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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Moving Forward With Minimalism

993 replies

MinimalistMommi · 18/08/2013 17:23

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

All Minimalists or aspiring minimalists welcome!

OP posts:
LonelyGoatherd · 02/01/2014 08:04

In my head, project 365 is keeping track spreadsheet alert of items that leave the house (freecycle, charity shop, etc) and items that come in (gifts, stuff you buy - clothes, toys, etc). The idea is you end up with 365 fewer items at the end of the year.

fuzzpig · 02/01/2014 09:00

I had loads of annual leave to use up before April so I've got two weeks off coming up in the next two months - I absolutely need to use some of that time to declutter more. I'm glad the solstice is gone now, so the dark is receding a little, although am dreading the snow that may appear.

We've now set a food budget and for our own spends we've still only got our £20 each a month - just need to be stricter about stuff like picking up kids' games from the charity shop and getting cheap family DVDs for movie night, extra clothes, the odd rip off magazine etc. I think although the DCs get no big presents throughout the year, they do get a bit too much 'just for the hell of it' stuff and I want to stop that really. DD might start getting pocket money when she turns 7 in June, so I want her to learn how to use it wisely and see that you need to earn things rather than them appearing out of nowhere. Also I want to really make Xmas/birthday be the ONLY time for presents IYSWIM as well as obviously saving money. They are lucky to both have summer birthdays so they don't need to wait a whole year.

We have just started a reward chart with both of them (for bedtime issues and teeth brushing) and they will get one moshi monster each week (2 in a £1 bag so have bought a load in the sales and put them all loose in a hidden box) so it's a reward but consistent and totally non-negotiable (we - well DH really Hmm - got into a right muddle with DD's chart last year as she got to choose magazines or money or whatever). The tiny moshi monsters feel a bit more minimalist (would've preferred lego minifigures but that's 4x the cost!) so hopefully it'll work well.

Any thoughts on the subject of pocket money/random non-birthday/Xmas toy purchases please, I'm floundering a bit and want to set a strict rule for myself and DH (who is just as bad as me on this point)!

FaceDirectionOfTravel · 02/01/2014 09:17

Oh, fuzz, I SO understand your desire to limit all this and pin it all down in a plan! (Delighted about your potential mortgage, btw.)

My kids have winter birthdays right after Christmas so we actually have the opposite problem: how to bring in new stuff that they need or would benefit from without it being their birthdays. Grin I've had to let go a bit and not be a tightarse about giving them bits and bobs - childhood is kind of about having a collection of rubbers or whatever, isn't it? And the kids will be fine and grow up into good, sensible human beings even if they get some rubbish magazine occasionally (although they are AWFUL).

We have introduced pocket money along the lines suggested in 'The Pocket Money Plan' - each child gets a pound a week to spend, a pound a week to save, and some money to give to charity. They aren't allowed to spend their save money until they have discussed with us what they want to get and found out how much the item is and so on. A pound of spending money doesn't actually get them very much since they aren't allowed to spend it all on sweets - they are allowed to save it up a bit if they want something that costs two or three pounds.

Once they are over seven we have found that they suddenly sort of 'get' the idea that they have to choose wisely. My dd is not yet seven and the money burns a hole in her pocket. My ds is nearly 9 and he has loads of money saved up because he doesn't really know what he wants enough. He is a bit 'over' toys now - there's a light at the end of the tunnel for you in terms of toy overwhelm, but I kind of wish he'd still play with his trains. Sad

CadenceRoastingByAnOpenFire · 02/01/2014 10:41

Ooh I am really mean compared to you two Grin. Dd1 age 10 gets 50p per week Blush. This is on a Friday when she goes to the shop with her friends after school and spends it on sweets/choc/crisps. We don't eat junk very often so this is her treat. The younger two don't get any pocket money Blush. Funnily enough we did discuss increasing dd1's pocket money recently. Now that she's older we are going to give her a list of 'chores' (just things like making her bed, putting her washing away, vacuuming and polishing her room etc.) I think we'll start off at £1 per week and go from there Grin.

Magazines are not allowed here . Spent a fortune on them when dd1 was little and they are such a waste of money. Hate the bloomin things.

For treats we hire a DVD from the local library (only £1 for 3 weeks). I try to make a trip to the library a bit of an 'outing' where borrowing a book is seen as a 'treat' too. Or we go to the kid's club at the local cinema where it's only £2.50 each to watch a slightly older film.

Another treat is go into Home Bargains and give them a couple of £ each to buy crafty bits. They all love arts and crafts and I find Home Bargains really reasonable so they're able to buy lots with their money. Took dd1 in there just before Christmas and she bought a pack of 20 plain cards and envelopes for 80p and some glitter gel pens also 80p and she has been making thank you cards for the last couple of days.

