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[educatingarti]

This is the new minimalist/decluttering thread! I hope everyone likes the minimal title!

Another pen addict here. I periodically test them all and bung the rubbish ones.

I have 3 pens from when I was about 10. I'm now 41

I'm getting rid of lots and lots of things, but the pens and pads are staying .

I feel better about ditching the crap pens now and just keeping the good uns.

This is completely off topic but I had a revelation today. If I hang up a blanket to make my bedroom darker, maybe I won't be awake from dawn. Genius.

Night all.

I remember stickers! I used to cut them out individually and stick them in a photo album - the kind with the peal back clear plastic page covers because I didn't want to stick them to something and not be able to trade. I think I spent more time rearranging them in the book than anything else.
Ten pens is a lot? I clearly have much to learn.
Thanks for all your suggestions re clothes. I actually have very limited storage space in my tiny London flat so have tried to pare down to three drawers of current clothes and some under bed storage of winter/non current clothes. I'll stash away the maternity stuff somewhere. I'm not going to keep all the tiny baby clothes this time around as I paid hardly anything for it on eBay in the first place and it can be easily replaced so as dd2 grows more space is becoming available. I'm quite pleased with my 6 shopping bags of clothes to go to the charity shop but am nowhere near having only one of everything.

Just speaking for myself here, clever, but I don't have only one pen, etc. If you came to my house you wouldn't think an aspiring minimalist lived here. But the slow process of getting rid of the excess and simplifying is making a real difference.

I think it would be interesting to see how only having one writing pen and notebook or bag altered my behaviour. I live with excess and want to learn what enough feels like. eg I'm not a handbag person and have only once spent £25 on a nice bag for work, but I'm always losing my stuff because I actually have way too many options: small rucksack, bigger rucksack, small cotton bag, the cotton Cath Kidston my sister gave me, etc. And I have 3 little handbags that have been acquired over the years and hardly ever get used. Because I have so many bags, I duplicate lipsalve and tissues and lose my pens and can't find my notebook... I'm not into counting possessions (like the "100 things" minimalists around the internet) but I wonder if I'd treasure what I have if there was only one of it.

Lolling at inamunute's dog decluttering shoes.

Harriet I duplicated lipsalve too, as I never seemed to have it with me when I needed it, I have at least three tins of vaseline around the place, plus one chapstick, but right at this moment I don't know where any of them are, and still found myself needing one and not having it, yesterday. My current bag is the changing bag, and I have one other which I use when DD isn't with me, the plan was to leave some vaseline in there so I'd always have it, but that doesn't seem to have happened.

I also have a few notebooks, but don't tend to lose track of those - one is in my craft room, specifically for craft purposes, so that never moves. The other notebook is for everything else, and loads of times I've been glad to have it with me, as it means I can easily access all sorts of information that I wouldn't ptherwise have had with me. In short, stick to one notebook! :)

harrietspy it is an interesting question - would I value something like a pen or a tube of chapstick (I also have at least one in every bag plus a few extra) more if I had only one or would I misplace it and think 'pens are cheep' and go buy another one. I supoose that's part of the crux of my problem - thinking 'pens are cheep and I will probably loose them' so I buy ten or twenty when I only need a few.

I love that everyone is now talking stickers :o I wonder if once we are more minimalist it will be easier to do an album because 'less' will be more appreciated. For DD, obviously. Not me. Ahem.

WRT pens, since I sorted out the DCs' stuff I am happy with what we now have. It's a Really Useful Box with all decent biros, crayons, pencils and felt tips in. Not very minimalist but basically all the writing/colouring implements are in one place so that's good. Except my decent art pencils, no way are my DCs or DH getting their mitts on those! They are in a separate box.

I am pissed off today, the achiness I've felt for the last few days has culminated in a chest infection. :( Really not a great time to be ill with all that's going on for the next month. I don't think I'll be able to collect any more stuff for the chazzer by tomorrow either - although two fruit boxes full of books, a suit and a big bag of clothes is still an achievement.

I've noticed DS isn't really playing with his chunkier toddler cars etc anymore. He really sticks to the more grown up ones (some of which were mine as a child!). So maybe it is time to ditch the happyland. Will definitely be selling that (and duplo) as they do fetch a very good price on eBay. But, for the next week or so, I don't think I'll be making any progress on decluttering. :(

I also have multiple vaseline and chapsticks. And hand cream.

Morning all! just getting over a panic when I thought my computer might have been hacked - but re-booted and it now seems normal!

inaminute have you considered renting your dog out as a de-cluttering device ( he may as well earn his keep and pay for the replacement shoes) I think he would make short work of my spare doom ( If only because I would be forced to dash in there and remove anything I wanted to keep before he went in!)

"ahem" - a prolific user of stickers here - I use sticker charts to reward my younger students for working and concentrating hard. When they get 10, they can chose a random piece of tat prize from my prize bag. Their parents must love me!! I do include Lego mini-figures though so some of it is quality stuff! If anyone felt like posting me unwanted stickers I'd make sure they got used!!!

I have ventured into the spare doom a couple of times this week and removed 2 items! I'm humming and hawing over a waterproof fitted sheet for a double bed. It has been used once (last time my DF was able to visit) but I'm not sure anyone would want a used (even if very clean) waterproof sheet from a chazzer. I also keep thinking "What if I ever need it again?" and "I hope I never need it again" and "but it cost about £8" etc Please help!! I suppose I could donate it to the chazzer and they could just chuck/recycle if they don't want it!

