being too much stuff for your storage space. The dcs then get the stuff in roatation, MiL knows it is being appreciated and because it is never all out at once it is easier to get rid of things without the dcs and your MiL knowing ?

Lemon I know what you mean about lifting your mood!

Queen I'm sorry to hear about your redundancy but really pleased that it means you get more decluttering time!

I just read this on a freegle email:

OFFER: 2 small children wicker chair in white
Do you think if you want the wicker chair you have to take the children as well?

Queen thank you that is interesting. Generally I only list the branded clothes from the DC. Boden always sells well. However I have a pair of ralph lauren dungarees listed atm with no bids and nobody watching. I do always list at 99p too. I think I will make an effort to list more items and if they don't sell they can go to charity.

Gah! just composed long post and MN logged me out before I posted so I lost it.

Just popping on for midweek inspiration - after a day where nothing went right I have comfort decluttered some old oasis I was keeping just in case and a box of kitchen gadgets. Now deciding how to get rid of them. Selling online is obviously a faff and probably poor returns; so am wondering if i really need to sell. We don't need the money for anything in particular so I'd really be selling the stuff to make pp for more stuff. And since part of my minimalist journey is about loosening my grip on 'stuff' and earthly treasures, wouldn't giving them away be a more complete way of loosening the grip? But I feel so tempted to sell them and use that as ajustification to buy nice toiletries/new photo frame to go in newly minimal loung etc etc.

Any thoughts?

Queen sorry to hear about redundancy, glad you have a positive spin on it!

lemon i know exactly what you mean about feeling positive about the house, like sok I felt able to invite someone round today without panicing about tidying up before hand.

In my case, selling things helps me reconcile myself with the fact that I made a bad buy in the first place. I feel we haven't wasted so much money if I get a little back and it helps me make the decision to 'not keep' when sorting.

It's much easier to give something away for free if we have had good use out of it but now it no longer suits our house/lifestyle.

I think getting into the habit of giving things away is definitely a good one if you can afford it. I have a box of bits for sale online but if they aren't gone within 2 months, I'll be taking them to the charity shop.

Yesterday my children were fighting about a freebie keyring which neither of them wanted. They kept sneaking it into each others rooms. Punishment by clutter!

I have a leather jacket in my wardrobe. I've kept it for ages even though its now about 2 sizes too small. I've asked my niece if she would like it so that's that gone. I also have a pair of jeans I've been keeping since I put weight on. They are going to be sold. They're designer and hardly worn as they were my 'best' jeans when I met dh. 4 kids later I've come to accept even if I lose weight, my hips probably won't fit.

This morning I am decluttering make-up and toiletries. Putting things in the pretty baskets I bought yesterday to tidy things that need keeping away properly. This afternoon I'm on a course and then this evening, while the dh is out and when the kids go to bed, I may even tackle the great living room rearrange.

Blossom I have used the proceeds of selling some stuff to buy three Mossman tuck boxes for the DS's, which will hold their 'memory' stuff.

Hi all,

It's been a slow week for me because I've been working extra days and 5.30am starts are tiring me! DD has been really grumpy but another tooth came through yesterday so hopefully things will calm down now.

Managed to freecycle assorted wine and cocktail glasses. I felt quite guilty as the cocktail glasses were a housewarming gift it we never used them- they have been gathering dust for 2 years!

Also got rid of some other kitchen stuff, contemplating giving a dinner set away too as we seem to have way too many dishes.

I have a load of DVDs to sell- has anyone had much success with DVDs on eBay?

Gosh boffin That must have been some good proceeds to afford three mossman boxes - just googled them look lovely.
I've done similar things in past (well, sort of similar) for eg selling things to buy equipment for DS before his birth; selling maternity things to buy nappies for DS once he was born etc. I guess part of my fear of giving things away is that we may not need any extra money now but what if we need it in near future? And Ialso have this dream of paying off our mortgage in the next three years which would just about be possible if we are very careful.
But then I come back to feeling that I would just squander the money on bits and bobs.
And the longer stuff stays in my house the more likely I am to reconsider getting rid...
paint I find DVDs pretty good on ebay as you get the automatic text which makes it easier. But can't remember if I made a lot from them. If you have a lot you could try musicmagpie etc - I did this when getting rid of a lot of CDs which would have taken ages to list, but if I spotted one that was worth a bit more than usual I kept it back and popped it on ebay and usually made more than music magpie had offered me.

Sorry for no spaces!

Hi everyone, not much to report but don't want to lose the thread.

Anyone know when a free listing weekend is coming up for EBay? Think I've finally got the guts to put up my very expensive but far too big designer coat. I was hoping to sell it to a second hand shop instead but the ones I approached said I'd get a lot more for it on eBay!