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!

fuzzpig I can see how it all adds up Amazon is also a go-to for me, but it's largely for appliances and baby toys I spend a long time telling myself not to add everything to my cart...

I have now, officially, sorted all of the baby clothes Yay! All of the bibs are gone! I'm picking up some vacuum bags tomorrow after work so that they can be relatively compact whilst stored, and also using one or two to store guest bedding that is annoying me with it's awkward-to-hide presence. Living in a small flat with no second bed should mean this isn't an issue, but an air bed and regular visits from the ILs mean that this isn't the case Speaking of which, apparently they're coming down this weekend So I need to get a lot of the obvious stuff sorted otherwise it will just be unworkable whilst they're here, and what's worse is it would likely get all messed up Busy week ahead then!

Did get rid of a big chair today and freed up some space. I have some clear tasks for this week now: vacuum pack and store baby clothes, throw out empty bags/boxes (why do I have so many floating around?!), sort through our own clothes and arrange in drawers/wardrobe, organise shoes in door organiser and boots in the wardrobe, clear the hallway (partly solved by chucking bags & boxes, also need to repatriate the coffee table...), potentially buy some curtains (!), clear the trolley work surface in the kitchen, put away the baby bouncer. Plus laundry and a big clean before ILs arrive.

Hmm.

Is that all, delasi :o

That should keep you busy! Good luck with the IL visit too.

Cleaned whole flat yesterday. Even though it has got into a bit of a state & in need of a deep clean, it is so much easier to do now. But minimalism is always in work in progress, so there was stuff to go go go.

Three bags of clothes and shoes into the school clothing bank this morning. And three bags of rubbish.

All the winter clothes came out, summer stuff away, and in the process I just kept editing. I'm now starting to see where my gaps are - for example I have three pairs of tracksuit bottoms to wear around the house, but none of which I would want to walk to the shops in (orange velour anyone? they are uber comfy but I am not taking this bottom to the shops in orange velour ). I brought them 10 years ago in sale in GAP. What I need is one pair in black I can leave the house wearing and feel comfy in at home. Then the others can go and three will become one! Hurrah!

We had a child's IKEA chair that was broken but still usable. I couldn't throw it out last time thinking it could be fixed. This time, I just chucked it!!! It's gone, not longer taking up space.

And it really feels good!

Shining your post above made me quite excited for you - sounds like there is lots that can leave your home (and make a huge difference) quite quickly!!!

Lots of us are changing how we approach clothes. I am very much like you (or I was, I do think I am changing now) - shopping in sales, buying stuff that is 'ok' , hanging onto clothes too big, clothes too small etc. Hanging onto clothes from before I had 2 babies that are no longer relevant.

I need some bits now - esp a winter coat. But I am NOT buying one unless I love it and it makes me feel fab. I'm not buying a coat because it fits (lots of boobage here), or it's cheap, or (as usually happens) it fits AND it's cheap!!! I want an amazing winter coat that makes me feel fantastic. The last amazing/fantastic coat I brought was in 1998 and lasted me 15 years - so it is worth finding the right one.

I'm finding my favourite student clothing items hard to let go. And my Ju Jitsu gi. I last wore them 15 years ago

I have a storage box full of favourite sentimental clothes of mine that I don't want to let go. I just don't keep them in my wardrobe.

inthetide and building

Are you at all crafty? Could those favourite but no longer worn clothes be used for cushion covers or patchwork or (if you are very clever like my granny was) cut down to make something for dcs?

I have 2 things that take up quite a bit of space as far as clothing goes that I don't use but I'm not getting rid of them - a huge sheepskin Toscana coat and my wedding dress. They're both lovely and valuable to me, so they're not going anywhere! The wedding dress is in a box on top of a wardrobe and the sheepskin will go into a vacuum bag once I get them, it's currently hanging in a wardrobe but it's too bulky.

