Kondoing this and kondoing that - thread 4 for Marie Kondo's lifechanging magic with tidying. All welcome!

[TheSporkforeatingkyriarchy]

Here's thread 4 for all the KonMario converts, wannabes, and guests to the magic!

Thread 3

Pointless my DH uses the AFS (any flat surface) storage method as well. I have come to the conclusion that he's incurable. He also uses the floordrobe method of clothes storage. I want my own bedroom so I can have a tidy space that no-one messes up.

Wow this thread is amazing! Lots of inspiring people!!!

Not much MK done here today as we are all off colour with sore throats so have had a chilled day (spent this aft all four of us cuddled up in our sparkly bedroom, in bed, watching rubbish TV and relaxing with the odd nap thrown in! 'Twas lovely!!!).

I am finding the house generally easier to keep clean and tidy now though just by doing the odd bit of MK here and there as I go! And I actually want to do more to keep on top of things. I still have a long way to go though but I am genuinely inspired by this thread and the book. I do feel now that I can achieve my goal of having a beautiful home whereas three months ago I was sat in the Drs surgery crying because I felt my life (and the state of my house) was out of control!!

Feeling very gushy and emotional as 2014 was hard but I am ending it on a high and am looking forward to 2015!

Wishing you all the very best my new MK buddies, hoping 2015 brings you much joy.

Well I started my clothes today and did my t-shirts/blouses/jumpers. It actually made me sad how few of them give me joy. I think it's partly because I've put on weight this year and partly because I've never been good at choosing tops. In contrast, I know my dresses section will be full of joy-giving items

Happy new year everyone and here's to a 2015 filled with KonMaring; joy and happiness

Happy new year to you all, may 2015 spark joy for you all in every bit of your lives!

Marking place as I am a new convert so far I have cleared out my underwear drawer not bad for a newbie with a 5 week old and a toddler. My aim is to have a totally tidy house by the time I go back to work in late August. I can't wait until nursery opens on Monday so I can attack my clothes properly.

Hello all, can't remember if I introduced myself on an earlier thread or not :)

I bought the book a few months back, read most of it and thought about it. I'm always chucking stuff out (or giving it away, or whatever) so I wasn't sure how much it could teach me. It has been a big help though in sorting out my clothes in particular.

Still got to do the rolling bit though. Rolled all my undies this morning and I must say they look pretty good , and 7 joyless pairs went to the fabric collection (you can hand them in at H&M where I live and get a discount coupon in return. I do it with clothes/fabrics which are no good for the charity shop, eg worn out socks, stained baby clothes, or indeed joyless undies!]

Was clearing out bookshelves last night and today. Still a fair few to move out of the spare room. I'm going through them all to decide what to keep (not much) and what to keep for a while and see if it sells (I sell a lot of books on an Amazon equivalent site) and what to ditch. Enormous bag of 30 to 40 books to ditch so far. They won't fetch anything online but the charity shop will love them. And I will love the extra space.

Happy new year all you Kondoers!

Another big load went off to the charity shop today - fourth day in a row! Charity shops will be shut tomorrow so I'll have to do something else. Went through the sentimental keepsakes today - quite hard although I did ditch quite a lot such as my swimming certificates and cycling proficiency certificates circa 1989 - why did I keep them?!

All this decluttering is such a positive way to start the new year - today we also took all the loose coins to the coin bank (£95!!) and recycled the bag of dead batteries that has been in the kitchen for months. Very happy :)

I discovered today that there is a mobile clothes bank one street away from me! I thought the only one near me was a 15 minute walk away down a horrible slippy path. I got rid of my six binbags in three trips, all done within ten minutes Very timely too because I was starting to wobble about some of the tops!

I've been busy the last two days but tried to declutter the coat rack. I found the twin hoodie of one I just donated, but it's pristine, so I'm undecided at the moment. DS is not being very helpful. He has eight coats and needs them all apparently.

Anyway I'm off to bed now (didn't realize the time!) I just wanted to say that I will be going through all my hanging items tomorrow, because if I don't say it to anyone I may not get it done. Now I'll have to!

Happy 2015 everyone!

*I didn't mean that the hoodie I donated was an old rag, but it was comfortably worn! Logically though, if I gave the comfy one away why keep the other? I'll sleep on it...

Gatorade, did you buy 2 of the hoodies because they were so comfy, but then only wear 1? (I do this!) If so - its like the universe has given you a present for deluttering.

Well done everyone and welcome to all new converts. :)

I've had a quiet couple of days MK-wise, but I was very happy to realise that, thanks to my previous efforts, there were spaces on the shelves to put the new toys the dc got for Christmas. I've also sold another couple of bits on ebay and have more to sell/get rid of, so progress of a sort.

