Moving Forward With Minimalism

[MinimalistMommi]

This is a new thread following on from the previous 'm' thread on Good Housekeeping!

All Minimalists or aspiring minimalists welcome!

Okay, I've had another rush of wanting to get sorted asap although I'm not really in a position do lots right now (it seems to strike at odd times ), but anyway I have adopted a new mentality.

We're Moving.

Well, not right now. I don't know when we'll move, or where to. But one day we will move, because we can't live here forever. So I am going to look at the house with that in mind: do I want to move with this again? Will this be more hassle than it's worth to move? How can I make this specifically easier to move? I thoroughly dislike moving yet have done it 9x in the last 5 years so I want my 10th move to be the best yet

I am thinking about moving too. Probably in about a year. I really really hate the thought of moving with all this crap and wasting the chance for a fresh start. I need us to get used to a simpler life and home before we move!

I have had exactly the same mindset for a few months now. 'We shall move at some point so let's clear all this junk' And the good news is that we will have the keys to our new flat in a few weeks! Moving from a furnished rental flat to an unfurnished so have the pleasure of buying lovely new stuff and being able to take our wedding gifts out of their boxes.

I've got two big bags of clothes to go to charity, although a colleague mentioned that if you take them into H&M you get a voucher so may check that out. I also sold a Sat nav on ebay for £60. It's been sat on a shelf for two years since my mum bought it for us (not knowing that our car has built in sat nav) and that's paid for a dressmaking course that I've just enrolled on.

Ooh, Nell you've made me all excited now! Good luck with your move!

I have been compiling a list of things that I would like to have in my imaginary new dream home DH thought I was kidding until I showed him my very own dedicated folder on the computer... It's not much really, it mainly involves a super kingsize bed and a Tripp Trapp! But I would like to be in a position where I can say, "Ok, now let's fill in the gaps, sensibly" rather than, "Aghhhh I keep walking into the bed/box/door/playpen" (all of which have happened to me today). It also involves having the money to afford those things but I'm saving up!

We've also decided to try and make the items work for us, either to re-purpose or make money from, but only in a straight forward way as I don't want to hang on to everything. So, like my £10 upthread for a bag of old DVDs. I have a necklace and a bracelet to sell and going by recent eBay I should hopefully get somewhere between £60-90 for them in total. I also have some very good clothes to eBay (as in, good labels and excellent condition, everything else good condition has gone to charity). I haven't spent any more money so far on household things, except for £5 on boxes to organise toiletries and cleaning items.

I have already seen some more things today where I have just thought, "Nope, that's got to go", so hopefully things will continue to improve.

Just popping in to touch base! Thank you all for your flowers and good wishes. I seem to have reacted so far by my brain not working properly. I keep starting sentences and then not having a clue what I was going to say. I am OK though. I have lovely friends and I stayed with one set for a couple of days this week. Wednesday was pretty awful as I knew I had to tell my mum. She was travelling back from holiday and I thought it was no point her travelling a long way on public transport being upset so I waited until the evening when she was at a relative's house. Knowing I had to tell her but not being able to till the evening was pretty hard.

On the plus side - it is putting decluttering into a better perspective - why am I agonising over an old orange blanket? - it can just go!!

I agree about putting things into perspective (well done on ditching the blanket!). Not quite on the same scale but I do think it was my illness (chronic, not life limiting) that helped me turn my hoarding ways around by forcing me to reassess what is really important. Generally, stuff is not.

There are a few exceptions though and I think rather than just getting rid of EVERYTHING, minimalism helps us find out what we really love. I have a few pieces of art (not genuine obviously, just nice framed prints) that genuinely make my heart swell every time I look at them. So that is what I will be asking for this Xmas/birthday! There is one I have been wanting for years (the snail by Matisse) and yet I never asked or saved up because I automatically go for more obvious 'stuff' which doesn't make me nearly so giddy with joy happy.

Finally bothered getting myself a winter coat today - old one falling apart and missing several buttons, not to mention a bit small, so no guilt. I put the old one straight in the bin!

I downloaded the Minimalist Parenting book, not reading it until I have finished the current novel (I am strictly sticking to one book on the go at a time!) but I will let you all know how it goes.

Arti I'm so sorry

Fuzzpig what is the minimalist parenting book?

Can't link on phone but it comes up on amazon if you search minimalist parenting - one of the author's surnames is Koh.

Thanks fuzzpig will do!

Oh no Arti, I'm so very sorry. Your poor mum

Delasi I love your moving strategy. I am going to look at my flat with fresh eyes having read that.

Well done on sorting your tights tentacles Artemis. I sorted mine all out in January and was very proud of myself, but the sea-monster has returned and I need to give it another good going over.

I know its a bit of an old topic now but on the subject of regretting things that have been decluttered - I got rid of hundreds of items in the spring and I think that if I really put my mind to it I could probably remember about 10% of them now. The only things I regret are the donating of my "fat" clothes. I wasn't expecting to spend the entire first trimester eating to stop myself vomiting, and I have really piled the weight on. I could do with those clothes now! Everything else - all the knick knacks, shoes, books, cds, dvds - I am well rid of.

