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...

Baby bath and seat gone to a very happy freecycler. Who I used to work with and who also used to live at the end of our row of houses!

Today was going to be a continuation of decluttering baby things - took down the mobile as the twins are just pulling on it now - but dtd is not well and we're going to drs in a while.

Read this all last week and was inspired:

have been through the coat cupboard and donated to charity those we never actualy wear / too small. And washed all others so all fresh and clean. All 'itchy' hats etc all gone too.

Helped DS go through his room - large bag of toys for school fair.
Bag of books to Oxfam.
Bag of clothes etc to charity.
Bag of DD clothes to friend who wants them.

fullofchoc I think the answer to too many clothes is not being swayed by the 'good deals' you see in Tesco, H&M etc. Only go shopping when you really have a gap ie you realise you don't have something for a particular type of occasion or event. Eg I always buy jumpers, trousers & boring T-shirt type tops OR smart dresses (which I rarely wear as they feel too dressed up). So now I look for smarter, more interesting tops that I can use to dress up my trousers/jeans.

YY re too many clothes - buy a lot less and buy to fill gaps. Both DD's still have too many (12 pairs of leggings and about 20 'cool' tshirts but DD1 wears school uniform most days!!!), but moving forward I will be a lot smarter (now)!

I've really been assessing my buying/spending habits lately, since I've started journey towards a more minimalist life. I wanted to STOP spending for a month (bar the essentials) - but found it was impossible. So slowly, slowly I approach this - I've recently realised that I spend LOTS of money buying IDEAS!!!! Rather than things I/we need and love and will use.

ie I will see lovely clothes on sale for DD's and buy them - they are great quality, look good, are cheap etc - so the item is a great idea for DD, but she doesn't not need a new tshirt/skinny jeans etc. I'm buying clothes that are not needed or wanted.

For the same reason I overspend of food items - yesterday I saw some markdowns of things I like to eat at Tesco and automatically threw them in my trolly - great idea, will make XYZ with it etc. Then I thought about it deeper, and I realised I would not have the opportunity to cook & eat these 'great idea' meals within the next week, the freezer was full and if I brought these items they would be wasted. So I put them back. HOORAY!

I'm finding this really useful - and little by little I'm able to challenge some core mistaken beliefs linked to my consumption/over consumption and spending.

I agree about assessing what you do. I have a loft cupboard full of material ends etc that I planned to make cushion covers etc with. To be fair last weekend I did make a skirt for DD out of some material we already had so I do get round to it sometimes. It has also come in useful for school plays etc. but the storage is a nightmare - it's all wrapped in separate plastic bags so although I know what's in there I have to unpack everything to find it.

I have recently got better at just ditching stuff that I know I will never do, but it is hard.

Today I have cleared out and hoover under our bed, put away the clothes mountain on my bedroom chair. Need a clothes recycling bag to sort though underwear / sock / tatty T-shirts and then bedroom is done

Just got back from helping on school trip so now I'm tired, no decluttering for me today but I can read what you all achieve

I went grocery shopping yesterday.

We had emptied two large boxes of cereal - they (unfortunately) live on the kitchen counter. The counter was soooo lovely without them - I spent a lot of time wondering what the DD's could have for breakfast that wasn't cereal. But I've pushed my luck with the porridge and they have gone right off it these days.

The two boxes of replacement cereal are still in the boot of my car. I can't yet bring myself to bring them into the house.

Just thought I'd swing by and say hello - I was on the original mm threads at the back end of last year but went offline internet for Lent. Good to see this is still going!

NCT sale at the weekend, all the nasty noisy toys went (plus some tasteful wooden duplicates and about 7 items of clothing, I made enough for a serious bottle of wine, result!) and DH took some stuff to the dump. Got bags of clothes to put to my niece as well, and lots to return to my cousin (we got a lot of hand-me-downs from them).

Hi there Harriet - good to see you!

lime I had wisdom teeth out

I have sorted out my baking drawer today.

Baby steps eh?

