Kondoing away the chaos: Kondo thread 7 for yet more life-changing magic

[LinzerTorte]

The Book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo, Cathy Hirano

Summary of the process link from mipmop

Article of top tips by Marie Kondo

Thread 6
Thread 5
Thread 4
Thread 3
Thread 2
Thread 1

Tips and links thread

And BeCool's copy of Coughles list of ORDER from Thread 2 for everyone:

"ORDER TO DECLUTTER/LOCATE THE JOY*

Clothes folding by rummy
Books
Papers
CDs
DVDs
Skincare products
Make-up
Accessories
Valuables (passports, credit cards, etc.)
Electrical equipment and appliances (digital cameras, electric cords, anything that seems vaguely ‘electric’)
Household equipment (stationery and writing materials, sewing kits, etc.)
Household supplies (expendables like medicine, detergents, tissues, etc.)
Kitchen goods/ food supplies
Other (If you have many items related to a particular interest or hobby, such as ski equipment, then treat these as a single subcategory.)

KonMari stresses that sentimental items should be left till the end. So for example, when you are doing papers, don't include photos of your children, love letters, old school reports etc, leave anything with a sentimental connection for later."

*As discussed in previous threads, your order for decluttering and finding the joy/spark/recognizing may be different to recommendations.

saveme what kind of jewellery do you have, mostly? I have mostly necklaces and biggish earrings - no rings or bracelets really. So I aspire to have mine hung up - used to have a little stand for earrings but it was too small, and hooks on the wall for necklaces. I'm now making a frame/ribbon/display thing (stalled due to bathroom chaos). BUt I also quite fancy the idea of putting it in drawers - small, shallow ones like you might store paper in. each piece with its own space. Feels kind of kondo.

Took two bags and one big item to charity today. Odds and sods really, but keeps me feeling positive about the house despite the dust and mess and disorder.

I appear to mainly have single earrings . The hanging up idea is good as I've been through a spate of buying necklaces.

I've seen a nice mirror that opens up with jewellery storage inside. Expensive though. Saw a cheaper one in the Range yesterday but tbh it was a bit wobbly and I wasn't impressed with the quality.
I have an old too small box but Dh says he has a nice one in his office he was given (?) that might do the job better so I'm waiting for that to come home to try.

I haven't had any financial successes from kondo but I have been able to find things quicker. And lots of the house is still chaos too.

Ironing today but did get rid of a few more dd clothes and sorted her wardrobe so she can reach more things to get herself dressed.

Not much new kondoing happening the last couple of days due to being laid low with food poisoning, but am gradually getting kondoed items out of the house - three people from freecycle coming to pick up electrical items this week, and I have three bags of odds and sods to go to the charity shop tomorrow, plus have finally put the last of my clothes on ebay.

Whereabouts in the order did everyone kondo bedding and the like? Household items? I know I need to go through my blankets etc as I have enough to keep a small army warm at present.

Financially, I've sold quite a bit on eBay that I would have either pretended I was keeping for me, or I would have kept to eBay and then never posted it. I also found a £30 gift card I didn't know I had. I don't know about eye openers as I've been very hot on budgeting since we had DCs. I have had a more subtle shift in spending habits though. I buy less things, but spend more on doing things, family days out, meals with friends, softplay trips etc. so I guess buying more joy, less stuff.

I recently put together a thorough statement of affairs for our mortgage transfer application, so I have a pretty clear idea of how much "fun money" We have available. The thing that has surprised me is how much of my fun money I've saved the last couple of months, without feeling like I'm depriving myself. I actively don't want more stuff, and I'm much more aware of the ploys that shops use to convince us we need more of everything. Even with the dull necessities, I've been thinking more carefully, missing multi-buy offers where we only need one, and making an extra effort to get the thing I want, rather than an easier alternative.

I've spent a pleasant hour breaking up my cardboard eyeshadow palettes and putting the colours I like in a Z Palette. I've condensed eight palettes into one that way

I've also established a system to use up my perfume collection. I haven't bought perfume in about a year because I have so much of it. I discovered discount shopping (MSE, HUKD) about five years ago and went crazy buying stuff. Once I'd weeded out the bad ones and scents I don't like, I still had over 20 bottles, all between 1-4 years old. So I'm using one bottle only, all month. If there's any left at the end of the month it goes into the bathroom for a month to be used as an air freshener, then when the next perfume is ready to be rotated there it's binned. All the perfumes have had some use so it's not like I'm trying to go through a full bottle per month!

I am certainly pretty financially controlled here, needs must, so few surprises there. As mentioned previously, DH not so much. Most of our finances are shared but some are separate. That is where there is most room for error. E.G. The ppi paperwork for a property I wasn't involved with. If that delivers it will be a big score.

Otherwise similarly I am probably buying less fritterables, but have been buying joyful objects to replace joyless ones, so whilst it has so far evened out, in the longer term it should help.

*Make that TWELVE palettes into one!

Hi everyone! As a newbie I didn't realise people had replied, since Mumsnet emailed me about the first few new messages on the thread but then seemed to stop...so I assumed that nobody was posting as I'd had no notifications! Nice to read everyone's replies, thanks. I threw out a few more of the popsocks so now I just have a couple for going out in nice shoes (which I don't yet have!)
Generally, things going well for me. Felt so good getting rid of old pillows, pictures in large frames and a load of books at the recycling centre yesterday. Am dreading paperwork though. Have a Very Complicated filing system and I am sure I am keeping far too much. Having said that, I think konmarie takes it too far in terms of what to get rid of. I will definitely be a lot more cautious.
I have had to take breaks from Kondoing, as it's been emotionally quite draining. Don't get me wring, I think it is very effective and overall I feel much better for doing it, but doing it right takes a lot out of you as you progrrss.

