The minimalist quiche

[educatingarti]

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

You could offer all your opened toiletries on freecycle making it very clear they are opened! Im sure there will be some folk who will happily take them (thinking of doing similar. Whoever said BodyShop rainforest shampoo was great LIED)

issimma - it's about the 4th clothes swap party my friends have had, about 1 a year. It helps to have a bunch of friends of varying sizes and some who have changed size a lot, a couple who keep buying lots of cool clothes off Ebay, and a couple months notice to go through wardrobe. This was the first time we had some non-clothes - most of that didn't get taken but all the toiletries did.
Put clothes into piles vaguely by size, let people try them on. A full length mirror nearby really helps. If multiple people want an item, either first come first served, or toss a coin - this time people came over a long period of time so no arguments. Can also allow a few items to be for sale.
Need.to pack up all items left over into bin bags to take to charity shop. Ideally drink booze and.convince people to try on more things. Last year BHF came by and collected all the bags, which was nice.

I know people that have organised large clothes swaps for charity - takes much more effort. The ones at my work weren't great as despite 400 women, the age range from 20 to 60 led to huge range of styles and not really enough clothes to make it fun, but on the other hand loads of clothes went to charity.

Now have a totally empty room ready for the carpenter. Shame about the others! MrNC has agreed I can throw out all magazines from 2003 and earlier, which is actually most of them as soon after he realised he wasn't keeping up with subscriptions and stopped buying them. Should be fun!

I now have a large empty bookcase in my room to use to collect all the bits of various toys etc together - might work...

DD, 16mo, has chicken pox and is very miserable about it, so I've been at home with her and getting miserable myself! Partly at her whining (legitimate as it is, bless her), and partly at the mess caused by us being cooped up all day. Tomorrow I'm going to wrap her up and play outside with her all morning to try and minimise the crap in the sitting room, and get us both some fresh air!

Well done spongebob!

I love the vodka ironing water tip, this is the thread that keeps on giving...

Some great work being done! I haven't any progress to report but wanted to say that you can use toiletries like shower gel to clean the loo - squirt some into the bowl, scrub and flush.

Oh, Antoinette I feel for you! Have you had to take time off or are you sahm? Hope it goes ok.

Vodka is also great for cleaning piano keys, and for extracting your own DNA or DNA from fruit in your own kitchen science experiments (although like my good friend BRIAN COX - see my other thread - I find it can take a few goes)

That was a demonstration of MN priorities at work, that last post, obv.

Antoinette, I hope your DD is feeling a bit better today and that you get some fresh air.

I'm shredding a notebook from time to time and not much more at the moment. I need to get the already purged stuff out of the house (eg freecycle some suitcases and get bags to charity shop) before I do any more. We have to move rooms in prep for arrival of student lodger and I'm hoping that we can do some streamlining in the move.

Back to taxes! Take care, all, and have a good day.

Boffin - where is your other thread? I think extracting your DNA using Vodka sounds cool. I want to know how to do it.

I unexpectedly did some more decluttering last night - really think it is a bit addictive. I'd only intended to spend 10 mins but carried on longer and sorted all the most recent paperwork that has come into the flat. I think I might be starting a household folder - had no intentions of doing so but it just seems to be happening!
This morning a a pair of knickers that had seen much better days went in the "for rags" charity bag. Every little helps. So far my list is 16 items out and 3 in (paperwork only counts as an "out" item if it has been lying around for ages - new stuff coming in should be is dealt with as a matter of course.)

I have no idea why I am making all these rules for myself - I don't really like lots of rules. Again it just seems to be happening!

What it happening? Does this thread have mystical powers?

Aww, I've just come on here and read all your tips for cleaning with Vodka. As soon as I posted I got up and poured it down the sink! Oh well, maybe the drains are a bit cleaner [hopeful] I've kept the Amaretto but I can't imagine that's any good for cleaning.

Today's little clear out was I sorted all the coins into the wee bags that you take to the bank. We have a money box by the front door where we put all the loose change. I've got £7 that I didn't know I had. I'm going to the bank later so I can take it then.

I'd use the vodka to make flavoured vodkas and then drink them all give them away as gifts, but if you don't know people who'd drink it then that's probably no use. If you do want to have a go, buy sweets like pear drops or cola cubes. Smash sweets up and fill bottle one third with sweets. Fill to the top with vodka. Shake occasionally til sweets are dissolved. (If you have a dishwasher, screw bottle top on tightly, put cling film round to ensure bottle is sealed, then put in top rack on a 65 degree cycle. Gets the job done a lot quicker.)