I need to sort through the cupboard under the stairs, I keep duplicating cleaning products. I suppose I could resolve to start using some too

Hello all

Taking a few more bags down the chazzer later - have just spent 5 minutes sorting out cookbooks. The pile of magazines and recipes I've collected for years - but haven't used since I entertained my ex in-laws in 1999 - is in the recycle bin. :)

oh Sunny how many cookbooks are you parting with (if any)?

I had no issues with ditching all the printouts and bit of paper & I saved others to Evernote (like Mum's handwritten recipe for a great chocolate cake) - but the books were touch. I took about 4 to charity shop, but I still have ones I've not looked at on the shelf.

TOUGH! (not touch )

Lol at 'touch' :)

DH and I are probably getting rid of half - the ones we don't use and don't like. Including Sophie Dahl and Masterchef and the M&S ones that are a bit rubbish. The charity shop will be happy with them :)

I'm keeping an elderly Mary Berry's (covered in splotches like the best cookbooks) and a mexican cookbook, among other things. And a Madhur Jaffrey that I bought a couple of years ago, haven't used but it's beautiful...

We have way too many cookbooks too. I did destash my cookery magazine collection and stash of clipped out recipest on the basis that even if I cooked a new dish every day we would never get through them all!!

Welcome back Harrietspy (I'm sommewhereelse in minimal disguise)

Thanks to whoever put the idea of organisations that help victims of domestic abuse. I have made contact with the one local to us today and have a large bag and a box of stuff they are interested in.

Becool Cereal boxes are too big for our cupboards too. But there's usually a lot of air in them. Could you obtain some suitable storage boxes so that they fit in the cupboard? this sort of thing

We were given a counter top cereal dispenser recently by well meaning friends. The kids love it but it takes up too much space and I also find that it isn't air tight enough. (Our local bakery is so good that cereal is very much a last resort breakfast.)

they are a good idea clearsomme & actually I do have some space in a lower cupboard they would fit neatly into. I will add to my list of things to buy!

DD1 might even be able to get her own breakfast with those :) It's just keeping DD2 away from them that is essential!

Hi Harriet!

Evernote users - I have tried to engage but don't find it as intuitive as I'd like. Am I missing something? Does it do things that Dropbox doesn't?

Hi Harriet (that was a long lent!)

Some great work going on on this thread!

Not so much done by me today, but since MIL is visiting I took the opportunity of her sitting with my smallest 2 DC whilst I did a chazzer run - bye bye large box of toys & books, 3 bags of clothes. At least they're out of the house now.

Feeling inspired to go through the cookbooks now. Maybe tonight when DH is back to chat to his Mum.

My cookbooks are in a basket on top of the kitchen cupboards. I don't use them, so I'm going to get rid :)

I shall keep my Good Housekeeping 1940s number I have from an ex's dead granny, and my Nigel Slater, as I do make things from them.

Usually I google and 'average out' a recipe that I am making for the first time these days.

OK, we minimalists in a small space as most of you know, my house still regularly descends into chaos. I have an eight year old and five year old.

What's going on?!
What am I doing wrong?!

Is it because of the small house?! I've identified a paper work issue where some letters etc aren't being filed straight away.

Do all of your houses still get untidy? Is there a trick I don't know about?

alark I don't thing I've been spending enough time doing general picking up...

I'm sitting here doing paperwork and just realised although I do a quick pick up every day I don't think I'm returning enough items to their homes IYSWIM...I'm not spending enough time doing general tidying.

Ours does.

I haven't had a tidy house and awake children simultaneously since they were able to help themselves to anything (toys, pens, paper). But their mess is usually confined to their bedrooms by the end of the day.

The mess which is not the kids tends to be when the kitchen needs clearing or the piece of furniture on the landing where things taken back upstairs get put temporarily. Also there is usually something on my desk needs tidying. Same for DH's side of the bedroom chest of drawers!

We sort the kitchen and the landing hotspot most evenings but usually have more important or fun things to do than deal with every hotspot!

Not including the run of the mill things that you do as you go through the day like unloading the dishwasher, putting your coat in the cupboard when you take it off, I'd say that we spend about 10 min every evening doing general tidying up and if this doesn't happen the house quickly looks chaotic.

Quick question: Do you keep your child's primary school reports?!