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...

hi!
I thought I would join as we are having a sort out ready for the move to a new house. we are currently going through the loft sorting out the junk so we don't just transport it to the next house, anything we haven't used in this house is under consideration for moving out.

I am normally good at keeping things sorted but this is a big go and is fun.

some other things I'm also doing

• looking critically at pictures on the wall to decide if they are coming with
• de-ornamenting
• being ruthless with clothes.

a couple of other tips which make things feel better even if they are not a big deal

• unsubscribe from emails you don't really enjoy getting - its emptied my email box
• put a no junk mail sticker on the front door so you are not endlessly varying stuff to the recycling bin
• clear purse of things you don't need inc loyalty cards you rarely use
• empty crap off front of fridge it looks better!

think that's all I can think of!!

lolalotta - I saw 'the Hoarder next door' this week - it was great. I love the fact they try to support the Hoarder emotionally as well as physically sort the stuff out.

at Wendy and the pans! You write it in a funny way... but it is a serious hindrance to live with someone who doesn't take responsibility for their 'stuff'.

The only place in our house which is 100% organised by DH is the garage - it is a tip. Full of stuff that he keeps in case he needs it one day - especially DIY type stuff - but stored so chaotically that he can't find it when he does need it so goes and buys another one. I think I'll wait a bit before trying to persuade him to tackle it!

Simone baby steps, one plate at a time

Arti really good To hear that DF is improving, fx for the appointments.

spongebob I'd be happy to send you some if you pm me your address? They're medium-sized.

Arti best wishes for your DF.

becool am on it (^^see above :))

Thanks sunnywithshowers I think they might be a bit small for me!

I have a bag with all the knee highs in (my DM calls them pop socks), I tipped the bag out this morning to try and find a matching pair and in my rush didn't put them back, so this evening my DH very helpfully pulled back the bed covers and they all fell like confetti around the bedroom, so now tomorrow morning I will be scrabbling around the floor looking for a pair!

Hello limeleaf!!! Lovely to see you again! (apologies for slight tangent) when did you have your baby? Dd was born three weeks ago but unfortunately we had a bad time of it (crash section). Felt very down and teary since then, hence not posting much.

Ok, on track!

Well, even basics are hard at moment, I live rurally where I even have to drive two miles to put rubbish out, which is a bugger if you can't drive for six weeks!

Have had but if sea change with dvds and done declutterof all but extreme favourites, with about 5_6 left. It suddenly struck nw that it's so easy to stream/rent/buy very cheaply on amazon marketplace that theres not a lot of oint giving house space to them.

Burst into tears yesterday :( landlady came round as has ben doing some repairs on us and neighbouring cottage. The guttering had caved, plus we are countersunk into hillside so camp has been and issue upstairs. Anyway she is considering banning our pulley ceiling dry ing racks. Never mind mind the fact that damp is not a problem where they are located. She wants me to use a tumble dryer instead.

I can't afford to buy one.
I can't afford to run one.
I don't have space for one.

I do two to three loads a day and keeping on to of laundry is my biggest challenge (7 of us in family).

I sobbed for about ten minutes after she left.

Oh gosh, self obsessed post, apologies!

Silent mammoth - buy a good dehumidifier instead, or better still, get your landlady to buy one. You agreed to rent the house as it is presumably, not minus clothes drying facilities! I'd email her, as I don't like confrontation, and it will give her a chance to consider your proposal properly.

Yep, I loathe confrontation too , good idea. Hoping that dh will do most talking,!

Oh mammoth! I had a crash section for dt2 last year so I know your emotions will be all over the place right now.

Definitely email or leave dh to do all the talking - did they leave white goods in the house? If they did would ll be prepared to swap washing machine for washer dryer? They aren't great but if you're doing that much washing it will help out. I wouldn't recommend if you have to buy yourself as they're a bugger when they go wrong voice of experience

Mammoth I'm sure if she wants you to use an alternative drying method she will have to supply and maintain it.

Sunny what are you going to do with those tights now?

Mammoth congrats on your baby. Just rest up best you can. Do what you want but also just what you need to do & don't put too much pressure on yourself ATM - you have enough on your plate.