Back to decluttering though, I keep finding more things that can go. When I moved in with DP I kept finding really odd ornaments around the place, that just seemed really out of place, and not "him" at all. There is a random otter, a few bits of canal ware, and a really odd lamp that looks like it's woven out of grass. Turns out his mum bought it all to make his house more "homely" when he first moved here. It's currently all shoved in the spare room. I feel a charity shop run coming on.

In a random spurt of decluttering this morning I've got 6 bags on the kitchen table to go out. I had a quick go through of my closet and managed to cull a couple of cardis and a sweater dress I've not worn since DS1 was tiny. I found 15 (!) nursing bras that didn't fit properly, so they are going to my friend who just had a baby last night to see if any fit her and the rest for recycling. The rest is a bag of clothes from DH (which almost doesn't count as he bought 3 pairs of trousers the other day - but at least 3 are going out). I've also got a bag of socks/tights/knickers which are destined for the textiles recycling bin at the tip. I tidied up the boys Pjs and socks / undies and set aside stuff for DS1 to grow into.

I do think it is addictive. Once you get past that first big purge and realise you don't miss ANY of it it gets really easy to get rid of more.

I need to sort out my wardrobe though. I don't actually have much and only tend to keep stuff I wear, but I need some new jeans and some better quality clothes, particularly cardis and warmer layers. Most of what I have is really cheap and doesn't fit very well. I'm great for hanging out in the house in my mum role, but I struggle putting anything together when I go out and feel really frumpy. I'm not ready to do it yet as I'm still focused on getting the house done and sorted, but once that is done I'm going to focus on ME a bit more.

I am also desperate for a household file , but again, not ready to do one until we get to a point where we can fully unpack and I find my pretty craft papers and geeky organisational supplies.

Ha - I'm not sure about "the first big purge" - I keep wanting to take photos to show you all how so not minimalist I am. What I'm doing is really hardly a big purge but I seem to be making random forays into bits of stored clutter! It's all got to be good!

Wendybird - I was thinking that I needed to have a really pretty A4 ring binder for my household file and was looking online but after my recent invasion of A6 folders I was a bit reluctant to buy anything. I settled on wiping down a really old green binder that had some worksheets in I'd been given from someone else but I was pretty sure I was unlikely to use. I ditched the worksheets into my scrap paper file, cut out two of the best pictures from previous years' Countryfile calendars (see how not minimalist I am - I keep old calendars for the pictures - but at least I do then use them!) and stuck one on each side. I have a snowy red squirrel on one side and a March hare on the other! It looks OK and is my temporary "for now" binder until I see or make one I really like!

Just unearthed a horrible surprise while doing taxes: I earned more than I thought in 2011/12. This sounds like good news, but it isn't. I didn't see any of the earnings because we were massively in debt through serious illness/not selling house and basically paying mortgage and rent. This means a much bigger tax bill than I've accounted for - I should find out later/tomorrow quite how much. Life has been pretty chaotic these past 2 years but this is a huge lesson in keeping proper records!

So I'm taking a tiny break before the next job.

issisma I too am a stationery junkie. I haven't bought a new book for ages but in my clearing out I'm finding tonnes of half-used notebooks...I'm tearing out the used pages and will be keeping a limited number of what's left, because I do get through a lot of paper.

I don't have a household file - I use the folders (as described in "Getting Things Done") and have them in 'drawers' in an Ikea Expedit unit in the kitchen. Our paperwork fits in two drawers and it's very easy to file/find things. I'd like to get it down to one drawer if possible through scanning papers where possible. But I am slightly anxious about keeping so much in electronic form. Anyone else worry about that?

Ok. Time for some loud music to motivate me to clear these papers up and get back to work!

Educating - Put those A6 folders on freecycle! Here is what you need to remember, you were happy to pay the price you did for 1 - now let the others move on and fullfill their folder destiny, not sit in a box in your office sucking up your precious empty space.

I suppose I am no longer sentimental about very many things. I've watched my mum collect every dish, bric-a-brac, etc from any relative or person she once knew and she gets upset that I don't want it and am not waiting for her to die so I can inherit the 'treasures'. The money they have spent on nice display units, moving from house to house, buying houses larger than what they need to STORE stuff. She has a garage full of toys from when we were small she has been saving (and moving) for her grandchildren to someday play with. My brothers don't have kids, so just mine, and we live overseas. The kids don't play with them. The issue with her is she was saving stuff for the life she wanted (kids close, grandkids practically thinking she was their mum) but it was never the life I or my brothers wanted. I feel really sad for her and her garage of unused toys.

