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!

[Blueandwhitelover]

I'm coming back to join the thread, I joined the no clothes this year thread and have stuck to it so far.
It really has made me look into my wardrobe and see what I actually wear. I started at the beginning of January and have not had to iron anything for work since!! I still have unworn clothes left in the wardrobe. My idea is that this has forced me into wearing everything at least once and if I don't wear it then I obviously don't need it. I probably have about ten days or so(possibly more!!) worth of clothes before I will start 'repeating'
I am going to be ruthless and charity shop or ebay anything that hasn't been worn, and as I loathe ironing I will only be ironing the stuff I liked wearing. (Hope that makes sense)
Once I've done that with the clothes I plan on doing this with shoes/boots.

[clearsommespace]

So basically you'll iron if you daren't step of the door in the remaining clothes in your wardrobe. And if you'd rather iron something than wear the clean, already ironed clothes, you know they're not keepers. And anything you wore but can't be bothered to iron also 'fails'. Sounds like a good plan!
It requires a huge ironing basket though

[MissAnnersleyismyhero]

Thinking of NC to addictedtoeBay or something similar... seeing how much money I have made out of stuff I never wear is a real eyeopener. 19 items to post today, waiting on 2 to be paid for (doubtless this will happen as soon as I leave to post the others!!)

It does make me shudder slightly when I think of the stuff I have given/thrown away over the past year, but what's done is done!

Think I'll do one last listing this coming weekend then stop (it does eat all my spare time!)

I was looking through my jewelry box and thinking I could quite happily sell 90% of it - I wear the same pearl studs every day, have 2 funky, dangly pairs of earrings I wear when I'm being hip and 1 fancy pair (wedding present from DH) I wear when I am being posh. Why do I need the others??
I feel a job lot of jewelry coming on!

Welcome deathmetal but beware, this de-cluttering is completely addictive

[Blueandwhitelover]

I now have two full ironing baskets....
Am off for a week next week though for half term so am going to sort it then and get rid of what won't be worn again!

[MiniSoksMakeHardWork]

One steam cleaner in. 3 mops and one bucket out. We're on the up again.

[MiniSoksMakeHardWork]

Clearly I am proud of my steam cleaner lol! I really need to keep this thread read regularly.

It's nice having under stairs space. Although it's slowly being filled again with stuff that moves around the house.

I'm storing a box of 'things to tombola' for our rainbows. Think I might store that at the hall with all the rainbows things or it's going to bugger my things out/in ratio.

Slowly getting back on track with working through things. Just have to convince dh that we really don't need x, y or z. Particularly when it comes to cleaning products. We've zillions of started bottles in the under sink cupboard. They get pushed to be back when dh puts new stuff in, he then can't find it so opens another bottle and so the cycle continues.

[educatingarti]

I have a house guest coming to stay for a week on Thursday - I'm looking after a relative's aged moggy for a week. I have only a few days to sort out the mess in my flat and make it a bit more cat-proof. It may be some sort of incentive - Hmmm we shall see!

I'm also still working loads so not much time!!

[evertonmint]

I don't think I love any of my clothes enough to iron them Lots of my clothes contain lycra (even the jeans!) to minimise the wrinkly effect!

Making good progress on my beauty project pan to use up products before buying new and whittle my stash down to be only things that I am using and like. It's both clearing out my cupboards and saving me money. I don't have a huge stash of beauty stuff really, but I have been known to buy things on impulse and then not use it so wanted to get a handle on this. I've just started a S&B thread on serums to get decent ideas that I can investigate for my next purchase rather than just willy-nilly buying something that ends up being inappropriate and stashed or binned without being properly used. I was inspired to do this because I know somebody who is always buying new stuff to try 'sometime' and she has so many beauty products that are half used, or completely unused, just sitting taking up space. I've always thought it was a bit mad, but then in January she bought some Christmassy scented shower gel in the sales to use next Christmas. I was on several levels. Never mind the storing something for 11 months, or the spending precious money now on something you won't use for nearly a year, but why do you need a separate bottle of Christmas-scented shower gel just because it's Christmas anyway? It also wouldn't surprise me if she forgets she has it and ends up buying more in December because she has so much stuff that she won't find it again. It really made me think about hoarding stuff like that and how I don't want to have cupboards full of stuff waiting to be used. I'm trying to invoke Japanese Just In Time manufacturing techniques to my beauty products - only have in the house those that you are actively using and only buy replacements when you are a day or two from running out!

