Out with the old and in with - NOTHING! Further adventures in minimalism.

[MrsPennyapple]

Following on from the Minimalist Journey and Minimalist Quiche threads. The journey continues...

Ok - so woken up in a more positive frame of mind - though still tired!
Working this morning followed by a trip to the shops for various (essential - honest) bits and pieces.

No chance! 6 people in a 2 bedroom house. We need all the space we can get!

Glad to hear you're feeling more positive today Arti. As others have said it's very likely you're weary because of the stressful situation with your Dad but you should also consider all the obvious things (iron levels, thyroid, diet, exercise) just in case. In the past I assumed some symptoms were due to having two little children when actually there was a medical cause to my exhaustion. Take care of yourself!

Today I am going to polish some silver plated cutlery which I inherited from my Grandad and has been lingering in its case for years. Then tomorrow off to see a couple of antiques dealers about that + a couple of pretty but useless bits of furniture which get in the way more than anything else.

Woo hoo! Less than 3 hours after I posted the bath stuff and someone wants it. Should be going tomorrow. Happy happy. Off into town now with the dc to get dd1's bike and a visit to the library.

Sok

A fortuitous and timely email from an old friend ends in me being able to get rid of several large items of baby paraphernalia before the summer . I just need to work out how couriers work and how to package a large baby swing, amongst other things.

Welcome Sunny and takeaway!

I've had two successes today - persuaded DH to spend 30 mins looking through paperwork files and managed to chuck loads of old paperwork from as far back as 2000.

Also went into town this afternoon and bought only two items... a pair of nail clippers and a 'new baby' card for a friend. Only a few weeks ago I would have bought some item of clothing for me and/ or the kids, but I was strong today because I knew we don't need anything.

Well done Limeleafflizard.

I cleaned up all the silverplated cutlery yesterday. It reminded me why we never use it. I had plenty of time to think while I was polishing. It really is wrong that it has been unused all this time when someone could be cherishing and using it in the way my Grandad did. I am really kicking myself because the presentation box has got damp. All because I held onto it just because it was something I was expected to do and I didn't challenge that expectation.

Now I think about it, my Grandad had so little stuff (being brought up Puritan) he could really take the time to take care of the things he had.

clear loved your post, I think that is what I love about minimalism, loving the few things your have.

That is what I miss, the feeling of things being precious.

On a slightly more frivolous note, I am ebaying the platform flip-flops.

Inspired by this thread I have car booted a whole lot of toys today. We made £50 but more satisfied to see the toys and books recycled! On a role now and a big bag of bedding goes off to battersea dogs/cats home tomorrow.

Now I need to keep on top of the clutter areas, I'm thinking 20 minutes a day on targeted areas, landing is first. Any tips on keeping the clutter at bay?

I have made a pact with myself to buy less stuff!!

Delurking...
I am sitting being pleased with myself this evening as I am a terrible hoarder, but after watching Jasmine Thingy's programme on BBC1 and lurking on this thread, DP and me actually did some decluttering this weekend.

We have:
Listed & got rid of a mattress on freecycle
2 BIG bags of DPs clothes to charity
3 crates of books to Oxfam
2 bags of my clothes to charity
Deep cleaned spare room ready for guests next week, sorted and binned paperwork lurking in there
Sorted & bagged winter boots & put in loft
Culled unwanted/broken camping gear and moved it from loft to garage (easier to get to!)
Attacked the herb/spice/oil cubboard - all out of date and unused stuff binned; 4 spare salt and pepper mills (why? for gods sake why did we keep old crappy ones when we bought new ones?) in charity box.
2 loads of crap to the tip.

Not sure if we can keep up this momentum...but I don't half feel better as all this stuff has been hanging around annoying me for weeks.

Man, some impressive work going on here! Watching a program with DH to motivate him, I like it...

I am reduced to lurking due to having decluttered my mouth of two teeth this week

Evening all. Wellcome to the newcomers and thanks Somme Sok and BeCool for your encouragements.

Somme I have had various blood tests etc and eventually been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. this does affect my energy levels generally and sometimes the achingstops me sleeping well. Normally I think I have got it as well managed as I can, but it doesn't take much ( eg my Dad being ill) to throw me off balance completely. I have slept for 4 hours solid yesterday afternoon, for a normal night lat night ( took quarter of a dose of amitryptaline - it's prescribed for fibro and does help me sleep but I can only take it on days when I'm not driving the next day because it does affect my spatial awareness a little) and for another 4 hours this afternoon, so I'b ebeginning to reclaim a bit of equilibrium.

Shopping yesterday: the only things I bought for me were some thin leather gardening gloves for my archaeology course in August (a bit of an indulgence as I have other gloves but not as thin as this so these are better!) and some glue to mend some walking boots! I did buy loads of other stuff but it is all for work and so it doesn't count!

arti sorry to hear about your health problems and hope the sleep is helping. How exciting to be going on an archaeology course! I am !

nagoo how did you manage to 'declutter' your teeth?!!

spam, wow, great work!

Today has been tough with the kids. It is just full on, so we haven't had much time. DH did manage to take some of the junk from the garage to the tip though. Bye bye broken microwave!

I have cleaned living room Windows today. The worst designed windows, from a cleaning perspective, in the world. It is my number one hated job. But OMG they look freaking amazing now.

I also cleaned the slat blinds in living room.

So nothing out but a major major job tackled (I rarely do this job). I am very overly delightfully pleased with myself.

Joining up for inspiration.

Clothes has got to be my focus I think. I have so many and so do the children. We can't wear them all but I struggle to throw them out when there is still wear in them...

Thanks Lime
I'm looking forward to the archaeology course - It isn't that expensive and you don't have to have any prior experience. I'm going to a site just south of Chester that has everything from a prehistoric "wood henge", iron age ring ditch, various Roman bits including pottery kilns (possibly the source of "South Cheshire Plains Ware) and a medieval chapel with burials. I will probably get to help excavate a skeleton! I'm ridiculously excited about it [geek emoticon] and hoping the the fibro won't mean I just crash out after a couple of days!

The only snag is that I will be camping so if the weather is bad I will be spending all day in a wet muddy field and all night in a wet muddy field! Of course the weather is actually going to be wonderful - BBQs sun tans and the lot!!

I am currently doing 20:10s and getting a bit done including taking all the rubbish out o the bins, tidying the kitchen ad potting up 2 geranium cuttings that have desparately needed this doing for weeks! Taking the opportunity to de-clutter my "plants and cuttings" box. So far I am washing up all the spare plant saucers I have and have chucked one with a crack in!

Back after another 20mins!

Arti that sounds amazing... I'd love to do something like that one day. I'd be interested to hear about how it goes. And yes of course we're going to have a warm summer and your health will be perfect through the course

Another de-like here. Things have gone to pot the last couple of weeks as I have been busy preparing for ds to go into hospital. I seem to have gone a bit overboard with buying him new pjs (!) and then there are extra toileteries, books for me to read (all.from book crossing & swaps). So total failure on the clutter apart from two bags of clothes for charity. So ds's op is postponed so hope to make some headway this week......

lark It's "Britains Biggest Hoarder" on 9pm on Thursdays BBC1. I hope if I watch it again it will put me in the right frame of mind to carry on chucking stuff out next weekend too!

fullofchoc Think about the good you could do by passing the clothes on to someone who really needs them.