Was supposed to pick up the vacuum bags yesterday but as I neared the end of the day I just felt so rough, I actually left work early (never have done before in my life, though I have had the odd day off sick of course!). Will have to pick them up tomorrow, wish I had them now though as I have stacks of baby stuff in the living room ready to be squished.

Close to a milestone though... will post in celebration when it happens!

Moved the furniture around in our bedroom today. Wasn't on my 'to do' list but it just seemed like the right time as I'd emptied the room out into the rest of the flat. It's the 3rd or 4th time I've done it since we moved in nearly a year ago but I think, I think, I might just have cracked it. Miles better than before, that's for sure. And I put up some shelves! I feel like Super Woman because I'm sad and get excited when I accomplish DIY things.

Also put DS' current clothes into a small set of drawers and organised his nappy stuff, so the rest is just to go into the vacuum bags. I've also repurposed a Boden bag (one that the sets of vests come in) into a bandana/burp cloth/muslin bag which is surprisingly useful, we could never seem to find them before.

Did the usual laundry and am stupidly impressed with the ability of our water tank to keep the water hot even 24h after turning off the immersion Only recently had to think about these things as we weren't paying for the electric before, so am now suitably convinced that we shan't lack hot water this winter.

Hallway looks a state though

Hi everyone.

delasi, I have the guest bedding thing too. We hardly have overnight guests but because we do on rare occasions we need to have the extra bedding, but it just takes up so much room :( I'm v impressed with your 'to do' list for the week.

BeCool Thank you for feeling excited for me :) Decluttering and minimising gives you such a great feeling doesn't it - I feel like a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I also need a winter coat. I've looked at a few over the last few days which have been okay but I didn't love them - in the past I would've bought one of them anyway but I'm going to hold off and wait until I see one that I fall in love with.

Well, over the last few days I've been busy in the spare room. I've got a black bag of rubbish, two black bags of clothes for charity, one for eBay and a bag of toys and clothes to give to my friend who's recently had a little one. Also lots of nappies to give her. I'm really cross with myself because, whilst I was sorting through the heap of junk in the travel cot I found loads of unused nappies - some whole unopened packs. I'd just thrown them in there after buying them and they'd become buried under everything else, then I forgot about them... Argh, what a waste of money. Oh well, on the bright side, my friend has a few months worth of nappies

This week I'm just going to keep going at the spare room. I'm actually enjoying it and would do it 24/7 if I could but of course there's the everyday jobs to get done as well - washing, ironing, cleaning, cooking, looking after the dc etc. so I can't spend as much time on it as I'd like to. Oh well, a little bit here and there is better than nothing. It's hard to see that any progress is being made at the moment though because of all the bin bags and 'organised piles' of crap in the room.

Next week will be the bedroom cull which is going to be a huuuuuge job.

Chat soon :)

shining I'd wait until I actually come on to say I've done everything and not just shoved it all into the bedroom as usual before being impressed However I am impressed with all the fast progress you're making, sounds great! I know the feeling all too well, finding the packs of nappies (or wipes, or tissues, or clothes...) having 'replaced' them many times before and now no longer needing them. But at least once it's all finally sorted that shouldn't happen so much as we'll be able to see everything!

Dawned on me that I start back at uni tomorrow evening Just started another new role, plenty to do in my usual work and tons to do this week outside of the minimalism, but with FIL and BIL apparently/potentially/probably coming (you never know for sure...) I need to get this place in much better shape. Plus starting back at uni means I need more space for actual study - I think once the coffee table is repatriated (well, more of an occasional table) it will become my 'current work' hub. Sorted out the living room shelving previously so at least I have somewhere to put all my books neatly.

I'm on the brink of daily caffeine, but so far have managed my caffeine-free days and one-a-day on the non-caffeine-free days. Still. Tempting...

Think I may need a rather organised schedule.