Anybody know if you can do anything other than bin old textbooks? These are things from maybe 15-20 years ago, fairly specific to my A levels and degree and have been kept for sentimental reasons but not touched in over a decade. They need to go but they're not relevant to students nowadays and I wouldn't want to lumber a charity shop with things like this. Novels are fine for reselling, but 15 year old reference books not so much and they would just sit on their shelves or in their storeroom for a very long time. Can you put books in recycling? I've heard the glue is a problem. Can I cut out the pages and recycle those and just bin the glued spines? That's time consuming, but doable in front of the telly and probably preferable to outright binning.

[Anatana]

We can put books in our blue bin; it says so on the leaflet. But there are a few specific orgs that take old textbooks actually. The one that comes to mind is Read International, but there are others. Maybe Recycle This? lists them, idk.

[evertonmint]

Thanks for the links, Anatana - i'll investigate! Binning them is a last resort (it feels sad and very naughty to bin books!)

[pixiestix]

It's worth trying We Buy Books as well Everton. They accepted about three quarters of my old textbooks. I was really surprised.

[clearsommespace]

Well I couldn't bear to throw away my instrument again (which has been taking up space in cupboards in various houses for nearly 10 years) and really enjoying it. It's partly due to this thread and the fact that DCs have started playing in concerts and watching them was making me both proud and wistful.

I have an appointment at DDs music school to see the relevant teacher tomorrow. He has an available slot when DD has to be there anyway.

Other than that, two cooking books (which have not been used since this time last year) have been added to the outbox.

[clearsommespace]

Sorry, that first sentence makes it sound like I've been drinking.

I couldn't bear to give away my instrument (which has been taking up space in cupboards in various houses for nearly 10 years) so I have started playing again and am really enjoying it.

[pixiestix]

Clear That must be really satisfying though. I love using my treasured stuff after a "use it or lose it" epiphany.

[AmberSpyglass]

I took 3 boxes to the charity shop today. They'd been in the attic for ages so I won't notice the space in the rest of the housebut there's more room in the attic and the mental freedom coming from knowing they're gone so today is a win, I think.

I seem to be drowning in clothes and washing atm. I've gone through DD and my wardrobes and culled anything we don't wear but there is just so much, washing basket is constantly full and I have 3 airers drying others. we obviously don't need all these clothes! What do other people's wardrobes look like?

[pixiestix]

We are pretty good on the clothes front, I think (Lets not talk about books and DVDs). DH and I share a double wardrobe and a 4-drawer chest of drawers, DD has a single wardrobe and a 3-drawer chest of drawers, but the bottom drawer is bedding. I have a box of scarves and hats and seasonal bits under the bed which needs a good cull. I have been doing Project 333 and have worn 18 items since the beginning of the year - but I am cheating slightly by being hugely pregnant Not a clue where we are going to put any of the baby's clothes yet. [panic]

[pixiestix]

Gah, forgot to say well done!! Three boxes is fab!

[AmberSpyglass]

Thanks pixiestix! And congrats on your pregnancy!

What's project 333? I'm wondering if I should have a limit to how many clothes we have. Like x number of jeans, x t shirts etc? When DD goes up to the next size I might give this a go and be strict about it.

[DeathMetalMum]

Everton Amazon also do a trade in service for amazon credit rather than cash though. I traded in my old textbooks last year.

Today I have sold two baby toys and taken another bag of toys to the charity shop, though it is dd1's birthday tomorrow so I am sure any space made is going to be filled.

[ladybranston]

another bag of documents ready to be taken to work and shredded! huzzah. Next today - bedroom closet :)

[JimmyCorkhill]

I put 5 items/bundles on Gumtree yesterday and felt so virtuous

Not a peep of interest.

Waaaaaaaah.

[evertonmint]

Project 333 is where you only have 33 items in your wardrobe for 3 months (so enough for a given season). It includes coats, shoes, bags and jewellery, but excludes undies, gym kit and nightwear.

As well as being minimalist, the idea is that it is easier to plan outfits as you don't have dross in the wardrobe, and you look more stylish as you've chosen things that go well together so can look put together effortlessly. I don't know if I'll ever look stylish but it's making the mornings easier!

I'm happily achieving it at the moment by being pregnant like pixiestix so don't want to spend much on new stuff and am only comfy in a few things!

You put all your non-seasonal stuff away and then get rid of the in-season-but-didn't-make-the-cut stuff. It's meant to make shopping easier as you can clearly see what you need, and you end up with a one in one out policy.

[evertonmint]

Thanks for all the book suggestions - busy week at work here but will follow them all up shortly.

[AmberSpyglass]

Project 333 sounds amazing. How do you choose?!

[MissAnnersleyismyhero]

I would struggle with project 333 as I wear very formal work wear to work, so would need 33 items in one wardrobe for that and 33 for off work stuff!