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!

nuff said!

Today - really yes today, honest!

Just checking in hello to new minimalisers molly and 4little yee gods women - 4 under 6. A lot of potential clutterers there! Well start as you mean to go on

I feel so much better for getting areas clear and tidy - i feel like i can ^waft& about if that makes sense. ive decluttered the garden a bit

The kids have really benefited from having a dining table back. Laundry and clothes storage is much more managable and I can see how less is more.

BUT I still have a long way to go before I could say we are 'minimal'. Targets are:

1. DS bedroom - tomorrow.
2. Large TV Media unit - whenever DH is in a recpetive mood to thin out his DVD's
3. Under the stairs - the piles of clutter under there are monstrous truly random piles of wasted money, ideas and time (craft things eek!)
4. Kitchen cupboards - as I am in and out of these and see stuff ive alreay started to think about what needs to go, how to reorganise.
5. Garage - horrific, not ready to think of talk about that

I really fancy the following:

Steam mop
Heated clothes airier (we are limied on space in winter)
Electric carpet sweeper - DS could do this daily around kitchen/lounge.

But this would be letting more stuff in we've been doing without. Still struggle with the clothes thing.

andsmile Yes I think I am mad with 4 under 6. The babies are hard work when it comes to getting anything done. Also finding it hard to get out the house as much with all of them which adds to the amount of mess created at home.

I have been sorting more stuff out to sell this week. Although having not much luck actually selling it. Think everybody is busy with the summer holidays and good weather etc. But going to bung it all on ebay if it doesn't go locally, which I have done with a few other bits already but still a lot to go. Problem is storing it in the meantime really. Wish I could just take it to the charity shop but I am too much of a tight arse I do love the making money bit though and take pleasure in getting a sale!

House is looking better and certainly clearer and cleaner. Tackling the extention today which is my most hated room as it's old and falling apart (saving for replacement extention) and just looks tatty and horrible regardless of what we do with it so I never get that pleasure like i do with the other rooms as it just never looks nice.

You sound amazing doing all that 4little

It does feel so much better, DH commented last night how good the house was looking and that it felt bigger.

Well I,ve 'done' DS room, what ever done actually means in another matter.....I drilled it into him about the stuff, not played with, money, tidiness...on a dn off all day as we went along, he took it and got into it as he is getting w new cool room which he has asked for.

I'm off to tip and charity shop today with all the rejected items.

Hi, i'm going to join in too :)

Just read through the thread and was so inspired that i went and sorted out the cutlery drawer and glass cupboard. They're now all nice and shiny and EMPTY! Unfortunately, that was enough that i'm probably going to suffer for it tomorrow

My house is a big job. Everything got very behind when I was first ill (i have psoriatic arthritis and ehler danlos syndrome, my health shot downhill after ds2 was born), we only just have a cleaner now and so we have a lot of stuff to get back on top of. Its improved so much already in the last three weeks since she started. But if shes getting it clean, we have to get rid of a load of crap so its easier for us :)

Morning!

This morning i've been foreman - sat and watched two toddlers empty out the cupboard under the kitchen sink :)

And have started a 'freecycle equivalent' facebook group for my city

And i've already had someone offer to take a set of four mugs off my hands!!

Beyond, you are on a roll!

DH has been going through his hobby equipment and has listed some bits for sale.

Beyond, wow that's an impressive start!

I am off to fill up one of those charity bags that come through the door. Baby steps!

Got the chest sorted out (but only because I promised you I would). I now have one double sheet and some pillowcases to add to chazza pile and all the bedding for my sofa bed in the spare doom now fits properly in the chest!

Well done Arti!

Today I'm filling a charity bag with outgrown toys and clothes, and having cleared a chest of drawers I'm now selling the chest itself on ebay. It's a good feeling :)

Yay Erin! Extra minimalist points for selling the chest of drawers as well!

Arti that really made me giggle!

molly welcome. It is much harder without a car. I'm doing a bag for BHF and they say they collect furniture and electrical items for free - 0800 188 4100. No good for selling stuff though obv!

I haven't made much progress recently. I took a couple of boxes (mostly books) to the charity shop at the weekend but they were boxes I'd been filling up gradually over the last few weeks so the house doesn't look much tidier.

One thing I've never got round to in 20 months of being on these threads is sorting through old photos. It just seems such a mammoth task and I don't know how to segment it, unlike a room where you can attack a drawer on one day, a cupboard on another.

Photos are a big job, I know what you mean. Maybe start by sorting into years and then just tackle one year?

Chest of drawers sold subject to pickup, and 2nd chest delivered to charity shop. Dolls' house sorted ready for charity shop too. All these will buy back some floor area. I've also decluttered/cleared our bedroom floor. All stuff like half-emptied suitcases that should never have been there in the first place, but I'm still counting it!

Argh! Nothing going on (or should I say going out) here. I swear it's getting worse :(

Welcome to all newbies. Some great progress being made!

Beyond, I'm in a similar situation with my health - it's not as bad as it was but like you I have to be very careful not to do too much - and 'too much' can be hardly anything. Frustrating isn't it it's enough of a struggle keeping on top of the regular stuff.

Sorry for the moan feeling crap at the moment

I got a bag of stuff I'd been collecting actually out of the flat and to the chazza yesterday. hAve started work on the tip that is my office but loads more t6o do there! I have a book entitield "Banish Clutter Forever" tossed randomly on my 2m by 1.2m work surface! Funny but Not. Really. Helping!

We'll have to get this title changed to 'the crawl' and I don't mean the swimming stroke.
Beach toys sorted. Had lots of duplicates.

I've started sorting a box which hasn't been opened since the 90s.
It contains items of use in my first job. I've kept it all out of 'who knows, I may work in that field again'. Most of the documents are completely out of date so they're going in the bin however I am keeping some of the timeless reference books just in case (not very minimalist but the job climate isn't very reassuring).

Yep definitely a crawl and perhaps some reference to snail shells instead of houses

Oh Arti :)

I mentioned to DH that I liked the Japanese minimalist style this morning. He laughed. Absolutely zero hope round here! Still, plenty of scope for improvement.

Dusted and cleaned my most minimalist ( but still not very) room last night - bedroom. I do have to say it does get cleaned more than the other rooms because itis easier - some sort of (vague) incentive!

Found you!

Holidays have completely overwhelmed most of my tidying and decluttering plans. Kids go back next week though so writing check lists of things to do. I might feel like I've achieved something then.

Welcome back Minisoks. Ive been finding things hard going too and seem to be buying things to bring into the flat rather than getting rid! Aaargh!

Yep. I second that. But all the stuff I've bought is supposed to help organise (yeah right).

My head is a mess, my kids are a nightmare and the house is a tip. Never ending circle of shit.