"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

aweinspiring colour coding zing

got rid of enormous craft box today! realised we ......actually didn't use it

repurposed as baby toy box

have bought all photo albums down from loft

how is everyone going to handle xmas presents? the stuff that's just not joyful

Zing, I am sure the charity shops would still want them, if not how about a local women 's refuge, they might want them .

Well, I've now done my cooking books too, so next I need to move onto papers. This is where I'm uncertain about things. I think the 3 files Kon-Marie method won't work with a family. My son has SEN and we have a HUGE amount of things we need to keep. I'm sure I can cull it - he is nearly 18 so there is a lot of stuff that is probably unnecessary now - but I can't see me getting all our stuff into 3 neat folders. My kids are also getting to the stage where they have their own official stuff, so need their stuff separate from ours so that when (if?) they move out they can just take it and go.

So wise mums netters and fellow KM devotees - tell me your amazing ways of keeping papers. How do you file your stuff? I'm keen to get rid of stuff but I'm really not sure how to keep it. Currently, we have a box file for each area - which means we have about 3 shelves of box files! Help?!

Zing - I know what you mean about th duvet covers - I have had lots of random sizes of bedding that I know couldn't be sold here in UK. I take them to the clothes/textiles recycling boxes at the tip or there are a few others in aid of various charities near us. They sort them into what they can use and everything else gets sent to be recycled somehow. I figure it's at least not going straight to landfill that way. I think they sell them on somehow.

I'm not really here! Just popped inside for a quick sandwich. We are in midst of a massive clean out of the garage. Have done two trips to the tip today already! Also got rid of lots of spiders! And I think we must have had mice as we have lots of droppings. DH is in denial but I think after this clean up and sort out I am going to buy two big metal storage units with doors for the garage. Everything is currently on open shelves so gets very dusty and dirty. And the thoughts of mice is just yuck. But it already looks so much better. And DH got rid of loads! Without being nagged.

Zing - I don't think I've ever seen a set of duvet cover and pillowcase for sale in Edinburgh charity shops, just duvet covers, and I'm a heavy user and used to work in one. So send them to the chazzer, they will get sold to loving homes...

Have been following this and the minimalism threads since Feb, and have thrown out Lots, and I thought I was pretty good to start with! Thank you all for being inspiring human beings, we must have raised a fortune for various charities.

Coolas I kept the ones that I use and make me happy. There were some I'd been given and some I bought off eBay, but they weren't what I expected - so they've gone. There were some I've NEVER used in 20 years! There are still a few I'd get rid of, but my husband likes them .

Ok as usual it takes me ages to get started. I'm just starting on clothes. I actually enjoyed doing the folding (watched the folding video from the first thread). I am embarrassed to say that all the tidying has revealed an underwear buying addiction. I have over 20 bras! Goodness how many knickers and only 2 sets that match! Folded knickers do take up less space than just being chucked in, who knew
How do others fold bras? Cup in cup??
Oh and I do have drawer dividers from ikea, are they worth digging out and using?

Ohhelp - I only have one DC! And I have moved countries four times and house 7 times in last 20 years and have had massive clear outs each time! I have no excuse to have the amount of clutter that I do.

Garage pretty much done. Need one more trip to the tip but that will have to be next week some time.

We found something i had completely forgotten about in the garage which was originally found in the attic of this house as it was being renovated before we moved it. It's a military stretcher from 1918. And oddly enough given that we are in somerset - it's from Dublin which is where I am originally from. It feels a bit wrong to get rid of it as it seems to have been in the house for so long if it has been here since after the first world war. I suppose we could see if a local museum wants it. I really wonder how it got here. The house was built in 1904 by a man who had 3 sons - I think they would have been old enough to be soldiers.

Today has re-ignited my enthusiasm which seemed to have disappeared. I'm going to finish my bedroom tomorrow I think. And then tackle the ensuite.

Good work everyone! I've had a slack week or two on the domestic front as work has been manic. It's been lovely to get back on track this weekend.
I have deviated from the order though to do a specific area of 'komono' .
In my defence, I am a faded old goth. So it was really OK for me to have eight boxes of Halloween stuff in the loft wasn't it...
I have culled my bat collection. (Yes really, a 43 year old with a bat collection.)
It's all in bags ready to go to the hospice shop, whereas before I would have bunged it all back in the loft as there would have been no point donating it after the 31st as it would have been binned.

Got told off by DH for throwing his plastic contact lenses cases away. I got carried away and have sincerely apologised but it is hard isn't it when their stuff is mixed in and you just see it as a piece of junk? I did keep the nicest one for him, but that didn't pacify him.

Well done HalfSpam, you'll be bringing a lot of joy to someone else there!!

Trying to work through a bit of a hangover today and finding 101 reasons to procrastinate! After a fantastic game of hide and seek I've done toiletries/bathroom drawers and filled 3 carrier bags of rubbish plus returned a bunch of stuff to their rightful places! Bin men must be wondering what's going on with the rubbish we've put out in the last couple of weeks!

Happy Sunday everyone

I am considering going paper free. Once I've chucked what needs chucked I'm going to scan all household paperwork.

I keep realising anew how much tripe has been palmed off on me by dear family moving clutter on is annoying as you're expected to feel grateful & feel doubly guilty throwing it out . sorry I keep saying this .

not touched the photos yet but have thinned the framed ones on display out, I love them all but can swap them around when I fancy, keeping them in a newly empty wardrobe drawer

Some homeless shelters will take half used toiletries. The place I work usually organises this near Christmas and there's a lot of stuff donated.
I've just got my dc2 to help fold clothes, she was a bit bemused but joined in anyway!

wow halfspam you will make someones day when they find all that stuff in the charity shop !
I haven't done much 'kondo-ing' as such, need to re-organise furniture etc first but have been on a massive clear-out which will then let me sort/stuff, am so excited !
DD has started drama class which gave me an hour and a half yesterday to CLEAR without her -nothing can be done with her here , I'm actually a bit concerned about her need to keep everything esp at times when she is stressed like going back to school for instance. I'm not just talking about the 'normal' child unwillingness to part with toys, she will want to hang on to food wrappers etc . Hence a big reason for clutter everywhere, as well as the ton of furniture my LL insists in keeping in a small bungalow .
So sorted a bin bag full of clothes for my BF's little girl, sorted and delivered bin bag and a half of clothes and toys for charity shop. Have a bin bag of toys that a girl has says she wants but hasn't yet collected, been 2 weeks but she said theres been a death in the family so I can't get too beligerent about 'collect it or it's gone !@ :(
Doing a pre-loved sale with my own clothes on Sunday, whatever doesn't sell can go charity shop-hopefully one will be still open when I leave the fair that evening so I won't have to lug anything home to bring back out again !

komono is random crap (I'm paraphrasing)