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

[BeCool]

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

Leelo keep the bells. I have kept all musical instruments until the dc have well and truly declared otherwise. If you want to donate, my friend is a music teacher at an education charity for autistic kids. He'd love them. But no, keep them please!!! Get rid off all the crap and see if there's a natural home for them.

Its been a week since I last posted.

Last week was awful with work and also had DD's birthday party to organise so didn't get much done but I did persuade DD to clear out her toy cupboard. Quite a bit went to charity or to the bin and amazingly all her birthday presents fit in the cupboard. Last year they just sat about cluttering the place for ages because there aws no where for them to go.

Today I was off work and got cracking.

The landing cupboard contained five huge bags of old clothes and a massive bag of odd socks. I sorted the socks and found 37 pairs and put all the unmatched ones IN THE BIN. Then I went through the clothes mainly DSs outgrown ones and filled two sacks for the charity shop. I also found a bag of DD's outgrown school uniform which I will label to sale in school unid I now have 2 loosely packed bags in landing cupboard.

Next DD's old clothes. DD is 9 and I had a small cupboard packed full to the top with them going back to 6-12 months. Another bag to the charity shop and another cupboard I can now close.

A big pile of books gone to charity.

I cleared my 2 kitchen clutter drawers. I can now open and close them and see at a glance whats in them. I filled a large carrier bag with rubbish from them.

So todays score - 3 black bags and about 30 books to charity. 2 stuffed carrier bags in the bin.

Still can't tell the difference though as most of it is from behind closed doors

Lots of you doing so well and a few stalled like me.

I was away for the weekend and have had some other stuff on the last few days.

I'm now going away again on Thursday till Saturday to Dublin - I have a dodgy upper back and have lots of pain in my arm. Going to a guy in Dublin I have been to the guy before and he is fab. It's an excuse to see my dad and sisters too. And it will help the decluttering as I am taking xmas presents too which are currently cluttering up the dining room.

Am starting again on Sunday. Will be on a mission! Will re read th book while I'm away to inspire me. And keep reading the thread as it's inspiring too.

Well, I'm still going, loft next

I'll buy the bells off you! Are they all mutli coloured?

I have a three month old and that's what I wanted to buy for him for Christmas but I couldn't afford it!

sell them to meeeeeeee

also, I have an LK bennet dress I wore for my best friends wedding five years ago and I don't know what to do with it. I won't have a daughter one day to pass it to, so should I just sell it? Even as I am writing this I think I know the answer. I need to thank it and move on don't i

Awww, Hellohello, I think I've probably been persuaded to keep the bells, but I'll let you know if not. I have a million other types of bell/instruments more suited to a 3 month old like these or these if they're any good to you? :)

hello what size is the dress, maybe one of us will buy it

I decluttered ALL of the megablocks we now only have duplo

Does anyone know if youcan can download text messages from a phone? I need to chuck my old mobile but I had it when dd was born and I'm finding it hard to part with all of the messages saying congratulations...

It's a 16 and it's a burgundy silk and it's so beautiful, but I rarely go out anywhere and I think it would rather have the money.

sure about the bells?

I've ground to a complete halt as I have been admitted to hospital(since Friday last week) currently being fed via a drip in my neck and will have an operation on Thursday.
Have been making lists of things to do when I get home

Oh no peonies hope you are OK

Cripes peony, hope you are ok. Keep making lists!

Peonies, take care, hope you ok

Have been lurking on this and previous thread, but the time has come to just thank you all and our dear leader for the inspiration. It has been life-changing.

Haven't even read the book, and it has taken me a while, because of non-sleeping baby and demanding older DS, but have done: clothes - mine and DSs. Turns out the baby had something like THIRTY vests. and I discovered all my clothes that fit are black (I hate black). Wardrobe is now practically empty. So at least when I say I've not nothing to wear, it's actually true! So easy to get by with fewer clothes. Will wait for the sales to buy only one or two bits. Just feel so much lighter and really hate "objects" coming into the house now. Lost count but we have a clothes drop-off point down the road and I've been going there on foot. Must have done about eight trolley-loads. Ridiculous! Some of it for rags, but still.

The best bit: I really really hate packing. Today had to pack for me and baby - took half an hour and was so easy. Treated the case like a kondo drawer. Looked lovely!

And the actual drawers have stayed tidy for SIX weeks...

Thank you all

Finally finished my clothes last night...and now have another 3 bags destined for the charity shop. I am both delighted and ashamed at the same time I had 7 identical black cardigans!! Anyho, done now and separated into 4 work outfits - 9 items in total, and my non work clothes have been pared down to 15/16 items...accessories all gone bar scarves of which I've kept 3 and only because they will go with at least one of my aforementioned outfits!

I have no book store to speak of, CDs went years ago and DVDs are all out of cases and in a storage pouch. It's either the kitchen or the toys, I can't decide. Also need to venture into loft to get Xmas stuff sorted so will do up there too!

Peonies - hope you are improving - take care.

Not much action here, but I am beginning to sense a change in thinking. Beginning to think that "stuff" = "stuff that has to be managed/maintained/looked after" so less is actually easier/better.

Oh gosh Peonies, get well soon! Is it a PICC line?

Sound productive Mum4Fergus! I've done DD's clothes this morning (she's 19mo). I couldn't get to some of them. It looks fab now! Only problem was she kept running off with stuff!

Thanks all, operation tomorrow should hopefully sort me out.

alittle no it's a central line, similar to PICC but into the neck rather than a catheter inserted into the heart etc. I am having something called TPN feeding. It looks like s giant bag of milk

Really good luck Peonies tomorrow.

Proud of my DH. He has been slowly getting rid of socks, bless him.

mines very gradual. big family party to sort out so don't want to start pulling things out.

i found her book helpful plus Don Aslet who writes in a similar vein. making us question why we accumulate so much stuff. my shopping is much more considered and generally my house is tidier.

Good luck Peonies - I hope its not long before you're fighting fit again and ticking off all the things on your lists. :)

Hope it all goes well today Peonies

alemci I reckon slow and steady is fine! She does say it'll take 6 months!

I went great guns yesterday (house bound with a chicken poxy child!). Done DD's clothes, did DH's t-shirts. He had sorted through them not long ago, I thought he might be about it but he said thank you! Did most of the paperwork just realised where there is more that wasn't too bad because I did a lot about 6 months ago. Feeling better already!

Not much progress here, but two huge bags gone to the charity shop, and a dozen EBay listings done (couple already selling). The craft drawer is working well as a place for Ds to always find scissors and pens and tape, ditto the battery drawer and my rolled trousers drawer where I can see all the items.
Next step is 4 7-foot bookshelves in the front room. I want to get one empty for my room, and to have boxes in the loft taped shut with labels reading "MrNC's sentimental crap/PhD references /uni junk that NC thinks should all go in the recycling". Which means I won't have to read any of it when he eventually wants to flick through before chucking it...

Dd is helping by growing out of the zillions of age 2 clothes into the much smaller number of age 3 ones. :-)

How many t shirts and pairs of trousers do your boys 2-7 have? I feel like I am drowing in hand me downs and t shirts I would rather not put them in but am hesitant to get rid as they can ruin things so quickly x

Yes thanks definitely will keep at it.