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Housekeeping

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Kondo thread 8

993 replies

Isisizzie · 25/03/2015 12:02

New thread for Kondo addicts.

Sorry I can't do all the links that were on the top of thread 7.

OP posts:
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36
Iqueen · 10/05/2015 23:39

A couple of days ago, I had to go completely off piste, when I was about to file a newly arrived document... the file slipped down the back of the filing cabinet in my seriously cluttered living-room!

I moved furniture, and other stuff off adjacent shelves, and finally retrieved the file with the barbecue tongs. I was really annoyed and decided the moved stuff was not going back. I sorted out a couple of files of craft 'ideas' and chucked it all away, as I can get any of it off the Internet these days.

Today, I decided to tackle my embroidery stuff, from the 'accidental' corner!

You know when you notice a dirty mark on the door frame, and you get a cloth to give it a swipe, and then you have to do the whole door frame, and the door, and the skirting?

Well, that's what happened to me today, with my embroidery supplies. One small task led to another, all day. A sack full of paper to recycle, some of which had died in storage (damp corner!), along with a part-finished tapestry cushion cover (picked up in a chazzer years ago) that is now part-eaten by moths, and loads of charts which I shall never use again. Also, found heaps of supplies and kits that I had forgotten buying, but will definitely make, when kondoing is over.

Also, came across a sentimental item, my father's wallet containing paperwork relating to the air accident that killed him at 26, together with my school report when I was 8, and the last letter my father wrote to my mother, 6 days before he died. That caused me to pause and quietly read for an hour. But, no tears. That's a first for me!

Tomorrow I'll be kondoing all the paperwork from my PGCE course, ditto from my years of teaching, and my Post Grad courses. I'm well up for it. Must have got my second wind! Grin

rummikub Well done with getting the textiles out - that's a major obstacle for me. If you keep it up, you may find, like me, that eventually you don't give a damn where stuff goes, as long as long as it's away from your home! Grin

Starface · 11/05/2015 07:02

Great to hear you've got your mojo back iqueen Lovely to hear about your discoveries. It sounds like it will be such a relief when you actually do get through stuff. What category are you on? keeping focus in komono has been a problem for me.

BertieBotts · 11/05/2015 11:41

Aha! I have found another KonMari facebook group with my sleuthing Grin

www.facebook.com/groups/KonMariwithKids/?fref=ts

KonMari with kids - much much smaller, around 250 members.

I am about to start komono but feel pretty disillusioned about it.

anycherrypie · 11/05/2015 13:29

I'm joining here after reading half the book. I know I need to just get stuck into my clothes but there's some everywhere in the house (including the attic which can only be accessed through my daughter's room and she's usually asleep before 7). I'm using that as an excuse to start but really I'm just scared to start because of the amount of stuff in the house. Plus I'm now thinner than I've been in 10 years and there's a big voice in my head saying "what if you get fat again and have no clothes?????".

JKSLtd · 11/05/2015 14:45

Hi anycherry and welcome good luck getting started.

I queen - very good news you've got started again.

My day 1 of being back on the case not gone so well. A few spare tupperwares to a friend and lunch out and now it's school run time. Oops!

educatingarti · 11/05/2015 14:53

Cherry - welcome to the group. What about picking just one subsection of clothing (eg underwear, socks, nightclothes) and just pitching in with that. Remember to focus on what sparks joy. Then see how you feel after that!

anycherrypie · 11/05/2015 15:11

Thanks for the encouragement. I'll get started tonight on underwear so and see how I get on. I'm not really a hoarder but there are little piles of things all over the house and the thought of everything having a home just makes me feel so happy.

Iqueen · 11/05/2015 20:38

Starface Thank you for your encouragement - I need it!

I'm still struggling with clothes, although my drawers are still looking great. I have gone back to the category several times and weeded more out each time, but I'm going to move on and come to terms with them later. I think I'm being 'told' to wait until I have a clearer view.

I've done bedding and towels, etc, which was easy and I am removing books by the carrier-bag when I get chance to drop them off. I'm also discarding random things, as I notice them - every little helps!

At present, due to the 'accidental' corner incident, I'm having to plough through a load of unplanned, obsolete paperwork, which is for recycling or burning. It just takes SO much time to check for confidential details.

