Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

"The Life Changing Magic of Tidying" continues to magically change lives (PT 2)

999 replies

BeCool · 14/10/2014 20:28

Come fold your loved clothes, and feel the spark of joy in every object you own (or thereabouts).

Continuing our journey on from the Original thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/good_housekeeping/2178442-The-Life-Changing-Magic-of-Tidying-Marie-Kondo?msgid=50091328#50091328

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Voldemortified · 02/11/2014 20:29

Oh, and I really had to fight my inner acquirer today. Crappy day with kids behaving appallingly and DH being rubbish and exasperating. Very nearly bought a ho hum skirt 'to make myself feel better', but then remembered that since very few of my clothes bring me joy, the least I can do for myself is to make sure that anything else I buy really does bring me joy...so back on the rack it went. Oh, and have literally just stopped DH buying an 'interim' chess set. Hmm I am getting him a lovely set for Christmas and we have a very cheap and nasty one at the moment. He wanted to get another one ("it's only £20"Angry) to use for...count them...7.5 weeks. No wonder I need this thread.

Hubb · 02/11/2014 21:14

The interim chess set has really cracked me up Voldemortified!!!

Justgotosleepnow · 02/11/2014 21:20

Volde I'm with you on the fridge clutter. I can't reach our top shelf properly and it's just jar graveyard.
Welcoming a new way to manage that.
Or maybe just- chuck it all out?!

Waswondering · 02/11/2014 21:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MsBug · 02/11/2014 21:39

Hello all, been away for the weekend so no more decluttering here. I agree with pp who said how much easier it is to pack once clothes are organised kondo-style.

I love the idea of an interim chess set Halloween Grin

Now I have done paperwork I am ready to move onto 'komono'. We no longer have any cds or dvds as dp recently uploaded them all to his computer and sold the lot Halloween Shock. So according to the book I need to do 'skincare'. Does this include all toiletries?

Does anyone know when we are supposed to do jewellery? Was I supposed to have done it when I did clothes?

Voldemortified · 02/11/2014 21:56

just I think you're right. I need to cull. Problem is, I do love to cook so buying a jar of something like preserved lemons to cook one dish does bring me a kind of joy, but I need to get better at capitalising on the initial purchase. Am toying with the idea of keeping a running list of top shelf contents on the fridge door.
msbug I am very jealous of your husband the absence of DVDs in your house!!! I hate the bloody things and never watch them. Although having said that you would have to prise my Jillian Michaels collection out of my cold, dead hands.

ChaffinchOfMegalolz · 02/11/2014 22:04

well. after a busy 1/2 term the house is a hellhole again. So poo.
sticking points

  1. I don't know how many pairs pants I really NEED, the drawer seems too full,
  2. ditto DH.
  3. I have some bras that were expensive for when I was pg; they probably won't fit again yet they are fab quality & style. what to do.
  4. I have too much crapola in the kitchen drawers; but that stuff is expensive to buy
  5. gah. I have tonnes to do.
  6. keep forgetting to order the actual book in the library Hmm
moneyone · 02/11/2014 22:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MsBug · 02/11/2014 22:24

Chaffinch you can donate used bras to charity eg oxfam. Or sell.on ebay, if they are a good make they will sell second hand.

Voldemort , yes dp did well getting rid of cds - but you should see the size of his record collection!

ProveMeWrong · 02/11/2014 22:44

Voldemortified, my MIL is a genetically born MK disciple and what she does with her jars is she has a good stordì box white she pits them all in. Ad this box is a limited capacità, you have to take something else out before adding another, just like a kind of stock control so you assess the out of date stuff regularly. She also does this with cheese. It's quite simple, same principle as MK uses with long term paperwork.

Ohhelp, I agree that free space as you make it needs to be occupied by something in its category so it doesn't become the next place for komono. What I found when I made a wardrobe clear is that I put things I'd previously been storing under the drawers in there. In other words if you have some storage baskets/boxes somewhere in the house and not in a cupboard, e.g. wrapping paper, hairdryer, jewellery boxes ; then that would be a good time to move it and use the proper fitted storage to the max. Does that make sense?

Chaffinch are all your pants bringing you joy? I.e. Look good, comfortable, fit well etc? If so then maybe your drawer isn't the right size for them or something else is taking the space. On the bras I think I'd be tempted to donate to a first time mum who will inevitably have crap bras the first time round for pregnancy.

ProveMeWrong · 02/11/2014 22:45

Sorry my Italian keyboard kicked in at the beginning there! Angry

scaryg · 03/11/2014 08:04

Has anyone else noticed with the underwear drawer how many extra socks and pants they have. I did the rolling thing a couple of weeks ago and have realised I only use half of what I've got if we're on top of washing. So I'm going to be able to reduce more on socks and pants and have more space - I'm so liking empty space.

homeaway · 03/11/2014 08:47

Chaff you can only kerp the bras if you have kept maternity wear. SmileIf you really love them then I would store them with baby clothes or maternity wear.
I have small boxes in the pantry with things like vanilla essence in. It works well for that so can recommend for the fridge.