I also had another big push on the dc's room - gathering up the Lego from every room of the house (thats a lie actually, there was none in the toilets, but there was in the bathroom and literally every other room, including hallways) and sorting out models, reattaching spare pieces where I could. Sooooooo much Lego!

In the end I got so annoyed with it, I left out 2 roomsets and got ds to choose his 4 favourite models to keep out and put the rest in boxes on the empty (MK-d) top shelf of his wardrobe and said until further notice that was it. He didn't even complain, which shows just how much he has (and in that he's kept out Batman's Batcave, a batmobile, bat-plane, bat-boat, bat-copter and Ironman's lab - plus all the 'basic bricks' of Lego - then I suspect he still has more Lego than most children need!

Btw, re Lego sorting, I did this last Christmas - I got small Samla boxes from Ikea and sorted into boxes for flat pieces & small baseplates, 2x2, 2x6/8/longer, thin pieces (1xwhatever), roof/sloping pieces, house stuff (doors, windows, cupboards, wheels and car stuff
Then in these I took the lids away and sorted them into 1x1, tiny pieces, people accessories, car pieces, minifigures,

Its worked really well as its easy to build with the pieces separated and obvious where things go away, so tidying works well. I don't understand people who sort Lego by colour (except that its pretty), as when you're building you generally think "I need a long/flat/short/?? piece to go here" not "oh I really need a red piece here".

I did have the boxes all in a big under-bed storage box, but it annoyed me by being too big, so now they're all lined up along the bottom 2 shelves of a shallow Pax wardrobe. :)

I've never attached pictures before, so I hope it works!

Happy New Year everyone. May you all be surrounded only by the things that speak to your heart.

leeloo oh, I did the same with DS's lego eg by type, not colour because it's so much easier to find pieces. After I did that, DS built furiously and then all the pieces were made into models, which were everywhere for ages and I got fed up and stuck them into a big box and they have been there ever since . I can't face sorting them again.

Leelo, those boxes of Lego are so colourful and well organised they are giving me joy!
DH just asked me what my resolution is. I told him it was,to stop him from putting crap from his pockets on shelves

I have just bought her book, inspired by this thread! I plan to read the book then after my 12 week scan start! I want it done by the time in too big to move :)

Thanks Pointless and good luck with your New Years' resolution!

Interesting we have a few childminders on the thread now - I wonder if its a profession that encourages clutter? :) Perhaps you can help with the toys issue, as its something I struggle with - how much do you keep for children you don't currently mind for? e.g. dd is now my youngest, but do I get rid of e.g. all the bouncy chair/playgym/baby toys (currently back in loft) - as if I'm asked to mind another baby then I'd need them again? Or I could easily have got rid of all the annoying Peppa Pig toys 2 years ago, but I've just taken on a 3yo girl who loves them... how can you decide what to keep and what can go??

I've just finished the book. In case anyone's just starting it is an easy quick read so don't feel daunted by that.

However I do feel a bit daunted by the task ahead. Everywhere I look there is chaos and clutter.
Mostly dc stuff really.
Ds1 is totally resistant to getting rid of anything. I've suggested photos for memories sake. But no. So anything will have to be done sneakily which I don't like so will probably leave all his stuff. Might reorder/organise it better for him to access though.

The other two are too little to notice really and I can do a big sort of grown out of toys I think.

Books I can mentally manage.
But komono - we have tonnes.

Re childminding - I don't know what the answer is.
Get rid as you don't need then rebuy/borrow when you do?
Use garage/shed/loft for storage of clear crates with labels (ie Peppa pig)?
Or just a bit of everything but less overall?

I can't imagine. I love it when my youngest grows out of something so we can get rid!

Christmas stuff needs to go into the loft then I can try the DC clothes and/or books today.

I'm a cm, too!!

This morning, I was mentally going through all the childminding things I plan to get rid of...I bought an lad of things for a small baby who started at 10 weeks old. The chances of me ever having another one that small are very slim so it's all going. Also, you pick it all up so cheaply, secondhand or people will lend you theirs. The things I bought for this one have brought me joy for a short time but storing them indefinitely is not filling me with joy so they are going.

Re toys, I've wanted to pull the whole lot out and sort them for about 18 months (long before I discovered MK!!) but it's so big a job that it gets put to the bottom of the list. However, it is now moving to the top of the list because I think it is the reason that I feel stressed all the time. I have one reception room and eventhough it is mostly all stored out of sight, I know the room is bursting with stuff. My ds is 12 and I am forever imagining what it would be like if I got a job out of the house. This kind of thinking doesn't help my stress levels!!