My main obstacle is the fact that I have Stuff all over the house - unsorted! Most of which will be going.

At the moment, things look worse than they did at the start, but I should start to see some serious results soon, as stuff keeps leaving the house.

Tired, but still feeling positive! Smile

JKSLtd I never gave up and stopped, I just slowed to snail's pace! My stamina is not what I think it should be. I'm really motoring again, now. My house has, apparently, decided what I need to kondo at the moment, which is at least keeping me at it. Wink

anycherrypie Welcome to the thread! Cake

Once you have discarded your 'smalls' that, literally, don't make you light up with pure joy, and you have folded them MK style, and 'filed' them in your drawers, you will be well on the way to doing everything else! Checkout the YouTube vids for MK's folding demos, and for folding carrier bags! That alone will fuel your motivation - it's a wonderful sight! Grin

thatstoast · 11/05/2015 21:03

I think I am 99% done on paper. I found an old bank statement and went into branch today to claim my £34 that had been sat there since 1998.

I wouldn't say the house looks a lot better at the moment but I'm feeling better for having sorted out the things I've done so far.

I really need to practice folding carrier bags!

thatstoast · 11/05/2015 21:05

I think I am 99% done on paper. I found an old bank statement and went into branch today to claim my £34 that had been sat there since 1998.

I wouldn't say the house looks a lot better at the moment but I'm feeling better for having sorted out the things I've done so far.

I really need to practice folding carrier bags!

Iqueen · 12/05/2015 09:59

thatstoast Great news about you bank statement find! Smile

I closed a dormant account last year - £154. I still have 3 more really old accounts (like yours), but I need to dig out the documents to provide a paper-trail, following name and address changes, before reclaiming those! Unfortunately, they hold paltry amounts unless interest has been added. Blush

Cherrypi · 13/05/2015 07:49

Well the suitcase of clothes in the loft didn't exist so I gave finished clothes yay. Next onto books. I have a lot of books so this may take a while.

educatingarti · 13/05/2015 09:49

? Didn't exist Cherrypi? Your loft is a protal to another dimension?

Iqueen · 13/05/2015 10:07

cherrypi and educatingarti Ha ha! I had a moment like that last night!

After discovering a box of embroidery stuff, I found a half-done picture of a dalmation with a ball. I started it in the late 90s, for my youngest daughter who was mad about dogs. It had deteriorated 'in storage', so I carefully washed it but it still looked shabby. I felt so guilty for not finishing it and decided that I should start over and surprise my daughter with it. (Better late, than an unbroken Mummy promise!) Hmm

Said daughter rang me last night and I mentioned the pic. She said "I've still got it!"

Apparently, I had either lost the half-finished one or dumped it because something was very wrong! I must have done it again, completed the second attempt and framed it!

Thanks, MK, I can now discard the one I found! Grin

anycherrypie · 13/05/2015 10:29

Thanks for the welcome!

I can't even imagine getting as far as paperwork thatstoast, it still seems so big a job.

But I started on Monday evening by getting the box of clothes down from the loft and I just pulled out all my tops. I was afraid to count them (I'd say I was very close if not over the average of 160) and as time was limited I just got stuck in. It only took 15 minutes to sort through them and select which ones gave me joy. I'd say I only kept 25% of the total. Then yesterday I did bottoms and then went on to fold everything. I have to do underwear and dresses now and then I'll be done with my clothes. My drawers are looking so pretty I love them. DH wanted in on the action too and now his drawers are looking just a nice (he had already done a big clear out of clothes so he didn't need to declutter).

I'm stuck on my pjs though. I have a long torso and any pj tops I have are not long enough and I get cold wearing them. So I just wear a old t-shirt of dh's but they definitely don't fill me with joy -they're so worn out and horrible looking. What do I do? Throw them out and just wear the pretty ones that don't fit properly and freeze? Or just make do with the practical ones until I find a better solution (maybe the nightdresses down to the floor Wink).

Iqueen · 13/05/2015 11:27

I watched a couple of YouTube Kondo vids the other day - to see if there were any tips, which hadn't appeared on here! Wink

I was horrified by the amount of clothes the US women had, the amount they ditched, AND then, the amount they still kept! Sad

anycherrypie For your PJs, why don't you dump the short tops and your DH's borrowed tatty tees, and buy some loose (cheap) co-ordinating tees to go with your bottoms? Smile

JKSLtd · 13/05/2015 12:23

I was going to say the same re tops. I need todo the same as most of my pj tops have shrunk/gone misshapen too.