I have a beautiful cardigan which I wore twice and now it doesn't fit properly because I lost weight. I'm keeping it because I think I'll probably put on weight after menopause and it will console me to my change in shape!

delasi Wow to you doing this alongside uni and work.

Not much decluttering done today but I was very good - had an email from Debenhams (I'm on their mailing list) to say theres's a 50% off sale in the ladies clothing and accessories department, I spent an hour browsing the site and added 5 items to my basket which I wasn't 100% in love with but were a massive bargain - and then I remembered my philosophy and clicked out of the site without buying anything, yay :) Later did the same at Sainsbury's - 25% off clothes there at the moment, again not 100% taken with anything but in the past would've bought it anyway because of the saving. I have to admit I did umm and ahh for about an hour but eventually did the right thing and walked away :)

I wonder if this is the thread for me?

I am decluttering our home and trying to get things organised as over the years our lives have become somewhat chaotic and it makes me very uneasy.

Does anyone else suffer from brain-fog? I'm sure a lot of it is to do with DC but also our environment adds to it.

I don't really know very much about minimalism, any blog/book recommendations?

iorek welcome! My advice if you have brain fog is to start somewhere that seems obvious to you, or annoys you most, and just start by chucking the obvious rubbish. If you come across thing that you are happy to pass on, great, pop them in a bag. Just do a little while, 15 or 20 minutes, and have a break. If you get stuck or overly emotional, have a break or put the object in a 'don't know' pile and move on to easier things.

I'm sure others will have advice and books to read.

I have done an hour or so in the dreaded loft today. Things are gradually getting sorted and cleared out! Progress is being made! And weirdly I am finding I have lots of storage boxes left empty...so things must actually be leaving the house!

Iorek Welcome! I second starting with the obvious - it's usually easier whilst also having greater impact, as you can see an immediate difference. I did my bathroom first, as it happened to be quite easy to do, and it meant I always had one room that was perfect (ish) and helped me feel better about it all. Also being 'ruthless' - not as in throwing out treasured keepsakes, but being very honest and saying, "No, I haven't looked at/used this in ages, I won't get around to eBaying it, it's out the door". That could be friends, charity, or rubbish, as long as it's gone! Selling is still good - I have a nappy box of items that aren't super expensive but should make enough to make selling worthwhile, but it's a neat box under the bed and nothing more as all of my belongings would now live under the bed (and spill out into the rest of the room) if I tried to sell it all.

I also get brain fog - unfortunately it is in part medical! - but definitely the crazy clutter makes it worse, I feel like I can't see clearly in the house and sometimes it gets me all worked up. But in a way that's good, because that's when I usually blitz the place!

Well, I've taken down some curtains that serve no purpose (they're see-through?!) as they were annoying me. No vacuum bags yet Forgot I couldn't buy them after work yesterday given I was back at uni. Did mooch around Paperchase for a bit though (was 10mins early), didn't buy anything (YAY!), but I think I really need some sort of desk planner. I'm going to wait until I work out where I would put it, but there's so much going on I need it on paper to see the whole week at a glance. The phone won't suffice.

I think today is box clearing day (yes, I realise it's 5:30pm but it's still day in my mind... )

Here's a nice little decluttering article to kick the weekend off

Iorek for me it kind of got worse before it got better. I made a big effort to do one room at a time - and I also focused on gathering like with like.

For example, I had 8 or more rolls of tape, all kept in different places/rooms - several rolls of sellotape, masking tape, duct tape, pretty gift wrapping tape etc. And I could never find tape so often brought more. Adding to the clutter. Sigh!

As I decluttered I gathered all the tape in one place, edited it and now it is all kept together. I know where to go to find tape - any kind of tape. I know when I've run out and need to replace a certain tape. I know where to put it away after use. Simple yes, but brilliant and effective.

I applied this theory to the entire flat - like goes with like. I know where stuff is now.