I would have got upset re the washing/drying too. Landlord can't make you buy and run a dryer. Can your DP deal with her?

I have 10 minuted this morning and looked at the DD's hair tie collection. Got no where with it. Ridiculous!!! I think I'm an afternoon declutterer. I had a friend over last night so didn't do anything, but I will attack the living room collection this evening. I need to be ruthless now - heading into DC territory which I find harder.

I also need to release some DVD's - but I don't have a large collection, but I agree they are unnecessary dust collectors.

Welcome to all the newbies.

I'm about to go and sort out my makeup, I'll keep all the eyeshadow as it's all shades I wear but, for the rest, 1 daytime lippy and one night one. 1 brown and 1 black mascara. That is all the rest is getting dumped. If I get through that without backing down I'll go through the jewellery. I've already done my wardrobe.

I will not be throwing anymore books away though. I need my cookery books and now have less than 25% of the books I had and they are all ones I read and read again or non-fiction ones that I use. I now have a Kindle, oh how I love my Kindle, so any books I buy now will be on that.

OffToDeclutterSomeStuffTiggaxx

Becool my mum is here, but when she leaves in an hour I'm going to sort out.

I'll keep what fits me, cut some tights up for me as improvised long things to stop my fat thighs rubbing together under skirts (need to declutter my legs too ) and binning the rest.

I was really pleased last night - we went into town and I saw a bag I gave away in the window of the charity shop. I hope it's not there too long :)

ok...
been in loft again!
Another 2 trips to skip today and charity shop...
I am absolutely knackered.. and come to a bit of a standstill, i really should factor in a break!
In tears as came across wedding stuff in loft, just so sad. I think in my mind i am preparing to move house at some point, hence the big clear out. Even though we separated 2009 and divorced last year, i kind of feel "stuck" living in the marital home still. Stuck in myself i mean...hmmm. no big decisions however i can prepare by doing this clear out!
I can now walk around the loft! there is actual floorspace..horray. However, STILL loads of stuff up there.. getting a bit fed up with it, but i am terrible for not praising myself for what i actually have done...

Cap

That must have been hard, going through the wedding stuff. But at least you've done it! Hopefully it will help you to feel less stuck now.

I havent as such gone through it, I saw it... and closed the lid :-( 13 years together and all those memories :-( he has moved on with someone else now, but i think part of me will always love him. I cannot bring myself to throw anything away.. I wonder why? so that has been put aside for now and i am decluttering around it...!

ah cappuccino have a hug.
I find it can be quite emotional too - and I don't have a wedding dress in the loft :)
I guess emotionally we declutter too - declutter bad thoughts, or open old forgotten boxes of emotions that leap out and surprise us, or find we can't part with the strangest seemingly innocuous item.

Keep decluttering around it - you are working your way towards dealing with that box and that dress. Be kind to yourself.

Sunnywithshowers I just set off down the shops in the sun and got drenched in a hailstorm on the way back! Can you account for your whereabouts in the last hour???

Arf... I have been sitting on the sofa putting off the tights of doom :)

Hello all! And well done to those plowing through it. One foot in front of the other (or one bag at a time) is the only way it gets done.

I was feeling really blah this morning and wasn't planning to do anything. However this thread inspired me and I got to it and have managed to shift some furniture around, sort out a filthy corner of my house, collect a bag of stuff for the tip and another bag for charity shop. I've also packed the car up with stuff already collected for the tip, so I'm off with the kids to get it out of the house / car.

Not taking my own advice I have started shifting stuff to sell out to a bookcase in the annex. I WILL sell it though as it is all high value stuff. I'm just planning to do it all at once when I am finished going through everything in the house.

Todays inspirational website - thinking of getting paid help?

A brilliant thread! I M yearning to do some decluttering and can justify t as urgent on the grounds it can make things safer for newly mobile baby too! - less chaos for her to grab and chew! Fingers crossed we make a start this weekend.

V difficult since only have five minutes a day but I like the mantra 'little and often'!

Becool and Wendy wow that sounds helpful! Dd is seven months and we have an EPIC heap of to-eBay things already and am worrying re when we will get a chance to do it. Helps to know one option is just to ... Not!

BeCool that's a great link, keep it up! :D