"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

Aw Hubb, I've done that in the past - sorted a bag for charity, then its merged back into the general dross and got lost again. :( Its depressing, but at least you noticed straight away! That has to be a good thing - right?

I try and put bags to leave the house right by the front door now so I can't miss/lose them... but it doesn't always work out like that!

Hubb, I save the large trays from mushrooms, tomatoes etc to organise my food cupboards. They make it easy to get things out, organise it by category and make it eay to clean. ( plus free) Kilmer jars for some bits.

tupperware/similar boxes with missing lids are great for storing half empty bags of flour etc. I stole an idea from my DM when re-doing our kitchen and filled one cupboard with pull out drawers. All baking stuff supposedly lives there separated into flour/sugar/flavourings in lidless boxes. You pull out the drawer and immediately see what's there, without having to rummage. DM has most of her kitchen stuff in drawers (including plates, but I think you'd need specialist advice on weight bearing drawers for that) and it's a much more useful idea than you might think initially.

I'm about to repurpose the plastic boxes from inside insulated lunchboxes to categorise and store spices and seasonings which should tidy up that cupboard a bit.

Hubb I cleaned out all my kitchen presses last week and also had an infestation of flour mites or whatever they are called. Yuk! Had to throw away loads of cereal. Used the steam cleaner to get into all the nooks and crannies so hopefully that will have killed them all off. I really need to get some kind of container to keep flour in as this has happened several times before. Where do these things come from??

Still haven't tackled DS2's room, really have to get it done soon before he gets more stuff for Christmas.

Peonies glad your op was a success and wishing you a speedy recovery.

They are in the flour naturally (or the eggs perhaps). If you have the space you can store flour in the freezer, which keeps them at bay and keeps wholemeal flours fresher too.

we are just about to move both children into different rooms which is an amazing opportunity to kondo but it's so difficult to work out how to do it with their stuff!

Bakewell I have a big freezer so plenty of room. Can you use the flour straight out of the freezer?

I finally got round to clearing out one drawer last night, small step I know, but the joy of opening it up this morning and finding my knickers and socks rolled up straightaway was just brilliant.

I did seem to have 10 lonely socks no idea where their other partners are.

Will sort out my tops drawer later.

Yes , it's dry and scoops out no problem.

I've been through all of the DC's drawers except for one which I'll do later in the week and now have 2 big bags ready for freecycle. They are currently sitting in the cupboard I created some free space in the other day.

I've got lots of space in the drawers, one empty drawer (unbelievable) and I've found a few things I thought were lost forever including the necklace my mum gave dd last Christmas. I think I've now done the clothes category bar one drawer of DD's and DHs stuff which he won't let me touch.

daydreamer throw the odd socks out. I threw out a big carrier bag of them the other day and actually felt a huge sense of relief when I did it! It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulder - no longer am I responsible for finding their bl**dy absent and straying partners. Some of them had been in the odd sock bag for over 2 years awaiting the return of their friend.

I finally got started properly today. I put a few toys into the charity shop box and bagged up some baby toys for storage as my 2yo is too old for them now. I've bought new tea towels and chucked all the stained and holey ones. My kitchen drawer is all lovely and well organised now although I don't know how long that will last with DH around. I also binned trolley with building blocks that was mine when I was a child! I didn't want to keep it but it's too old and knackered to go to a charity shop. I feel bad for binning it but I was only keeping it because my parents had kept it and none of my kids really played with it. I hope I don't end up guiltily fishing it out of the bin.

bit late to the conversation but read some posts on keeping recipe clippings so thought I would share my solution.

I have been using an ipad app called iannotate for the last 3 years and it is super. Seems pricey but well worth it, you can set up a library structure so can sub-divide anyway you like by creating folders and sub-folders I scanned a few recipes in that I had in a tatty old binder and since then have imported pds either by printing to pdf from a website or you can create within the app by pasting in the web address. You can make notes as well if you happen to adapt or add to a recipe.

I still have recipe books but more often that not I just have my ipad on the counter and gone are the days of clippings and the dread of filing them somehow one day

Of course there is always pinterest as well to collect inspiration

I promise I will throw the socks away once I know there are none to match in the laundry I've just done :) I will attack that second drawer tonight and even the 3rd. Then I'll start on DD and DS.

I can actually see everything in the drawer at once, saves a lot of time actually in the morning.
All my DM t shirts are folded nicely in her chest of drawers, no idea why I can't do the same. Will now though.

I don't care if they have no friends they can go in the bin too. Our LA incinerates so maybe they will be reunited as scattered ashes. We've all got enough socks anyway and the odd sock bag does not give me joy really and truly it does not.

No responses to my freegle offers. Its off to the charity shop if no one has promised to pick them up by Thursday.

Reunited 3 pairs and have thrown the rest away, and sorted out the other 2 drawers. I feel accomplished and bonkers lazy and slovenly for not having sorted them out sooner as I now have so much more space and can see everything at a glance.

Thanks for your tips about the flour etc. I can't believe that I have just given lots of tins and jars to charity!! In the load I took YESTERDAY!! Am using boxes and other random stuff to sort my food for the moment and then it will be a priority to buy some nice containers to keep the insects out :(

I emptied the top shelf too this evening and there was a spider lurking in the top corner. And to think I judged my MIL for seeing one in her cupboards recently

Well would you look at that the thread is almost full!

Right that should do it, I'm off to find the new thread