The minimalist quiche

[educatingarti]

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

Mrs I hope you're being bought a Panasonic breadmaker, they really are fantastic. We make all our bread and very rarely buy 'shop' bread!

I hope so too, MM! I have dropped heavy hints. Mum asked me for a list so I sent her some Amazon links, being careful to mention that it didn't have to be the specific breadmaker I had linked, but I would really like it to be Panasonic as everyone on MN all the reviews I've read say that they are brilliant.

Fingers crossed then Mrs

Baby feeding spoons! We are over run with the damn things and my husband buys yet another pack. Admittedly they are the same shape as two we have. But the babies are 11 months old. They aren't going to be needing long handled weaning spoons much longer. I've already rehomed all the free petit filous ones we've got and all those plastic cutlery sets from various takeaway places. And he brings more into the sodding house.

Well at least he did the ironing mountain after my mass laundry wash. Just have to get rid of more clothes

I tackled the downstairs yesterday cleaning wise but didn't actually declutter anything. Although I have identified a a school book bag my oldest girl doesn't need any longer. I need to ask her about it.

I'm cleaning upstairs today and will be decluttering some hooks screwed to the back of our bedroom door, taking down an empty shell and decluttering that and decluttering two pillowcases and a sheet we don't use that I came across during our move.

hobnob57 Project 333 is going very well. Can't believe I've got through three months already with 33 items of clothing!

What's been more surprising is that some I haven't worn at all. I thought I'd be wearing everything all the time but it's not been the case. I've also worn a lot more of the clothes I like and feel good in rather than saving them for 'best'. We talked about that quite a bit on the first thread and it's really stayed with me.

I'm also on the frugal fashion thread in Style and Beauty. issimma who was on this thread previously is co-ordinating a Pinterest board where you can swap or sell clothes with other MNetters. PM her your RL e-mail and she can add you. Some stuff of mine that I no longer need is going today and I have a couple of really nice things due in the post.

For me, focusing on clothes so much has really helped me minimalise a lot of other areas of my life, such as toiletries and kitchen stuff. Although DP did come back from Wilko this morning with a load more toiletries because 'they were on special offer'. DD now has three tubes of toothpaste [hmmm].

MrsPennyApple you have now made me decide to use my breadmaker more often. It has been a bit forgotten recently but I will make an effort.

Sokmonsta I know what you mean about the baby spoons. I just chucked out loads recently. Although I did go to Ikea and buy a full set of plastic forks, spoons and knives. But DD needed the knives and forks and we didn't need hundreds of little spoons.

DH said yesterday that we should throw out our plastice plates as the DC can use real ones. I think I will keep a couple for DD since she is only 20 months. If I let her use china we'll have no plates in a matter of weeks. I am going to cull the plastic cups too though. The boys are old enough for proper glasses and DD still uses ones with lids for now.

Nothing major happening here at the moment, although small things go all of the time. I am still on track for my 40 items a week for lent which is quite exciting. Today I have been sidetracked by DH bringing a massive amount of stuff from his old shop home. The new shop is smaller so he can't fit everything in. I have already listed some items on FB to sell so hopefully they won't be around for long.

I've also had a rethink on my fancy dinner service. I am going to use it for everyday use and sell my old stuff that I'm not really keen on anymore. I can't bring myself to sell the nice stuff and I don't want it sitting in a cupboard never being used.

Lemon Excellent, I'm glad about the breadmaker. I think any appliance has to earn it's space, in order to be allowed to "live" on the worktop. If I have to dig something out of a cupboard, I'm unlikely to use it as much as I could, so if it's on the worktop I'm more likely to use it. But then, if I'd rather do a job by hand than be arsed getting a machine out of the cupboard, perhaps I don't need it and it should be decluttered? I'm thinking in particular about my blender, I bought one with a large glass jug so that I could blend home made soups. I got it out onto the worktop as it just wasn't getting used, but in fact, it still isn't really used, as I blend soups in the pan, using the stick-type blender. Oh dear. As I type, it is becoming clear that my blender is going to have to be decluttered!

My DD is also 20 months, and there is no way I'd let her have proper plates etc just yet. We only have two bowls for her, as they are the type that stick onto a mat, so they stay in one place instead of getting pushed all over the table as she eats. She also has one plate (that doesn't stick on the mat), and that seems to be plenty (assuming I keep on top of the washing up).

I think the estate agent has got inside OH's head, he's resisting but I think between me and her we might make him see the light. I'm a born again minimalist reformed hoarder, and I'm living with 3 hoarders. I have actually been decluttering for a couple of years and there's still too much in the house, and garage. so I'm sat here scoffing crisps

Last night we moved stuff around to make better use of space. Lounge is now semi out of bounds and we'll be using upstairs room for TV. We're in Chile and here people either have just two rooms in total or a house with a spare "lounge" upstairs so that the actual living room is reserved for entertaining guests. We need to do things right for the local mindset in order to sell.

