The march towards Minimalism continues...

[MissAnnersleyismyhero]

Hey all, thought I'd make a new thread to encourage us all to keep going on the journey to minimalism!

Hi Erin, welcome! We are a bit quiet these days but still friendly :o so settle in.

Glad you do the pen cull too. I am a bit reluctant to spend money but they definitely need new pens, and crayola are well worth it IMO. Life is too short for rubbish pens :o I don't actually even know where DH last put the giant pen box when he tidied up the DCs have been making do with a couple of random pens and crayons that were left lying around! They do also have a big craft box which went down a treat at Xmas but most of the time they're perfectly happy grabbing some plain paper (we have packs of printer paper within easy reach) to draw on. DD did have her own colouring stuff upstairs too but after one too many discoveries of lidless pens in bed she is now banned from nighttime scribbling for the moment!

Well done Sok! Great to know your Rainbows will benefit from your hard work :)

Right, I am determined it WILL achieve something decluttery today. Having a brief rest now and then will do... erm, something. I am definitely back in the "oh help I don't know where to start" phase!

I looked through our file cabinet and OMG the amount of random shite in there! Haven't looked in it for ages. Can't believe we spent so much just to stick papers in and leave them. And thanks to putting stuff on top of it, it's actually dented :( so I think we won't bother keeping it, and will try another way of keeping any important documents. I discovered some unused folder separator thingies and I'm sure I've got an empty ring binder so maybe I can compress it all in there?

There is a lot of old stuff in there that I don't know what to do with. Obviously DH's divorce papers need keeping and things like work/financial contracts, but stuff like bills from old mobile/TV accounts can go, right? Please tell me I'm right?! And what about old council/benefits/tax stuff?

BTW the reason I looked in the file cabinet was that I needed documents for a CRB. Was quite shocked pleased my birth certificate was actually in there. So not quite as disorganised as I thought...

Morning all;. Just popping in to say hello. Welcome Erin!
Well done Soc on getting rid of so much.

Fuzzpig - can you manage your panic by delineating specific areas your DH can do on his own rather than leaving it open ended - eg while you are at work today he will deal with the filing cabinet?

I have worked out 2 competing tendencies within me that mean I don't think I'm a true minimalist. I love some of the minimalist philosophies and ideas and want to streamline things but I also love making things and genuinely use all sorts of random stuff for making. Yesterday I made a cover for the headrest of my neighbour's office chair. It was looking a mess because all the leather look plastic is peeling off. The cover looks great and used a random off-cut of curtain fabric I have kept for probably abut 20 years or so! It also used some elastic that I think I've had for at least a decade too! I used another bit of hoarded stored fabric in making a "baby Hobbit" costume for my friend's little boy recently. It isn't just fabric though it is all sorts of crap stuff. I watched Kevin' Mcloud's programme on repurposing a jumbo jet last night and found it soo inspiring!

As far as felt-tips are concerned - once children get past the "press really hard and ruin the tips" stage, I've found the best bet is to buy a really good quality set (I like Staedtler) - you can get them ore cheaply online - as they last sooo much longer. I have a set I use with my students and a second set I bought that I keep in the cupboard and use to replace individual pens as they run out! It works really well as is pretty minimal!

Hi arti :) A baby hobbit costume!!! Adorable :o

You know I don't think keeping fabric is terrible if you're actually using it. I guess good storage is essential to stop it taking over the house though!

That's a great idea about delegating. I expect when DH has booked the week off (no idea when this will be yet) we will come up with a schedule and can work that idea into it. Problem with designating 'areas' though is that there is no difference between most areas... They are all full of random stuff and anything could be in any place IYSWIM

Oh god it's just ridiculous here. Trying not to wallow in despair! I have just done almost an hour of decluttering though, so I'm happy I've achieved something today. Filled a binbag to throw away, and a bit of paper recycling and a few more bits to give away.

Ooh, staedler, yes I've got them on my wishlist for when the DCs are a bit older :o

Oh and while I was tidying I also found a Really Useful Box that should be the right size for the new minimal drawing supplies!

Right, apologies for just thinking aloud here, I need to just start figuring out what we can tackle during a week off. The main problem is that we don't have a car so can't take anything to the dump - anything big will have to stay for now (dad is more than happy to take stuff for us when he visits, but I would feel bad asking him to come up especially to do that for us IYSWIM).

I guess what we will need to do is make a list of sections in each room or something? And designate a box for stuff to give away, maybe one to sell (not much TBH, really can't be bothered with that anymore unless it's sure to make a lot of money, but I don't think there's much of that anymore!). Obviously we will need a large supply of binbags. I will need to allow myself resting time too - or what we sometimes do is DH going through the stuff while I boss him about from the sofa give my input :o

Thank you for the lovely welcome! I was in the charity shop just now (dropping stuff off, go me!) and they had a sign up saying they collected small bits of furniture etc from the local area for free. fuzzpig it would be great if any of your local ones do, but I guess it's not common.

I like the drip feeding new pens idea. I wish you could buy a pack of 12 pinks though, they're always the first to go :)

I've culled a few clothes today and packed some others away for winter, which has simplified my cupboard if not my life! And dispatched 2 ebay items, making £50. Not bad.

Erin - I agree about the pink but you can buy them individually!
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STAEDTLER-TRIPLUS-COLOR-323-TRIANGULAR-BARREL-FIBRE-FELT-TIP-PENS-SINGLES-/301012175344

Fuzz- It wouldn't be so bad if it was ONLY fabric but it is also wood, paint, tools, beads, glue, picture frames, cardboard, diy type items etc - but I do use things eventually! I have loads of storage and a spare doom, but need to find the most acessible way of arranging things so that I actually put stuff away rather than leaving it lying around!