I have had a slow week as the nausea has been intense but I managed to go through my three kitchen cupboards and my fridge. They are now all lovely and clean and streamlined, everything is in date and more crucially, I actually know what is in there! Its not exactly minimalism but its a start! This week I am going to have a cull of my wardrobe and dressing table and find a bag for the chazzer. If I don't feel too pukey

I want to do everything all at once and live in a beautiful, minimalist show-home but I'm telling myself that slow and steady wins the race.

Same here rosy, it's very frustrating not to be able to do everything at once (and I've wittered on about it sooo much on these threads, sorry everyone ) but we WILL get there eventually.

That said, I do wonder if I need another epic cull to get us kick started again after a difficult couple of weeks...

How many spare little bags does a child need? Almost none, I imagine.

Something other than their school rucksack, for day trips and playdates, and a kit bag for swimming/ballet/etc. They MIGHT need one for their teddy/baby to have a bag.

They do not endless tiny outgrown rucksacks with broken zips just because they are cute or because they might come in handy.

Things are becoming clearer.

Interestingly I am having to declutter a couple of critical functional areas before my vision gets a look in. This is all fine...constructive procrastination, I call it. .

Argh! DS has decluttered my iPad notes containing all of your collective wisdom on stockings and Christmas presents, as well as my wish list for birthday/ Christmas so that I have something in mind,rather than accepting any old clutter as usual .

Oh no! How annoying. Can you remember any of it and just write that down ASAP?

There might be apps for keeping notes where you can password protect memos, might be worth a look!

Well done building, keep it up :o

Arti I'm very sorry for your loss. It sounds like you've got good support. How about your mum, has she other people to lean on as well as you?

Really like the house move idea too.

I don't seem to have made much visible progress despite avoiding mn for a few days. Lots of paper has left the house so I know I've been working but it doesn't show.
I decided that to tidy my desk I needed to reorganise the filing cabinet so that there was space ongoing projects in there. I rationalised the filing cabinet two years ago at the time of a house move but so much has accumulated since then which could be binned/archived.

Going through the filing cabinet needs to be an annual task like spring cleaning.

rosy well done on the kitchen organising! I couldn't even go in there during the first tri! I tried twice but both times ended in vomit...

Not much different here but had a very busy weekend. Hopefully I'll make some more progress this week, we'll soon see

My mum seems to be finding that bereavement is helping her declutter. She was up at dawn cleaning down shelves and sorting stuff in the kitchen cupboards yesterday. Not a strategy to be actually recommended though!

Well, I guess not, but I suppose whatever helps her get through this time is a positive thing? Hope you're doing ok xx

Oh I've been so useless lately Have done nothing other than my boxes. Actually, just remembered I finally put together our laundry basket (which we bought 2 years ago we've been using the floor during that time...) so at least there is a proper place to put the washing.

Just too tired! DS is going through his 9mo sleep regression so for the first time in... well, since the 4mo regression, I've had to do some night wakings On the other hand though we've had a total parenting win as DS has decided to go to bed earlier all of his own accord, so we have reclaimed the 12h night! He used to go 9:30pm-9:30am, but things just sort of changed from 7mo and it became more like 9:30pm-7:30am. Waking at 7:30am isn't a problem, it's just that we needed some time either side to be able to do stuff! I used to have the mornings to potter, clean etc, now I have the evenings so hopefully this will mean some extra time at last to minimalise

I've also been totally rubbish with what I'm eating, which I realise is not a topic I think we've covered on here but regardless I'm counting it as part of my overall rubbishness lately It's not terrible, but I've rediscovered biscuits. I've not put on any weight yet so I need to nip it in the bud! I'm also drinking far too much coffee (it's never more than 2 a day, but I try not to have too much as it can interfere with meds) but I think that's down to the aforementioned sleep regression...

Ah well, we'll see!

Is everyone too busy now school has gone back? I certainly am after going back to work. Minimising is taking a back seat but I am oh so grateful for the progress I have made so far. My house is far from minimalist but I no longer feel weighed down and panicked by stuff. I can now recognise that feeling and I have strategies to deal with it effectively. This journey has been amazing. Now I can concentrate better on life. I know in all the blogs this sounds utopian, but in my life that means still trying to stay afloat in the chaos. There is just a slightly less chaotic environment to do it in.

Delasi my youngest is 8 but I still remember vividly the over-reliance on the sugar caffeine combination to get through the bad sleeping phases.
All the stuff I've read since say that if you can cut it out you'll have more energy but that's easier said than done.

Inthetide, I'm glad your first steps are working out for you. I actually have more free time when the children are at school as I work from home so I have my lunch break. Also they sleep more because school tires them out.

Having said that, this week I have slightly less time because there is lots of admin to do signing them up to extra-curricular activities, obtaining the additional supplies on the list issued at the beginning of the holidays.
Plus FIL came with his chainsaw and chopped down some leylandii from the garden (we moved house last winter) and I have uprooted the stumps. I need to dig over, fertilise and replant so in the meantime have added gardening books and sketches to general clutter on my desk while deciding what to put there instead.

I'm still trying to summon the energy for another massive cull!

I'm glad we've already got rid of loads, but with the speed at which it all gets messed up again with 2 children, it still just feels like two steps forward and one step back (better than vice versa, but still!)

I've just done an hour of digging followed by an hour of helping DD tidy her room and move furniture. If I was 20/10 ing that would entitle me to an hour resting!