I saw a thread the other day, I think it was in chat, where the op had decided not to buy any clothes in 2014 and was encouraging others to join her. I don't think I could be quite so strict as that (I know I'll need to at least buy a spring/summer jacket and an outfit for a wedding) but I am going to try and go through to March without buying any clothes and then and then see where I go from there whilst promising to really consider any clothes purchases and get rid of something from the wardrobe when I make any purchases so that I keep on track with the 365 things.

CadenceRoastingByAnOpenFire · 02/01/2014 10:51

arti, I think you'd be right to rest this week and to wait until you have more energy and are feeling better before you start decluttering again. Even thinking about spaces you can clear/writing lists of things to do is progress. Sometimes we need to put ourselves first and now seems like one of those times for you. I think sometimes if we don't allow ourselves to rest after illness it can take a lot longer for our bodies to recover so it'd be counter productive to be working on the house anyway. Hope you are feeling better soon.

Lonely my towels live in the airing cupboard.

Soks sorry to hear you haven't been paid, what a nightmare. Hope you get it sorted soon.

CadenceRoastingByAnOpenFire · 02/01/2014 10:57

Delasi, thank you for the cake :) With eBay (and I'm probably massively overthinking this btw) I try to sell clothes at the start of the season they're intended for so for example if selling a winter coat I'd wait till, say, October. If selling a summer t shirt I'd do it around May. It depends how willing you are to wait around though. If it's general clothes that can be worn all year round I'd say put them on anytime.

Adora thanks for the tip about the diary, I will do that :).

CadenceRoastingByAnOpenFire · 02/01/2014 10:57

Delasi, thank you for the cake :) With eBay (and I'm probably massively overthinking this btw) I try to sell clothes at the start of the season they're intended for so for example if selling a winter coat I'd wait till, say, October. If selling a summer t shirt I'd do it around May. It depends how willing you are to wait around though. If it's general clothes that can be worn all year round I'd say put them on anytime.

Adora thanks for the tip about the diary, I will do that :).

frugalfuzzpig · 02/01/2014 11:26

testing my namechange :o

Thanks for the input about pocket money etc! Food for thought.

clearsommespace · 02/01/2014 12:51

Mine have pocket money but I don't actually give it, but note it down. Like a mini-bank account with Mum. They aren't allowed to go overdrawn so they have to save up for more expensive purchases. Not getting the money every week means they don't think about spending it until they see something they want.

We don't buy any toys etc for them outside of birthdays/Christmas. That's what pocket money is for. That and sweets( but they are not every where here so they rarely think about them) and replacing school supplies if more than one is lost in the year (I buy the first replacement ruler after that DCs have to cough up). I top up the Hama beads supplies as they quite often get used when friends are visiting.
They are currently doing all their puzzles in order to decide that they are not ready to part with them /to take photographs of them in order to sell (the photo is to prove the puzzle is complete) /

frugalfuzzpig · 02/01/2014 13:03

thanks clear :)

getting loads of ideas now.

Getting fun toys and games for the DCs is a big weakness. I never spend much as it's only the odd thing from a charity shop - eg if I see an Orchard Toys board game or a jigsaw for a couple of quid in the charity shop I used to volunteer in (ie I KNOW they, unlike other local chazzers Hmm, that they always check donations are complete) then I'll get it. I wouldn't ever just say "hey let's go to a toy store and choose something" even for £1. It is definitely MY problem, not pester power etc (they are never with me when I shop). I just love games Blush

But no. From now on any family games we want to get will be bought with OUR pocket money (so £40 max a month between us) OR will wait for birthdays/xmas. Same with DVDs (we have a huge collection anyway, and I get free rentals at work).

I've just been doing a spreadsheet of our finances and looking through my old statements online, it's quite scary to see how much gets frittered on random stuff/snacks while out etc. But in a way it's exciting too as I'm seeing how much more we could save by breaking bad habits.

delasi · 02/01/2014 13:39

arti Definitely take care, I've pushed myself in the past and just made things work. Just block everything out if you can and enjoy whatever makes you feel good Smile (for me, that's tea, sofa, massive blanket and stupidly girly films which I never normally watch).

Soks Confused Oh dear, well I hope it gets righted asap, sorry to hear you have to go through that hassle.

Cadence Thanks for the tips, it's a good idea. Most of it is smart/party/evening-type wear, so perhaps coming into wedding season in spring/summer will be good timing. None of it is particularly winter related so I think aiming for around March/April to get going is a good idea, rather than trying to cram it into my last week of free time. I'm saving it in my diary now!