My attitude towards the stuff is that it moves THROUGH our lives, use it and enjoy it while it is useful and then pass in on when it isn't. If you hang on to all your old 'stuff', both physically and emotionally, you don't have room for new. Acquisition isn't the goal, having an enjoyed life is.

Ugh, nasty surprise.

I'm ashamed to say last week I bought some archive boxes and a ring binder to sort out the office but I ended up throwing away so much that was in our exisiting archive boxes that I don't need the new ones. And I now have 4 empty ring binders. So well done educating arti for holding off on a purchase.

I'll console myself with the fact that DS will no doubt need the ring binders for school next September.

PIL has a huge basement and his grandchildren have had a lot of fun playing with their parents' toys. They would have a visit from grandchildren at least once a month.

But now they are bigger, youngest is 7, I wish he'd give the toddler toys to a new home. Even if we wanted to, we wouldn't be able to store it all when he's gone.

wendy your post was quite poignant - it is so true what you said about holding on to 'things' for the life we wanted, not the life we have. So much better to face up & move on

Today I have passed on a coffee table, lamp, storage basket, vase, pedal bin & a box of cups/mugs/glasses to a young mum setting up home. We were both very happy about that!

Now off to the tip (been meaning to go for last 3 days). Charity shop on Fri a.m.

Ordered new pens from amazon & going to clear desk in study if I get time later.

This thread is very inspirational.

DD and I managed a walk to the post box and then almost got blown away so have come home and she's having a nap while I mumsnet tidy the sitting room. I work part time so theoretically I should have time to kee everything nice and tidy but somehow it doesn't seem to work like that!

Can I ask a probably silly question? How much of the paperwork you get when you buy a house do you need to keep? We've got all of it (from mortgage offer to letters from solicitor re. next thing to do) and I'm sure it's not necessary but it's our first house so I'm nervous to throw any of it out in case when we come to sell and buy again I find I was meant to keep it all!

My parents have kept far to many of my brother & I's toys. Stored, with original boxes for 30 years. They gave me & I binned the Sindy stuff in 1998 (pre e-bay explosion), I liked it but it made me sad that I was n't the girly girl my mum really wanted and I did n't have any kids at that stage.

The Fisher Price animals have plastic fatigue, the rocking horse springy thing looks lethal and rusty to modern eyes. It briefly nice to see the cars, lego and a few other bits. I asked my mum for pictures of me and my brother playing with stuff but she has very few in an album most are still in their packets in the attic and it would create too much mess to go through them. because their attic is full of all the stuff they've kept to coming in handy

A lot of other kids could have had a lot of fun with this stuff back in the 80s/90s...... I find pristine 'vintage' toys sad and unloved.

You know though, I will keep a few of my kid's toys. We have, from the start, invested and requested for gifts higher quality, mostly wooden toys and we have a lovely collection. I don't hang on to stuff that doesn't get used, no matter how much it cost. We have an old fisher price circus train from MIL from DH's childhood and the kids love it, though the animals don't stand up and are starting to fall apart! I won't be keeping a garage full though, only the very precious and meaningful ones. And some are so lovely they make nice objects to have around for me (Grimm's rainbow stacker for one!).

Harriette - so sorry to hear about the taxes situation, what a nasty shock!

NotQuite - Well done on passing along all that stuff! I bet it feels good to shift some bigger items. I've got my eye on an inherited bookshelf that is going to do once we no longer need it for stacking unopened boxes on. And a random and very heavy coffee table that was kindly left for us by the previous owners.

I've been lurking recently because I've been so busy decluttering/packing for move.

Update:

Lots of stuff is going, off to friends, charity shop etc. We're letting go of furniture ready for moving into our tiny house (500 sq ft approx, family of four) Two 'Billy' Ikea bookcases have gone, a cream Ikea toy shelf, a chest of drawers, another tall bookcase.

Currently we have a cream two seater sofa and two Poang armchairs from Ikea, to fit the new space, we will be giving that seating away and buying two Ektorp two seater white Ikea sofas (with washable covers!) It should look neat against the floorboards that are in the house once we have ripped up carpet in the 'new' house (well, it's a period property)

Anyway so I thought I'd jump back into the conversation...

The packing is going very well, if anyone remembers me from last thread we are quite extremely minimalist and we have packed ten boxes (5 small, 5 regular size) and we need to bag up clothes and pack foodstuffs but that's it really! We don't need to hire a lorry, we're making do with a small van