Not up to much as full of cold but have got box of handmedowns ready to go and chazzer box is ready to go into the car for whenever I'm next passing.

Neighbour is having a bonfire - tempting to chuck everything on there!

anycherrypie · 13/05/2015 13:21

I'll keep an eye out for something suitable for bed so, although I'm reluctant to bring anything new into the house while I'm in declutter mode.

Iqueen I was watching a vid on youtube too and couldn't believe the amount of stuff one woman had. Before she even started everything was so neat and tidy but OMG there was so much stuff - how does someone end up with so much clothes!!!!

JKSLtd oooo a bonfire, I would be so tempted too -starting with toys!

I have a 23 month old and a 9 month old and as I was going through my clothes I realised I dress completely differently than I did before becoming a mother. Even the clothes I wear to the same job I had before are different. I see myself differently so getting rid of so much was great.

BertieBotts · 13/05/2015 17:22

Yes there was an interesting discussion on the large facebook group the other day about cultural attitudes to "stuff". The most interesting were from people who had lived in the US and other places, as they could compare. When you're in a culture it seems normal, from outside you may not be aware, but to be able to compare is interesting.

They were saying things like the size of US houses contributes, because you feel like you have to fill up the space. Secondly the whole nation is really built on business ideology - sell everything that you can - so the culture is very consumerist. Because there are so many competing companies, products are cheap. Credit is easy to get. I get the impression from US friends that although of course there is a lot of poverty in the US, in general wages are good, and go further than they do in Europe. (Although that might be skewed by the fact that presumably you have to be earning a pretty good wage to come and live in Europe!) And then again from the consumerist angle, there is a lot of advertising everywhere, all the time.

I feel as though money almost has a different value. A friend was telling me that they were making a loss of over $1000 monthly on their house back home, renting it, and just shrugged like that was annoying but oh well. And college fees are so completely out of the range of anything that I could imagine earning in a lifetime, hundreds of thousands for the Ivy League type places, yet parents expect to pay for them and budget for them just like it is a normal thing. Of course a lot of parents worry about college fees, and plan for them over the entire life of their child, but it doesn't seem as astronomically out of reach as it sounds to me. (I struggle to imagine how I would pay DS' way through a UK university with a 9k fee cap!)

It's just a different culture.

JKSLtd · 13/05/2015 19:28

I took a couple of bags to the charity box round the corner just to feel like I was making some progress. I've got a few hours (I call it a day in my head but really it's 9-2.30!) tomorrow on my own so if this cold buggers off I may get back on track.

defk0ndo · 13/05/2015 21:06

A friend was telling me how the furniture recycling charity wouldn't take her items! That's three people I know locally who have had the same issue. They must be overwhelmed with kondoers and can pick and choose :-)

I took various items to the dump/textile recycling today, including furniture. I am fearful that it isn't working very well for me because I haven't followed the order properly. I had started decluttering before someone alerted me to the book - relatively successfully, I thought, but of course not following KM principles. I had great satisfaction and joy during that process nevertheless.

I did do clothes but it feels like is never ending, as i keep thinking of things i still don't really need or which are worn out/don't fit. Even though they did bring me joy. I have changed my style a bit recently and am buying a few new things, but it is really hard as I am finding it difficult find things that truly bring Joy. Which would be fine, but some stuff I actually do need...like comfy flat shoes with a bit of style!

defk0ndo · 13/05/2015 21:11

I think I need to make a comprehensive list of what still needs buying, go through clothes again just to do a last pass and refresh my memory on what I finally kept (maybe pile took a while to sort so I am a bit lost).... I need closure on that first category.

BertieBotts · 13/05/2015 21:38

Yes make a list of what needs buying, that's a good idea.

I think it's okay to go back over categories and try again, especially as you hone your skills of what "sparks joy". And don't forget to go back and re-read when you visualised the destination, too.

defk0ndo · 13/05/2015 22:18

Funny my destination thoughts were ALL about meals, cooking, planning shopping etc, recipes.... That stresses me out. Clothes were not really a part of it.

defk0ndo · 13/05/2015 22:19

Thanks Bertie.