ZingOfSeven · 03/11/2014 08:52

Voldemort

another shred fan here! did a very brief stint of the basic one last year this time before finding out I was pregnant.
I fully intend to re-start after Christmas, when I can leave baby at grandma's regularly for longer periods of time.

about DVDs - I love them and I will always keep most of them.
but as the boxes and cover papers inevitably get damaged I came up with the idea of getting rid of those and simply store just the discs in CD storage cases, the type with the zip.
(not sure of proper name, the ones you can fit 20 or 30 CDs in little pockets inside)
it would save tons of space. My family is yet to be convinced, especially the younger children as they like looking at the pictures on the covers.

I'm one week post-op and doing ok. I still have to take it easy this week, so I will get on with my patchwork projects. Smile

Happy Monday everyone!
Brew & Cake

alemci · 03/11/2014 11:33

also reading a book by don allet who is American which was really funny. similar ideas but tbh not keen on the Feng Sui ideas of Marie.

visited my df and want to help her as she has a massive hoard.

Fifilal · 03/11/2014 11:40

So glad to see new posters on thread... Was afraid when all original posters finished the process I'd have no one to keep me motivated... Slow progress here!!
Have just done my sock drawer and was unsure of how folding socks would work. Should never have doubted our great leader. Can't believe how many I have, as could only ever see top layer of pretty manky ones. Converted!
Unfortunately had decided I was going to treat myself to nice new ones today (saddo!) but can no longer be justified. Think that's the best outcome for me of the book so far. Can now see what I have so don't need to keep buying the same things over and over and adding to clutter in house. Will have to come up with a different reason to visit shops now.. Maybe start Christmas presents!
Glad you're on the mend zing

homeaway · 03/11/2014 13:04

Zing ,glad you are feeling better. For the dvd's can you take a photo of the covers kids like and put that in with the dvd plastic folder ?

Ohhelpohnoitsa · 03/11/2014 15:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

didireallysaythat · 03/11/2014 16:42

fifilal I suspect there will many of us still here ! Did DS1 clothes this afternoon with his help (PD day) and while I didn't fold religiously, it's a lot better now we've removed everything that's too small. And only one pair of PJ that fit still so something for Great Aunt to find for Xmas when she asks. Hooray !

Voldemortified · 03/11/2014 17:28

proveme thanks for the tip re top shelf fridge box. At least that would mean I could get everything out at once, instead of causing a jar avalanche. Would also make the fridge a lot easier to clean.
zing glad you're on the mend. You'll be shredding in no time. Smile I have to say I like the idea of putting the DVDs in an album thingy. I hate the way the plastic cases take over your space. And since nobody in this house puts the damn things back in the right cases, or indeed in any cases, they probably won't notice. Hmm
This tidying thing is way more fun than work. I am actually resenting my job for getting in the way of my tidying. I suspect you don't have to have a psych degree to figure it out - it probably has something to do with relative levels of control and senses of achievement...

stilllearnin · 03/11/2014 18:25

Women's refuges are crying out for underwear. Women arrive with what they have on so often. My friend collects continuously from all of us!

ProveMeWrong · 03/11/2014 18:43

Voldemort you made me giggle about resenting work as it stopped you tidying! Easy solution....tidy at work too ;-)

I'm another 30 day shred convert, day 8 today and starting to feel stomach muscles working when I pick things up. What a revelation! Unfortunately I have a child with croup who is surgically attached to me today so I will have to miss a day which feels very wrong.

I am finding the folding very therapeutic but they still look rubbish in the wardrobe as I only have high shelves to pile things, not drawers. I somehow need to convert them to drawer like things with boxes but that would mean buying storage, the cardinal sin! I may have to measure up and have a blinkered trip to ikea.

Voldemortified · 03/11/2014 19:13

proveme good luck with the ikea blinkers. I need to get me some of those. Last time I needed storage I went the Amazon route to avoid the temptation and DH's special IKEA mood which is not pretty
zing I have just Amazon primed two DVD storage wallets, which will provide storage for something like 528 DVDs for £27. I know, not supposed to buy storage but I think this is a no-brainer. We are in spending lockdown due to house move (except for interim chess sets, obvs) but mentioned wallet idea to DH and he was immediately hooked. Not, I suspect, because he wants the space back, but because he will be able to flip through to the desired 80s film while sitting on sofa, rather than lying on his stomach to see the bottom shelf.

Jamfilter · 03/11/2014 20:35

I did paperwork today and last night and I kept thinking I'd finished and then remembering ANOTHER heap or file stuffed in somewhere random. I am broken.

But there is very little paper left in this house so yipppeeeeeeee!

We don't talk about how big the bonfire/shredding pile is. Thank goodness my mum's away for two weeks so I filled her recycling bin as well as my own Grin

MrsCurrent · 03/11/2014 21:02

We've enough paper for kindling for the winter since I half tackled it!

I can't bring myself to chuck the DVD boxes but I do like the idea of them in a folder to flick through on the sofa, would I be breaking the rules if I stored the boxes in the loft do you think?