Hi I'm a newbie as well. Can I join this thread. I've kondoed my two wardrobes, chest of drawers, bedside table and the children's toys. I'm trying to psych myself up to do the dressing table tomorrow. It's covered in perfume bottles, a few have gone off, I don't know why I can't get rid of them as I only wear a couple of favourites and the smell of some of them turn my stomach. I realised thinking about it today that I hate the bottles and scents so why can't I just chuck them? They bring me no 'joy' etc as Marie says, do I need help?

could you use any as air fresheners?

I gave some to my mum. I think perfume goes off after a few years too so that helped me to rationalise why to throw them away

should I keep my big body pregnancy pillow? I haven't used it in pregnancy as it's not as soft as normal pillows, but would it be handy for breastfeeding?! we do have lots of big cushions anyway

I also haven't big long of pillow. And a v pillow.
I don't use them but ds1 loves having them for sleepovers.

Hmm.

Big long PG pillow. Grr autocorrect!

I have an hour at home this morning then a slightly crazy day from hell as today is a nanny day and she's still in hospital :(
So, gym for first ever spin class for me!
Sch
Tumble tots
Lunch
Orchestra with dd in tow
Home for ds2
Collect ds1
Swim with all 3???
Mcdonalds!
Bath bed collapse

But in the first hour id like to get some photos taken of the stuff is like to try and sell on fb. Maybe even list them too...

Defkon, I agree that it can be draining! Maybe that's part of why I felt so burnt out last week (though work certainly played a part.) MK says six months to tidy-up, so you don't need to, and really shouldn't go at full tilt for all that time. Why not sort clothes, enjoy the effects for a week or two while you let the habit of folding bed in, then move on. OK, maybe it's more addictive than that, but you'll find your own happy medium.

Elly, welcome aboard! Have you tried starting from a clear dressing table? I might be anthropomorphising here, but maybe it seems callous singling out bottles for the chop. Instead, sweep the whole lot into a shoebox, give the dressing table a clean and polish, and then put back only those couple of favourites. (Against MK advice) don't do anything about the ones in the box for a few days, but just see how you feel about the pared-back version. Does it clarify what made you hang on to the bottles? Do you actually like the extra space? Are you trying to hold on to something that those bottles represent (sorry for the woo ).

There was a discussion on another board, recently, where people claimed they liked a messy house. Anybody else see it? I can't get my head round that at all. I can understand not wanting a house to look completely Spartan... I like having pictures on the walls, cushions scattered about, vases and candlesticks on the surfaces. I don't mind people leaving down the book they're reading in the room they're sitting. But I hate it when people (myself included!) leave a trail of crap strewn in their wake: laptops on the dining table, plates or crisp packets on the coffee table, half-opened post on the kitchen worktops, bags and jumpers slung over the banisters. Am I in danger of tidying up my friends coffee cups before they've had time to drink it?

Gatorade - good work with the eye shadows!

JKS - yikes... Your poor nanny! I hope she gets well soon

hermione, it's obviously completely insane to say that you like a messy house! As well as untrue. I think perhaps some people like a house to look like people actually live there. In principle I would love a show home, but I wouldn't feel at home.

I got a garden refuse bin this week, we have chickens and rabbits, so lots of bedding that can go in the garden refuse bin (I checked with council, it's fine). so now I don't have to take it to the dump anymore, which is great, but it does mean that I don't have any urgent dump trips anymore, so I wonder if I will stall? Taking bags to the charity shop is still hard for me, I don't go into that part of town often, and the charity bons at the supermarket only takes shoes and clothes. Might see if I can get a car boot seller for charity to collect it. The last one never expressed any gratitude, so I am wondering if my stuff was useless to her ;)

I'm reading the book for the second time and have recently felt really motivated to get rid of all the clutter. I have cleared out several binbags full of random boxes and box files, lots of books and cleared out all the old pots and pans and mismatched crockery.

I am still not sure if I should sell/charity shop my tatty paperback collection - they are PG Wodehouse and georgette heyer books some of which belonged to my dad it would probably clear a full shelf as there are about 50+ of them.

I also need to sell lots of patchwork fabric and other craft items - anyone know of any selling groups on Facebook etc? Or any other good ideas for disposing of them - I bought huge amounts a couple of years ago and it cost me a small fortune

Thank you to whoever posted the link on an easy way to change a duvet cover, it works a treat on a kingsize one, I did not use any pins. :)

homeaway, 'twas me!

I didn't use pins either.

I suppose it would be OTT to change my duvet cover twice in a week?

Great news, H&Ms garment collection is now in all shops! Basically you can brung in ANY type of textile, no matter brand of condition, and they will recycle it plus give you a money off voucher.

www.hm.com/gb/longlivefashion

(obviously all H&M shops, not all shops...)

I never knew I could have such strong feelings about socks!

Aaargh! My Mum has started posting me copies of her financial paperwork ( tax summary, savings accounts summary)!!!

I haven't even sorted out my own paperwork!

She hopes I have "started a file labelled "Mum's affairs"!