'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying' - Marie Kondo

[FrancesHB]

Has anyone else read this? I did a search but couldn't find any previous threads.

Marie Kondo is a Japanese expert in tidying and decluttering and her book has been translated into English and is best selling. It's wonderfully eccentric and inspiring and in some ways rather a breath of fresh air compared to other books on the subject (have read 'em all and my house is still messy...).

She asks us to ask if an item brings us joy and if it doesn't we thank it and out it goes. A bit like fly lady 'you can't organise clutter', but in a less annoying and at times quite endearing way.

I wondered if any MNers had used her technique and if it helped them 'get their house in order'.

Well done coffee.

I swear getting a t-shirt and socks out this morning was much more pleasurable! Sadly the rest of the house looks awful since I've completely neglected normal housework, oh well, she reckons you only have to do it all once so I'll call it a work in progress and not allow visitors for the next 6 months

I eat off chipped plates and it's not anything to do with value for me, I just like the plate and don't want to throw it away just because it's chipped!

DS helpfully put some t-shirts away for me and messed up my careful stacking

bertie it's probably just me then whose self worth is tied up with things I own.

I do wonder how much of it is to do with the kind of environment we grow up in. My mum was raised in a third world country and although she did not live in absolute poverty, I know that times very very hard. And then when they came over here , dm and df had to start from scratch again. Dm has literally held on to everything she has ever bought in this country. Product of her childhood.

My own childhood. My parents constantly talked about money or the lack of it. We did not own a lot. To this day, I still remember buying my doll. I was allowed to choose but I remember being torn between the doll that I really liked which was a few quid more expensive and a doll that I thought was ok - I chose the cheaper one. In secondary school, I only had 2 pairs of knickers and my socks were darned and re-darned.

So as an adult, I do think I was affected by the above. I think that's why I don't like to own items that are less than perfect. Does that make sense?

Sorry about the essay.

Mrsc it's a lovely feeling, opening up the neat wardrobe and it being so easy to get dressed for the day.

I suppose. And I do have that sort of thing going on but with a slightly different dynamic.

We also had very little money growing up, it wasn't like my mum went on about it, but we knew. I definitely try to hang onto things until I've really got the full use out of them and hate throwing things away which are still usable.

My quest for perfection tends to be this: I notice that something is not really fit for purpose, or I need a particular item, and I decide that I'm going to buy one but then I want one which is really good. I never have the money to buy it so I don't get it immediately and keep on using the not-fit-for-purpose item or muddling along using other things instead in the meantime.

So I suppose that in some ways I'm not valuing myself by not buying stuff (e.g. at the moment, I'm using a spare single duvet because after a year of putting up with this shitty small double that is not big enough for mine and DH's habit of snuggling into it at once, I was sick of waking up cold in the night and having to drag it back or using an old pillow to cover up the gap.) but at the same time we really don't have the money to put into super-fantastic items. Probably what I should do is put aside some money each week/month and then use it when I notice something I need or want a better version of, or write down that thing and spend the fund on it when it gets full enough.

Yes, why throw things away if you need them and they are still working? But I guess everyone has a slightly different take on that. I totally get about saving for the super-fantastic item but never having quite enough money for it - but whereas you would put up with the not fit for purpose I item, I would buy a cheap one, wear that out and then fingers crossed get the best one.

Completely off topic, have you got or looked into YNAB, a money management software. I am a bit evangelical about it.

Quick question: what would you do with unopened makeup you no longer use?

one refuges often ask for donations of make up as when people flee they have to start from scratch with all kinds of things, not just the obvious clothes, home stuff etc

There is also a charity/organisation called Give and Make Up which I think Caroline Hirons is part of, I can't Google just now to get all the details but I'm sure it'll have details on there.

I haven't bought the book yet but have read the thread and googled a few things.

I have been storing tops and things like that anyway for a bit now and it is much better.

About the sock thing- having 3 small children I can imagine socks just lying paired in a drawer rather than balled up in a basket would end up messed up in no time. Do other people do it in kids drawers?
Maybe I should just try it with mine first.

I don't have very many clothes and am quite ruthless but DP has bloody hundreds and is loathe to get rid of them- any tips for that? I regularly take a few bits to the charity shop when I take some of the kids stuff but he keeps buying more anyway.

I am thinking of a load of plates that don't bring me joy in the kitchen cupboard so they will be thanked and exiting soon :)

Unopened I would say you could sell or donate probably.

Cool I haven't heard of that. I'll look it up.

I have to say our lobby is STILL lovely and decluttered by dh is the only rebel. We all have one shelf on the shoe rack each and excess footwear has to be stored elsewhere. dh keeps loading more on the rack like a kind of Lord of the Manor Right. Very Very irritating.

In the lobby there is a window with a shelf that used to have a bike helmet on it, a bicycle tyre pump, some old mail and misc stuff. It gave me no joy, in fact it depressed me. Now it is clear and clean except for a photograph of dc, and a plant which is now watered, thriving and in a plant pot I really like. Every time I go in or out this little shelf gives me a disproportionate happiness to its size! Imagine if I could get off my fat arse like the rest of you noble people and do the whole house? With my dh agin me with all his keeping too much approach as well.......