Just keep de-cluttering, just keep decluttering! .

Dh has a box of things I have removed from the bathroom currently residing on the landing. I've also got rid of all the children's bath toys as they were going a wee bit black. Bathroom looks quite bare

hi everyone
never noticed this thread before (oops) but I am sooo joining now- this morning I had my first ever freecycle collection!! Of a huge composter and wormery, so i am feeling pretty chuffed. If they could only take eveything in the house too, that would be great [smile[

that was meant to be at the end.

Welcome erin and krisskross!

DH and I have agreed the DCs have way too much stuff. With tye bany due soon, we'll be bringing baby kit back out too so we need to minimise. The problem is they don't have a wide variety of stuff, just too much of particular things that are popular. So the wooden train track includes loads of engines and lots of special stations and such like. There is about a tonne of Lego. They have lots of half finished puzzle books. And about 40 jigsaws. We've always been careful not to have proliferation of character stuff or pointless noisy plastic, but it makes minimising a bit harder as I'm having to make decisions about much used stuff.

I'm starting with the jigsaws - keeping a few favourites, binning anything with missing pieces, charity shopping full but unneeded ones. I might then attack the trains as they are both slightly less bothered about that now - we really don't need 11 engines!

Tye bany? The baby, obviously!!

Welcome krisskross! Well done for freecycling, I haven't tried that yet. Do you have any particular aim, or plan of action? :)

Sok, I'm now imagining you as Dory from finding nemo. Not sure if that was intended on your part :o

Everton we are at a similar stage with toys. We have got rid of a lot, and are now pretty good at keeping character stuff to a minimum (I was pleasantly surprised that the DCs didn't even notice the lack of it at Xmas!) but what's left IS played with. It's a real struggle to know what to do next!

Hi everyone, may I join you? I have just read this thread over the past few days and admire what you are all doing!
Over the past few months I have been attempting to decutter too - we have had some work done in dp's study (decorated and shelves put up) which has forced us to sort out huge amounts of historic paperwork (Council Tax bill from 2008, anyone?). A few weeks ago I tackled the vast number of unworn clothes 'stored' under my bed and produced 4 bin liners to go to the charity shop. Yesterday I managed to sort a drawer in our sitting room full of, er...crap.

I feel like we are actually getting somewhere now. On the surface I used to seem pretty minimal, it was only because everything was stuffed under beds, in cupboards/drawers etc. But now my house FEELS fresh and minimal - like emotional clutter has gone.
I still have the kitchen to do, as well as my childrens rooms. Glad to find you guys!

Hi RnB, welcome! Sounds like you're well on the way already :)

That's interesting about the clutter being 'under the surface' - I've not really been in that situation ever? for about 7 years! A few months ago Mum and I looked back over some baby photos of my eldest, who was born when we lived in our first flat. I was actually really shocked to see how little clutter there was compared to now. It's just crept up to this horrific state (for us there is no 'under the surface' - just piles of everything, everywhere). For example in some photos I could see DD's toy box. That's right, one box - not even a big one. Where did it all go wrong?!

Anyway. No decluttering today as I'm off to work and then need to do lots of regular housework which I have a feeling will use up the rest of my energy :(

Hi RnB

Today I will mainly be minimising my Admin list. Cuppa at the ready, computer and phone at the ready. I'm off! That list needs to be fully crossed out by this evening

Hello all it's been too long! I've bene hanging out on the money threads as i found out in late Dec that DH had 17,000 of debt I didn't know about and we've been de-cluttering that! Down to 11,233 and hoping to be debt-free within a year.

I sold another 30ish things on eBay to put money off the debt and we have a huge pile in the garage for car boot sale soon, so minimalism and debt-busting turns out to be quite compatible!

Am currently pondering project 333, but having to wear very formal clothes for work means that I probably wouldn't see a huge difference in my wardrobe anyway. hmmm.

Wow MrsAnnersley that's fantastic saving.

The trouble with reading this thread is it reminds me about all the piles of stuff, stuffed in drawers, that I've been ignoring for years. Still, baby steps. We've just moved DS's room so I have his wardrobe and the new spare room's wardrobe to tackle next.

Erin - I find attacking the visible clutter really helps first. Gives you a visually streamlined and minimised home which then gives you the incentive to attack the stuff hidden in drawers. If you attack the hidden stuff first you don't see the benefit as quickly.

I now do a weekly decluttering of our hall - it's where shoes, books, junk mail, school bags, random stuff requiring homes gets dumped. A Friday evening clean up takes 5 mins and helps get the weekend off to a good start as at least one area of the house is streamlined and nice to look at!

How exciting to come back to some new minimalisers. Hello all!
I've also come back to a couple of requests for items I'm giving away so hopefully they'll be gone in a few days.
Off now to attack the mountain of post holiday washing and the piles of UK supermarket goodies we dumped in the kitchen last night.

Wise words there Everton. I must really just attack the piles of random crap

That sounds like good advice everton. I need to get the cupboards done though so I can clear away the random piles of washing cluttering up the landing. Quite possibly I'm just procrastinating.

Right. I'm off for a quick half hour of clearing floors and cleaning downstairs bathroom. That'll help.

I've missed this thread! Apologies for my absence! Currently decluttering the garden of weeds and having a ''rest'' on here Intend to catch up later when de-mudded and squeaky clean with a nice cup of tea.