We found things that had been put away by maids, when we had them, so today I've pulled more clothes out for recycling and am washing those that I'm undecided about. Will try them on and decide if they stay or go once they are clean. WM is on now. OH has put bags within bags and stashed those in the loft of the garage.

I have been lurking on this thread for a while and realised I NEED TO JOIN! I live in a rented small two bedroom flat with my partner, and I just have too much stuff. Thankfully we are in our twenties so haven't had too much time to accrue endless junk but, after seeing the example of my parents and grandparents (my GPs in their eighties won't downsize from a dilapidated million-bedroom house because they can't bear the thought of getting rid of any of their junk they haven't looked at in decades) I definitely don't want to follow the same path. We haven't got much space and I don't want it to be filled with crap I don't even really want. Ideally I'd like to have a baby in the next couple of years so all this Stuff has to go to make room.

After re-watching Desperately Seeking Susan my new ambition is to be able to live out of two hatboxes (and look as cool as Madonna doing it )

So far you have all inspired me to clear at least 6 shopping bags of stuff for the charity shop this week, but the thought of getting stuck in to the rest of the flat (small as it is) seems very daunting.

I took a stuffed-to-the-brim car full of crapola to the recycling centre today. We un-boarded the loft yesterday for insulating today. The car of stuff was crap the previous owners left here. The loft over the extension still has carpet and an old cot that we can't get out of there - so we insulated over / around it! We left a small bit boarded for christmas decs / cat carriers / suitcases, but not enough to store loads up there. Felt great to get it out of the house - it is a job I've been dreading. I have another trip to make tomorrow for the rest of the appliances packaging, an old rug and seriously nasty ottoman. I'm also taking the defunct hoover and an old coffee maker that never gets used.

Not so successfully I've been trying to wash all of the toys of building dust before putting the playroom back together. Despite decluttering huge amounts of toys I still feel we have too much. I'm not sure what else can go though. All that is left is 'good' stuff. I may actually have to sort out better storage and a rotational system.

I found more things stuffed into an unused linen basket and a puffe (sp?) thing, one of those seat/foot stall/storage box things. So, cleared those, got rid of another linen basket and some more bits of clothes.

Next week I shall start on toys, before that I need to deal with old school books. Here they bring everything home at the end of the year. And we own the text books.

Prannyhamster your GPs sound like my ILs, I know it sounds horrid of me but I'm dreading them dying becuase my OH will be expected to have his share of the crap. Their loft is so full it's a fire hazard and so to reduce the fire risk they leave the hatch open permanently. I can't bare to go upstairs at theirs but I know if you go up and turn left there's a ladder in the hall, opposite the bedroom door, with the loft hatch cover hanging down behind it. I actually feel anxious just going through the front door when we visit, the clutter starts in the entrance - which they extended to accommodate more crap. It's scary.

I also have relatives that 'cannot' downsize be assume of their huge amounts of 'stuff' - it's so sad!

'Because of their' that should have read!

SIL and I are going to do a street sale (local equivalent to a car boot sale) in June so I'm quite excited about that. It's given me new motivation to start filling boxes.

Today I'm taking all the recycling into town, no collections here.

I fear we could end up in the same situation re downsizing because of OH's stuff, which is why I'm on here and getting rid of things.

I have managed to get some motivation back today and took a heap of magazines to the recycling, put 10 things on Freecycle and sorted out all my summer clothes- quite a few things ready to eBay when there's a free listing weekend.

Took the packaging, etc to the recycling centre this morning, decluttered some toys and managed to give the rest of the pallets to the electrician who will take them on Sunday. Also found the christmas tree DH failed to cut down so the council would take it. Fail. He is going to have to take it to the tip in his car though - I'm not having all those dead needles in my car.

Plan of action tomorrow - finish painting the bathroom, hang the blinds and get the rest of the bathroom stuff organised. Declutter random toiletry stuff to most minimal proportions. Put up bathroom light. Revel in having a single room in the house done.

My motivation has drifted. I need so desperately to drag myself back to decluttering. I think it's because there are other things going on here and they're bringing me down, which doesn't help.

The weekend mission, as dh is working, is to get the children on side with decluttering some of their books.

paintyourbx I have had an email saying it's a free listings weekend on eBay - I have sold all my obviously sellable stuff but am going to try to find a few things!

House has turned into a tip somehow this week, have a good tidy up to do but I want to move on with some decluttering too.

Think I will tackle my dressing table and if I have time a huge box of arts and crafts stuff (that will be horrendous, I hav just thrown stuff in that I thought would 'come in handy'- tempted to throw the lot away and start again!!)

Don't have tine to read or post properly but just wanted tosay Aldi have those white eraser blocks in on Sunday.

Thanks lemon. I'm going past an aldi on Sunday. Will have to pop in.

What are the white eraser blocks for?