Annoyingly, I've arranged to go and visit 3 lots of friends today until Sunday so no proper sorting until next weekend ...I am very much looking forward to seeing my friends though .

This is probably against the rules (I'm only halfway through the book!!) but I am going to take a notebook with me and while I'm away, I'm going to make a list of all the things I want to get rid of...might help me feel like I'm making progress

at leeloo and Hiccup. I am sorting out childminding paperwork today. I know you will feel my pain! Toys and resources are the main source of clutter and mess in my house. Over the weekend (prob Sunday) I'll get the house ready for the mindees on Monday - ill post a couple of pics to show how I organise my toys etc. Maybe we can inspire each other?! The youngest of my own children is 4 now so it is difficult to know what to keep and what to get rid off. Equipment-wise I use the following:

Phil And teds double pushchair
MacLaren single kept in car
Various car seats and boosters - all kept in car
X2 ikea highchairs (legs remove and stack in hall cupboard)
X2 travel cots and limited amount of bedding

Things like bouncy chairs, bumbos, playmats have all gone - children that start with me are generally past this stage so I figure i can borrow from a fellow childminder or the toy library if necessary.

I need help!

I'm half way through the book and I've got past clothes and onto books without my problem being fixed!

I touch clothes, all clothes, there are lots that inspire joy that dont fit - they are lovely. And I very much hope they fit again soon.

Where do I put those?

Like bras for example - my boobs go up and down sizes day by day. I have literally 50 bras - only one bra will fit today (pmt, they are HUGE today) - can someone think of a better method for reducing? Shall I just keep only the ones I like (because they're attractive) and chuck away the ones that fit but are frankly a bit wrecked. Because that would mean tomorrow I would be forcing my tits into a bra that's a bit tight rather than comfy.

Phew! Just caught up with all 4 threads - I never thought I would reach the point where I could join in!

Happy New Year to all you enthusiastic people who have been inspiring me for the the past couple of weeks. I am about to join The Cult!

I have read books and hoarding websites, and have not managed to conquer my houseful of shit junk during the past 10 years. Then, I stumbled on MK!

Better than that, I fell into Mumsnet, and Thread 1. The inspiration here is palpable!

I ordered the book a few days before Christmas, although I have been strict about not adding to my vast library for some years. It arrived on 27 December and is definitely useful.

I have almost waited for this posting opportunity, to start kondo-ing, but couldn't help myself, and did my socks and knickers (15 mins) on Boxing Day. Two drawers into one!

As there's only me in the house, I plan to have it all done by the end of March. And I expect more than 60% of the STUFF in my house to go!

Thank you all so much (and MN) for such invigorating and lively threads. I am amazed at how much progress has been made by Mums with children, particularly, those who work as well! I'm retired.

BTW, the reasons photos end up on Google Images, is that there are (ro)'bots' constantly patrolling the public Internet, picking up new pictures and other data!

NOW, I am off, to kondo my clean clothes that are idling on the spare bed!

Wishing you all a joyful 2015!

Hmm, Laurie, normally I think MK would say things that don't fit don't genuinely bring joy at this moment... However, you sound like you have genuine sizing variation issues day to day! Could you sort the bras into size groups, and from each batch only keep the ones that are a joy to actually wear (not just to look at, because let's face it, we're not keeping a wardrobe to look at as an art exhibit, we need to wear it!). Then you could keep the chosen ones either in separate boxes in your drawer to make it easier to find the right fit that day, or perhaps go very Kondo and arrange them by size left to right?!

Laurie - how long have these lovely clothes that don't fit not fitted for?

I kept a load of size 10/12 clothes that I haven't been able to fit into for at least 11 years, only getting rid of them a couple of weeks back! I am currently just 2 lbs shy of my heaviest weight ever and a size 18. I did keep my nicer size 16 clothes by packing them away in a box as I very much hope that I will be needing them again soon - I hope the get rid of them when they are too big! It will not bring me joy to have to buy a load of sz 16 clothes when ultimately I hope to be a sz 12/14. They aren't in the wardrobe anymore though.

Thank you so much for responding Adventuring

I think you're right about keeping the ones I actually wear that I like. This means I will be keeping some of the very ugly ones to wear in bed and throwing out brand new ones that are very lovely but don't fit !

It isn't that the bra (grey, with one underwire missing) that I wore in bed last night is nice or fills me with joy - it's that I will appreciate this hideous bra once a month when I need to wear it for bed to keep my swollen boobs comfy.

Even if I don't keep it for long (they still make it so I could replace it with one that's fits and is attractive) I still get to throw out 20 that are brand new and don't fit and just irritate me by being all beautiful but digging into my norks when I put them on.