Fwiw to all on pocket money, I remember what I used to get... from 11yo I had £5/week Blush Then from about 14yo I had £10/week. Goodness, makes my DM look like she was throwing the money about when I read your very considered approaches! What's more, I had less than most of my friends. And I grew up in a really poor area Confused Although in defence of my DM Grin about £2 of that was to cover bus fares.

delasi · 02/01/2014 13:41

arti Oops, I meant made things worse Blush

delasi · 02/01/2014 13:50

Ooh, 365 question: do you count a group of things as one, or the individual items? Just got rid of the old bottles, there were 6, so wondering if that's 6 items out or 1 item out... Hmm

CadenceRoastingByAnOpenFire · 02/01/2014 15:29

I was wondering that too delasi. I've decided to get rid of the dc's zhu zhu pets as they haven't played with them for months (possibly even a year now). I have a giant box full of hamsters, puppies, playsets and accessories and am hopeful that each individual piece can be counted towards my target (though I realise this is cheating a bit Grin).

pixiestix · 03/01/2014 13:35

I think you have to make your own rules with 365. (Or I hope so because that's what I did Blush) So, for example, I only counted stuff that was long-standing clutter, not anything consumable - are your bottles decorative or general recycling Delasi? If decorative I would count them all, if general waste I wouldn't count any. I didn't count any paper clutter at all even though bags of it went out. I counted bags of cables etc rather than each individual one. But I did count individual toys as they went out quite slowly - so I probably would have counted all of your pets Cadence. (Not quite sure what they are though, might need to Google Grin).
Find your own way with it, as everything leaving your house is a positive and should be celebrated Smile

delasi · 03/01/2014 18:14

pixie They're baby bottles, I was wittering on about them at some point and couldn't remember if it was on this thread or elsewhere Grin Basically I came to the realisation that we wouldn't be reusing them as DH wants to try a different brand, which I now want to do too, so I may as well just get rid now instead of hanging onto them for no reason.

I agree about making your own rules, I've decided to do the same. I'm counting pretty much everything, in and out, that isn't consumable (so regular bottles from drinks or oil etc wouldn't be counted, they just go in the recycling). Although I started in Dec, I've only just started keeping track of what goes in and out so I'm doing a fresh 2014 challenge. So far, 47 items out and 6 items in Grin

clearsommespace · 03/01/2014 19:31

I've got more in than out so far. Stocked up on the next size of thermals etc for DCs snow sports/play and thought they'd be cancelled out by passing on the old ones. Only when I got home I found I'd already done that last year! Doh!

harrietspy · 04/01/2014 09:21

Top o the morning to you.

House in chaos after Christmas at home followed swiftly by week touring the rellies.

I'm determined not to spend the weekend clearing up as Jan is going to be mad with work so I need to go for a walk/get outside to get my head ready. I think I'll do the 'unfuck your habitat' 40/20 thing and see how far that gets me...

MadameLeBean · 04/01/2014 13:10

I have employed a cleaner starting end January. Therefore am on ruthless de cluttering mission so she will actually be able to clean the floors and surfaces without me having to tidy for six hours beforehand.

Challenge accepted!

MadameLeBean · 04/01/2014 13:15

Basically I am working on chucking away all unnecessary crap (read: tea light holders) wardrobe clearout (charity/eBay) etc

I need a shoe storage solution for the hallway - anyone have a good one? Unfortunately my DP has loads and loads of bloody shoes for some reason!

MadameLeBean · 04/01/2014 13:15

Oh and putting all papers etc in filing cabinet or bin.

delasi · 04/01/2014 13:38

Madame I can't provide a hall storage solution for shoes unfortunately (have hunted!), it depends on your hall and how much space you have, I know people who have an Expedit as hall storage, others who use a chest and pretty much just throw shoes in. However I think one of the key things if you're keeping shoes in the hall is just to have the really regularly used ones there.

It took me a while to get my head around seasonal stuff but we now have our shoes sorted accordingly. So, in the wardrobe I have the shoes we won't use now or much - light ones that can't protect us from the chilly wetness, very smart shoes that are used occasionally, summer footwear - and at the foot of our bed we keep the current shoes (mainly boots and regularly worn shoes). We have a narrow hall so we can't really store shoes there hence this approach, but you could apply something similar: eg DP's shoes worn daily or regularly during the week in the hall, anything else organised elsewhere like wardrobe, under bed, wherever you have space really.

If your DP has loads for different outfits and such, I know someone who has loads of shoes and wears them all fairly regularly to go with different outfits, she has a decorative cupboard in the hall to hold the every day/casual shoes (eg loafers, comfy boots), wardrobe holds clothes for this season with shoes also, and spare room holds out of season clothes and shoes.

My main trick to it though - shoe cull Grin

clearsommespace · 04/01/2014 13:40

My DH has waaaaay more shoes than me. We have a bench with shoe storage underneath in the hallway and everyone can have two pairs + slippers there and spare shoes e.g for different seasons or specific occasions are stored in a different room.

MadameLeBean · 04/01/2014 13:42

Thanks I want to have as little on the floor as possible so that cleaner can easily sweep and mop. So no shoes under wardrobe etc. will look at storing half in cupboard "off season" and maybe getting something for the hall for the others.

MadameLeBean · 04/01/2014 13:45

Hall is not that wide but ikea expedit looks okay (just had a look).

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