Storage advice needed:

I have just emptied and FOLDED everything in dd's cupboard. And it looks amazing, MK's respect for the garment is sort of contagious isn't it?
But we have a strange piece of furniture in her room, it has three shelves inside and two doors which open outward. The surface on top has hair things and some books and is generally a mess. Trouble is dd can't look for stuff without destroying the GAP like symmetry of my rectangletastic clothes piles.
Maybe I just have to accept that this piece of furniture doesn't work? Do you think we need drawers for clothes? Can't really justify buying furniture now....

Thanks Cecy I will look into it.

Mrsjavier - sounds a bit like my built in wardrobe which had obviously been in the house a very long time. In view of the book rules I would rather have drawers but I am making do using shoe boxes on the shelves to contain the piles

I have just folded all the socks in my drawer and DPs and chucked a lot of threadbare ones into the rag bag for the charity shop.

I have also folded all DPs pants and lined them up on their sides tidily rather than just folded and flat like they were.

Not sure how long they will last though or if he will just rifle through them.

I am making a mental note of the kitchen things that bring me no joy for tomorrow

I have now done all my makeup and toiletries and the stuff that was in the way of them - result is I have dusted my chests of drawers and printer for the first time since dd was born. She's 2.7... Not just lazy - I'm only now able to reach the floor so you can imagine how much tidying hasn't happened!

Couple bulky items should be collected by Freecyclers, and some inroads into the living room. The question is whether some items give me more joy than the space they would take up - seeing the dcs playing for hours on the weekend in the new kitchen (ie open space) with spatulas as guitars reminded me they actually value space to play over yet more toys that they don't know how to tidy up. I was tempted by a vintage game at a jumble sale but restricted myself to only a few spare clothes for the dcs, and a bacon roll. Which brought joy. :)
October is time to sell items that can be Christmas presents, so will do the games cupboard next.

Ive started the book,
Im thinking MK wont mention sheds & lofts!

Ive decided instead of buying DD bigger babygros & pyjamas for the winter, she can wear her summer leggings that are plenty big enough, with long sleeved vests, & socks.

So that reduces more clothes coming in the house. I feel rather chuffed with that brainwave

I did two kitchen drawers tonight - I know it's not supposed to be done in bits but it was 'all the kitchen towels' and 'all the crap in the kitchen'.

DH was laughing/horrified at my ruthless tidying (throwing away things like an ancient charger) but those drawers look lovely now!

Sometimes you can only do it in bits, Im the same.

This book is making total sense to me! The time has to be right, I think. I've been de-cluttering for a couple of years now, just moving stuff around the house (and my parents' house). Now I'm so sick of the stuff that it's just gotta go! Started on my clothes tonight. For the first time in my life I found it easy... Straight to Oxfam tomorrow. I reckon the KonMari Method will make a big difference to my life.

Im back! Book arrived in library this am and as Im loaded with the cold, my lovely mum went and picked it up for me and took baby dd so I could rest...but instead I read the book (well, up to pg108) Haven't done any tidying as caring for the kids today has been hard enough.

Clothes would be easy - I have 1 pair of jeans and 1 top I love. Thats it. But of course then I wouldnt have anything to wear. No underwear, no shoes, no jumpers or coats. And I hate clothes shopping.

Because of that I am instead challenging myself to books and stationery by the end of the week.

Woodenheart good thinking on baby clothes. :)

I started this on Saturday, I got all my clothes on the bed, and felt VERY overwhelmed. However it is true what she says about handling the clothes as you do realise how old or tatty something may be. I must admit I did get a bit slap dash after 4 hours of folding, and perhaps my t-shirts were not folded perfectly as I struggled to find the 'sweet spot' through my body aching with bending down constantly! But my drawers and bedroom look so much better. I gave one bag of clothes to chari'ly and have one bag of work stuff I am donating to a charity that helps women/refugees to with job interviews and work clothes. My multi-coloured tights are rolled like sushi and look really bright and colourful in their box on the book shelf! I did not realise how many pairs of black tights I have though

I did a load of washing and drying on Sunday but it took ages to fold and put away, I am hoping this will start to take less time as I get more practice, but has anyone else noticed how time consuming the folding is?

I am itching to get cracking on komono, the kitchen and the bathroom ASAP because I am worried I will lose my mojo and just settle with the clothes issue. But so far this has been a revelation, our dear leader would be very proud of us!!

Rock the boat you must be folding a lot more carefully than me, it's not taking me any longer than usual... Well except for the kids stuff whichi used to just chuck in their drawers without folding at all! Did it really take you 4 hours to fold all your clothes?

I have been procrastinating on doing papers for the last few days... I'm scared because, well I guess just because I hate dealing with them... I love what KonMari says, "My method is to throw them all away"!!!

yes Cough! it was all the socks and tights, gym stuff, walking home from work stuff, tops, t-shirts, tights, knickers, Christ it was never ending. I am tempted to go back to the previous way of 'stacking' but shall persevere and see if I quicken up!

Get to those papers!!