'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'.

Hi all. Getting really angry at myself re financial paperwork and my complete crapness with it. I cause myself major stress and cost myself money by just being too crap to deal with business paperwork until the accountant is practically breaking the door down for info.

Tempted to skip books and go straight to paperwork but I know books are the problem. My office is bursting with them so I never seem to get organised enough to find a proper storage home for the financial paperwork. I am feeling ragey this afternoon as I have a financial deadline today and am desperately trying to find paperwork everywhere.

That sounds great Fcuk! Have gone off piste myself and am not doing it in the right order. Are you able to post a link to the Ikea dividers please? Will join you in a cuppa!

I think I might need hot sweet tea for shock! DH voluntarily got rid of some t-shirts! I cleared three shelves in asked him to have a look at some of his stuff and he started sorting through. I'm not convinced it is as sorted and neat as it could be but its better than it was! I think I will do the folding on his tshirts etc which will help. He has folded stuff himself and not in th approved manner!

Like other DH's mentioned he laughed at my nice neat drawer and said it would not last!

OneSkinnyChip - it's hard with items like books and paperwork. But it will be SO worth it when it's done.

9 separate storage boxes/baskets I've found full of paperwork, that's not counting stuff around the house.

I'm quite cross with myself, I've been chasing up a specialist report from 2011 for a few weeks as my son's paediatrician wants a copy and I had misplaced mine. I've just found it in a basket on a top shelf. Storage baskets and boxes are a bad bad thing, I just fill them and forget about them, mk makes more and more sense with every area I tackle.

Thank you for the list, I did kitchen cupboards today, all looks lovely.
Toys next I think.

Wires are a bit frightening, I have a box full and not a clue if they belong to anything.

I found kitchen really easy, but I do like throwing things away

m.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/art/60192633/

Here are the divider box things, seriously worth the money, they are bigger than they look in the website and really study!

I now have a Hoover attatchment box, have gone through all paperwork-admittedly not much as I usually throw most of it away

Cider, trying to get dh to throw clothes away is near on impossible. He has boxers that he has had since he was 16 with no crotch area!

Mrscurrent, I have an alcove under my stairs where I have painted a blackboard on a wall and also stuck 2 of those magazine folders into the wall (command strips) I have one for letters and one for school stuff.
I put all letters in then once a week (or longer) go through and sort it properly. Because they are kind of on show I make sure it doesn't get too crammed.

Spidergirl, I'll be doing the dreaded kitchen junk drawers tomorrow! Then the food cupboard which will only take a few minutes because I like it quite organised anyway

m.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/art/30270401/

These are also brilliant, and only 80p!

Cider you are so right. I might even have a celebratory cider when I clear all the bloody paperwork forever!

FINANCIAL PAPERWORK - does anyone know how much you have to keep for business purposes? Because I have a horrible feeling it's something like 7 years worth of statements / receipts etc :( I think I will need to get 7 box files and just empty the oldest one every year!

In my paper rage I was tempted to skip ahead and start tackling books etc but made myself slow down and went through shoes and handbags instead. Have a bag of silly ones to do now but most of those will go. I was very unruthless with my scarves at the weekend but at least they are all neatly rolled in some of those IKEA Skubb boxes (another fan here Fcuk :) )

Loving the IKEA boxes - I have huge, deep drawers which need divided into vests/t shirts/work tops/long sleeves etc. Will be nagging DH to take me there on Saturday to get some! (I don't drive!)

Can we really throw out payslips? I don't trust HMRC AT ALL. [suspicious face]

peonies you can throw out the monthly ones at the year end when you get the P60 - any tax return would only need the total figure for the year.

oneskinny I used to do the treasurer role in a charity - rule was always 6 complete years which does mean effectively 7 years i.e. 6 plus the current one. I used to go through each year end to make sure I only had the relevant bits, then put these into cheap paper folders (the big envelope type ones) in a large box/crate in the garage and throw out the oldest when I put the new one in the box.

I am self employed. I just have seven foolscap cardboard folders with the year written on marker pen. All goes in there. No sub filing. When I add a new year I shred the oldest one. In a decade of using this system I have never had to go back and find a bit of paper but am a bit scared of HMRC....

I have those dividers in cream, they go through the washing machine
I use them for the children's smalls.

I managed to remove a few toys from the children. They don't have that many random toys so it was easy.

My paperwork is already in one tiny A4 expanding file, I'm good with paperwork, paperless billing really helps.

I ditched the old towels today, normally I would hold onto them as dog towels/ mopping up cloths but I just put them in the bag to go. I thanked them for being useful. I need to to loose some bedding tomorrow, two sets per bed should be enough I think. The ones to go have holes so I feel no guilt.

I have this massive cupboard which is like Monica's closet, I'm going to empty it tomorrow. It's a scary, scary job. I will be happy when its done though, I know I will.

Thanks for the links Fcuk. Must get down there ... but better be careful not to buy too many or I'll be back to square one!

Housemum I wonder if we did the same baby sale at the weekend?

I felt like shouting around the hall - Are any of you decluttering because of THE book & see who turned around

Thanks for whomever recommended the butter tubs for storing small stuff. I have a tub in my downstairs cloakroom toilet and another small round plastic pot for taller stuff like mascaras and lip glosses.

'Tis a small thing but it makes me happy.

I'm moving at a snails pace but the old hoover, toaster and kettle are now residing at the dump.

When you say "business purposes" Skinny do you mean you are self employed?

I think the rules for self employed is actually 5yrs 10 months from end of the tax year - but go wild and just keep previous 6 years.

If employed then you only need keep two years (including bank statements so don;t just keep a year) however digital records are fine - eg sanned copy of pdf version.

Where can I take garden electricals?

My recycling centre doesn't have them on the list. Things like a strimmer, old mower etc.

Our leader cant have a shed.
Or a loft
Or kids
Or a sunroom full of shit

Your recycling centre has a list?!

Methinks someone there has read The Great Leaders book too...

yes, I wonder if they have read it.

They have a list online on the council website, maybe I will ring them.

Yes Kew have a Ltd company for earnings I am a freelancer who loves my job but hates all the paperwork and shit that goes with it

OK then - company records 6 year from end of tax year here but you can keep them in pdf format, accounting system etc.

Your stuff as an employee (P60, P11d etc) 2 years

Again just pdf them all.

I'm trying to persuade my payroll bureau to email pdf's of payslips to all my clients - it's my KonMari gift to the universe.

Thanks Kew :) That's helpful.

You're welcome - no charge for fellow devotees

:o Personally I think we all need to start saving our ebay cash for a massive end of 6 months party. all round at our joyful homes!