Combine this with the motto "everything must have a place". Firstly apply the "do I need it, use it, love it" theory. Then accept that it doesn't matter how much you want/leave/love something, if you don't have somewhere proper to keep it then it's still a problem. So everything needs a home. if you can't find a home for it, it can't stay. Fact. End of. No point getting in a turmoil about it. To stay in your life it needs a place to dwell.

Then apply this to all incoming items - they need a home. So something may have to go to make room for the new item.

My brain fog mostly lifted after I decluttered the kitchen.
Fog be gone. The fog lifted.
It changed me as a person ;)

Joining! I did a car boot last Sunday and got 26 minus fee and 4 for fresh doughnuts and a cup of tea! Doing another on Sunday!

Thanks for the boost BeCool !

The 'less buying' thing feels like one of my biggest achievements so far. We need proper storage for our shoes - they're currently all over the place. We had shoe racks but in hindsight I just bought something called 'shoe racks' without thinking about their practical application. They're rubbish! Shoes kept falling off of them and they took up so much space. So I have deliberated for ages and finally, this morning, clicked 'Buy' on a door hanging version that looks alright. I didn't want more furniture, I've been chucking enough of the stuff out as it is. It has more sections than we have shoes, but that's good as I'm planning to put scarves and ties in there (it's mesh so you can see through). I bought some super cheap tie racks a while ago but in practice they're also useless as DH doesn't want to fiddle with getting his ties over the loops and so when he takes one out it tends to end up living on a shelf I don't blame him, so we need a better solution and hopefully this will do the job. I also created a 'nappy station' to keep everything organised and together, just cut the flaps off of a nappy box and have wipes, creams, nappies etc in there. I feel all crafty

In continued absence of vacuum bags I have put all of the baby clothes, neatly folded (folded!), organised by age (organised!), into bags for life which have been tied up and are now under the bed. It will do for the short term and glad to have most of my living room floor back. Chucked out a huge box yesterday with some other stuff in it, more to chuck and sort today but starting to look a bit better. Then a big clean!

I have, in a way, added to my storage needs today too (oops). I buy a lot of stuff in bulk when on offer, it makes a big difference to our outgoings so it's worth it but it means needing to find a home for everything. So far, I've managed fine. However I have just decided that I am quite fed up with powdered formula (I know it's not tricky, it's just... bah!) and Asda sell the ready-to-feed we use much cheaper than everywhere else. So I've ordered the max. number of bottles that they'll deliver I'll find out later if they bring the full lot. Need somewhere for all of this milk to live... currently thinking ex-nappy box under the bed! (we make the most out of these nappy boxes)

PS Welcome bordello and congrats/good luck!

Thank you all for the warm welcome!

BeCool that article reminded me of something I saw once. It was a programme about an ultra clean/organised woman and how she organised.

She had so much STUFF! It was all very organised but she had a whole drawer full of various pens, just pens! They were organised into type/colour. At the time I was amazed at the way she had sorted everything. But who needs 100 red biros?

I like a nice pen myself, but the quantities were extreme.

My home needs to be organised, but I also know we don't require all the STUFF that a family of 5 accumulates.

Oh and all my tapes are in one place, the adhesives box. I'm quite proud of that box

YY one red pen is enough. When it no longer works replace it!

I think a lot of de-cluttering advice is about sorting the crap. Whereas moving towards minimalism involves some questions as to what do we actually need, and making lifestyle changes moving forward.

Iorek - take that pride and mirror the adhesive box organisation throughout your home. then see how foggy you feel

BeCool I think you have summed it up so well there. It's about what actually matters, not just about making everything you have more organised.

When I started years a few months ago it was about tidying. Then I genuinely started to feel fed up of owning stuff. I told DH, wondering if he would just give me a look, but his immediate reaction was, "I know exactly what you mean". It's surprising how just owning things can be draining and I feel so good as I slowly edge towards only having the things we really want or require. In my own nerdy way I'm slightly excited about moving eventually and seeing how little space we'll need in a van to shift it all!