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.

Oh, and I just bought some Eagle Creek cubes for my SIL's bday. Not til April but she will love them and my motto with presents is to buy when I think of/see something as much as possible. Otherwise I inevitably leave it too late and scrabble to buy the thing in time.

sits on hands to avoid buying some for herself

sorry I didn't mean to bold that last bit - forgot asterisks will do that on MN

When we moved to England from Denmark 8 years ago, I went through all my old school stuff and other papers. I binned all the uni notes, but I kept my old school assignments, some letters, all my poems from teenage years and my uni assignments. I have always binned diaries as soon as they were filled, too embarrassing ;) I am looking forward to showing my DCs my school assignments, I am so glad I kept them.

I have also kept a lot of DCs drawings and school work. I don't really know what to do about their drawings, there are so many. I want to keep them, as they already (age 7 and 10) don't do many. We have actually talked about doing some more drawing this halfterm as we have a lot of unused good quality colouring in books (mandalas and other creative things). Half of their school work is already organised in ring binders, I still need to do the other half. I think it is achievable, as most of it is from their old school (we moved this summer), they don't seem to bring much home, there was always loads at the old school. Part of me is relieved that they don't bring much home, but I also miss it a bit. I hope that they take a pile home at the end of term - surely they produce loads, if not, I have no idea what they do at school ;)

Just catching up on the thread - goodness you've all been busy today! No real progress here but got rid of a couple of things on freecycle.
Congratulations on your decision, Zippy.

I've just ordered these in black, blue and pink for me DH and dd. They probably won't arrive until next week but I'll report back... Don't know what eagle creek are like but will let ye know if quality/size ok... Am very excited, just need holiday now!
Also ordered paperback of the book as I got it on kindle. My dm wants to read it but I fear if she took the message seriously and stopped accumulating crap the economy would slip back into recession.

Those cubes look good!

Lol Time

Zippy - well done. The relief ive felt since deciding is immense. Even if I haven't actually stopped yet.

Misscph- my dc tend to come home with tonnes at the end of term/year. Haven't decided what to do with it all yet.

Cool Hope you don't mind me saying but although those Specter cubes do look funky, I think they wouldn't be as easy to use as they open up on the short edge IYSWIM. The ones Time's ordered look more user-friendly IMO. Am glad that the cubes aqre bringing joy on the thread

Thanks for all suggestions earlier re DVDs/games etc. I got stuck in as soon as I got home from work tonight and now only have one bookcase of these in the living room. It looks much better and the extra space is definitely bringing me joy!

I also decided to get rid of a standard lamp which, although it was in use, I don't need and was only keeping because it belonged to my grandad who passed a few years ago. My grandad was amazing and I certainly don't need a lamp I don't love to remind me of that fact

coatandhat I don't mind. Although I think the zip does go down most of the one side. What I really fancy are these compression packs but I can't justify the price. Can't believe I am now obsessed with packing cubes.

Oh Cool I see what you mean about the compression!! That would just encourage me to take more though and that wasn't the idea at all!

Hermione,

at Mardi Gras, pre-Kondo I managed to reduce one large drawer to a small sammla ikea box. Also have a few bags of clothes waiting to go to clothes bank under the stairs (sorry Marie).
I recently read an article where Bobbi Brown advised on makeup detox. She said to lay everything out and pick 1 item to keep from each category.

After Kondo-ing, -I'd like to focus on one look at a time and keep the bare essentials for it. Despite Lisa Eldridge's best youtube efforts, I still can't do much more than a wonky cat eye.

Time I'd be interested to hear what you think of those cubes; I was looking at them as well but didn't like the look of them quite as much as the Eagle Creek and eBag ones. However, they have the major advantage that I could actually have them delivered here for a reasonable rate. At the moment, I'm most tempted by the eBag cubes (range of colours plus cheaper than Eagle Creek; I also read in one review that the quality is just as good); it's just that delivery is a bit of an issue.

linzer cant you get it delivered to an UK address (eg parents) and they can take all the packaging off and post it on to you? It would probably be much cheaper.

Cool Yes, I did mention that option in an earlier post (I often have orders sent to my parents' address as it's so much cheaper) but I have the feeling that it would cost a fortune for them to send five sets on to us - which is what I'd really like/need. But I did consider just ordering one set to see what it's like and how much it would cost to send on.

It's a shame we don't have any visitors coming over from the UK in the next few months. I'm also annoyed with myself for arranging to meet up with some friends in England later on in the year rather than before my summer holiday, as I could have had orders sent to one of them otherwise!

Sorry I'm a bit baffled by all of these cubes, I've gone back but can't find the first post. What are they for and how do they make everything wonderful?

Linzer, I can't remember, are you close to me? (BW) We are going to England in August and most likely driving.

Re cubes, I have some bags for packing, they are like vacuum storage bags, only you roll them and they are not very big, in between A4 and A5. They are not as easy to get into as the cubes, of course, as they don't have zips, but they are actually quite good - and cheap. They are like these: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-PACK-VACUUM-ROLL-TRAVEL-BAG-LUGGAGE-SUITCASE-STORAGE-BAG-ROLL-UP-SPACE-SAVER-/151558694321?pt=UK_TravelTickets_Accessories_RL&hash=item23499a25b1 - if anyone was looking for a cheap alternative.

Bertie, the cubes are for packing your suitcase, and I guess the idea is that your suitcase doesn't explode when you open it and helps with organising during the holiday. Personally I don't think they look like they could revolutionise my travels, but it did make me hope that I hand't kondoed my roll bags ;)

Home from work sick and too ill to kondo (might get that put on a t-shirt!) but have been spending too much time looking at packing cubes. Trying to get over my annoyance at them being called cubes when clearly not But staying strong and will throw out before buying!

Bertie I'm in Austria so not particularly close (we used to drive down here to visit the ILs when we lived in BW and it was a long journey!). We'll be back in the UK in August too, but won't be visiting my parents until after our main holiday - which is when I'd really like the packing cubes for. Thanks for the offer, though!
It was Coat who originally mentioned Eagle Creek cubes and started it all off, and there are also a few cheaper alternatives. Most have rave reviews on Amazon, which has convinced me that my life is incomplete without them.

Hope you're feeling better soon, Iggi. I have also been spending far too much time browsing packing cubes when I should have been working.

Hmm, I'm not convinced, they don't look like you could fit multiples in one suitcase. If you can, I can understand it, perhaps I'm looking at the wrong pages! Could be useful for us, as we live abroad. Last time we went home we underestimated luggage and DH had to feed most of DS' clothes through a hole in the pocket of his coat into the lining And looked at me for the whole trip as he had to wear this sweltering "coat of clothes"

You should definitely be able to fit several cubes into one suitcase. shows a woman packing about eight cubes into a case that she claims is hand luggage size - a lot of people in the comments aren't convinced it is, but it's certainly not massive.

Ooh thanks. That does look hand luggage size to me.