We have way too many pens and need a rationalising system. I have always subscribed to the 'multiples is more convenient in a hurry' school of thought until I found these threads. So pens everywhere means you can always find one when you need one. In theory. In reality there tends to be one I chase around the house, and a go- to place for finding another one if I fail to find it. So in theory, one could work if it had APlace. We also have a wee box of colourful fibre tips on the windowsill beside the calendar because they don't leave a trace on the next month's boxes.

I'm not a notebook person, but I do have one I use for lists for holidays. It is great because it covers my kids at all ages so I can refer back to what dc1 or 2 needed at a particular age/season and use that list for dc3. Love it.

arti, I think you're right about asking the chazzer if they want the sheet. If not, why not try Freecycle? Or a bin bag...

A big box of stuff and a bag of books to the chazzer today. Sold cosytoes sent off and it looks like the other is probably going to sell as well. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and freecycle some of the other things I've been trying to sell. They are big ticket items in excellent condition, so at least someone can get use. I think I've done my duty trying to shift them in a couple of places and now it is time to let them go to someone who can get use.

My kids want to do a car boot sale for charity. Why do I agree to these things? They are very excited and we have a slowly growing piles of bits.

arti I used to work in a charity shop when I was at school, as part of the service section of the duke of edinburgh's award and they would definitely have sold a second hand rubber sheet.
The underwear was our best seller

arti might you be able to use the sheet for anything else, eg to cover anything outside to keep the worst of the weather off? Or to put down on the floor when children are painting? Or if you're a crafty type, cut it up and use it as liners for toilet / make up / nappy bags?

building Just grit your teeth and think of all the items leaving your house. The more excited the DC are, the more they'll get rid of!

educating what a fab idea re dog de-cluttering rental. He is also a seasoned expert at garden de-cluttering too. Anything made of plastic left unattended out there is "gone in 60 seconds" which has saved me from having to make decisions about what toys to keep.

The most noticeable "multiples are convenient" eg here are reading glasses. DH has several pairs work/home upstairs/home downstairs but he can never find them when he needs them perhaps 1 pair would make them more valuable.

My major problem is I can't say no (don't worry it's not turning into one of those threads) when someone offers me furniture in particular I can't seem to say no. Have been offered a rug today and will need support to turn it down. I know we don't need it, but...

Harriet I love your blanket idea. DD has been put into the spare doom(thanks educating) and keeps complaining about the light, I'll try your blanket trick tonight

Iwilldoit, have you analysed why you have difficulty saying 'no' to furniture?

I know I would say yes if I thought they were going to chuck. I can't bear waste! But since these threads began, I would be able to pass it on to a good home straight away rather than hanging onto it for a few years until I was certain it wasn't going to be useful.

Ah building I share your dread of boot sales... I was considering one last attempt to try and shift a few things (though we have nothing big left anyway) but I would find it exhausting especially with all the haggling etc. - plus my dad (the one with the car :o) is mostly looking after my nan now anyway. So I'm just going to get rid of stuff in other ways. It's good that your DCs want to do it though, as at least it will be easier to declutter toys with them on side! :)

Clear it's waste I don't like and I always think it could be useful so I'll say yes just incase. But it does mean the interior of my house is...eclectic

Anyone else noticed how smelly crayons get, or is that just me?!?!

IWill I know what you mean, pure beeswax crayons don't though, it's all we have here.

Celebrate with me! I have now passed item 100 in my challenge to have 365 things less (net) in my home by the end of the year (ish).

I remembered a small wooden set of drawers in a cupboard in the spare doom. It is full of random crap - orphan keys - no idea about some of them, piece of plastic broken off a crate I have now got rid of, leaflets I don't need to keep, bits of string, tin tacks and hooks. There are some useful things like torches and batteries, but also a load of rubbish. I haven't even counted each tack separately to get my total!!

That's brilliant! Tis a shame I didn't know about it earlier as I have a feeling 365 items would be done worryingly easily :o yes, my house really is that cluttered!

I've had to cancel the homestart visit today as I am too ill and DH and DS are poorly too so I won't be able to take the chazzer stuff. A bit frustrating but now the extra sofa is gone the boxes/bag don't take up much space as they are neatly tucked away in a corner. Hopefully I will be able to add some more stuff to it soon, though it won't be this week that's for sure.

I finished SP last night (getting a lot of reading done lately thanks to DH watching Confederations Cup matches, YAWN) - really lovely book that fills me with hope. I think the hardest part to achieve will be drastically reducing screen time. DH and I agreed that come the new school year in September, we will try our damnedest not to have DVDs on between Mondays and Thursdays (I refer only to afternoon/evening - we have not allowed screens before school since DD started Reception, the DCs have never questioned this and enjoy listening to Classic FM while they get ready :o).

Friday will still be 'movie night' (complete with blanket and popcorn) as it has been for several months, but I think it will become much more cherished - more of an 'island' - if they haven't been watching stuff all week. Haven't discussed weekends yet but I'm thinking just one DVD each per day for the 2 DCs (although that's still around 3hrs each weekend day!).

That will be much much less than what they have now, they actually rarely sit down to watch things start to finish but have grown reliant on it for background. It is very hard for us not to rely on them/give in ATM though, given our health issues, but I am hopeful that once the whole house - especially their toys - is decluttered, organised and calm - they will be more able to play in their room, or bring down particular things to play with, and actually be more engrossed in play rather than sharing their attention between many things.

So I guess our medium term goal is: To have completed the physical decluttering of our home by the end of August. DS' 4th birthday is actually August 30th, so that is a nice end point - and we will be very careful thinking about what presents to give him! Christmas will be more of a challenge I think - but I do feel my mindset is already changing so hopefully by then I will be unwavering in my minimalist ways. :o

Although as I've just realised that the end of August is only 2 months away, that doesn't seem quite so realistic!