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Original poster

KONDO Thread 9

999 replies

Iqueen · 12/07/2015 09:43

Kondo your Home and your Life. Live the JOY!

OP posts:
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23
plipplops · 02/08/2015 16:20

So I've Kondo's clothes and books, but what do people do with crappy old things that nobody wants? For instance, I did books, and kept the good fiction paperbacks for a stall DD's doing soon. All the other ones were a bag of crap that I just can't see a charity shop bothering to sell so I'm reluctant to donate them (keep remembering that Mary Portas show where she was helping a charity shop and did a big campaign of 'donate, don't dump'). Tried freecycle as 'books for car boot' but no takers. Don't really just want to recycle and refuse to take to the tip. Any ideas??

fishboneschokus · 02/08/2015 17:21

Don't donate, dump

MadauntofA · 02/08/2015 18:39

Ive finished the book and I now see her method - so many of her observations ring true for me. I'm quite excited to start but could do with getting rid of the family for a few days to make a start!

MadauntofA · 02/08/2015 18:41

Plipplops- you could think of sending the books onto a better life by recycling them (paper bin) they are bound to be unhappy if they are destined never to be read again?!

Greymalkin · 02/08/2015 18:58

Hi everyone,

I've ordered a copy of the book as library waiting list was too long. I've even helped someone else decluttering as its a second hand copy!

I informed DH that I was Kondoing his sock/underwear drawer a few days ago. He gave me a rather frightened look and an hour later was beaming with happiness. I keep opening the drawer just to look at it, it's beautiful

Not sure about other newbies here on the thread, but I'm finding it hard to stick to the prescribed categories, I keep flitting about the house randomly chucking and sorting things.

Hopefully the book will get me more focussed.

Ohhelpohnoitsa · 02/08/2015 19:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SillyStuffBiting · 02/08/2015 20:13

Our to has a salvation army book bank along with the clothes ones. I've taken everything there. It means someone else can decide what's good enough for selling

prettymess · 02/08/2015 22:37

Try Bookcrossing.com?

Original poster
Iqueen · 03/08/2015 09:36

Here in Wales, we recycle quite a bit more than the EU targets!

Check your Council tip - they recycle as much as they can and gain income from it, eg textiles (rags), paper (inc books), glass and metal. Some recycle plastics, polystyrene. The Council may have a list of materials on their website and where to take them - ours does.

Waste is also used to generate heating in some places, I believe.

OP posts:
lucretiab · 03/08/2015 10:21

Hello! I think? I'm a little nervous of even committing to writing something on here in case it means join a treadmill that never ends.. but I'm so SO tired of the "stuff".

Here it's night time and I can't leave the house and buy the book. At the library the reserve list is 12 weeks long. If I still to the useful links at the beginning of your other threads.. do you think that will be enough for a couple of days, or would there be a benefit to the kindle version and the paper version.

I have this absolute determination that something has to change, and seeing as I can't change the 3 men here Hmm, I"ll have to start with myself.

Thanks for any advice.

MadauntofA · 03/08/2015 12:38

I have a question - how do you fold children's clothes, don't they get v small?

Original poster
Iqueen · 03/08/2015 13:58

lucretiab, most of the people who thought they didn't need the MK Bible, did buy it. It's a short easy read and motivating.

If you want to start without it, start with your clothes, only keeping the items that fill you with joy to actually wear! Check the way MK folds on YouTube - this is key and uses the height of drawers /shelves/boxes Which is usually wasted. Save containers - shoe boxes and smaller punnts etc for corraling smaller items, as you go. If time is short, break the category into sub-categories.

Then you can do DC's clothes, with their decision-making, if they are old enough. If you have an OH, he/she may like you to show/help them do theirs, otherwise, wait for their Konversion. Wink

Lots of tips in the first few threads.

Good luck! Grin

MadauntofA The key to folding any clothes, is to lay the garment out, vertically flat and smooth it. Then fold it, smoothing as you go, so that it is generally rectangular, length-wise. Next fold in half, bottom to top, and then again, until it is just short of the drawer-top. Sometimes it is easier to fold bottom upwards to the middle, and then over again. File in drawers etc with folded edge uppermost.

Things that are too delicate/slippery to fold can be hung, or folded once or twice, and rolled. Ideally, they are then corraled in a box etc, as cylinders, if possible.

OP posts:
perfectlybroken · 03/08/2015 16:07

Thanks for the people who I advised me upthread RE leggings, I have worked on a principle of keeping something that is essential to an outfit which sparks joy, even if it does not spark joy in itself. Nearly finished my clothes now and moving on to the kids. I went through all DS1s t-shirts asking him if he loved them, it was so easy for him to answer!

I can really see the therapeutic benefits of doing this, as I was going through ALL my clothes, I was reflecting on now when DH and I moved back here from abroad a few years ago we had nothing, and I was pregnant with DS1. Everything was begged or borrowed, but we were happy, and grateful that we had everything that we needed. But when I was sorting through my pile of maternity clothes I realised I no longer needed to hold on to the ill-fitting clothes I was given. Things have moved on, we are doing OK, and if I get pregnant again, I can buy a couple of tops! It was a nice feeling Grin

IDismyname · 03/08/2015 22:22

I can see why this can take at least 6 months. I do one cupboard and completely fill up our recycling bin... And it's 13 days until its emptied again!

plipplops · 04/08/2015 17:28

Today I Kondo'd the fuck out of my garage Grin. Took a massive carload of stuff to the local recycling place (like a charity shop for garage stuff) and only actually threw out about half a bin liner. Nice to know it's gone to a good home, and I can't believe the amount of stuff there which we'd acquired but had never even actually used. A joyful day!

fishboneschokus · 04/08/2015 17:37

Blimey plop!
:)
I was just popping in to brag that I have (with ds) Kondoed 2 drawers of sentimental stuff.
I didn't want to do it alone and we had a nostalgic afternoon discarding tickets, brochures, etc. remembering happy times and saying goodbye.

What to do with 20 year old diaries?
(Long personal ones)

plipplops · 04/08/2015 18:24

I must admit there's a box in there of wedding cards and photos but I'm coming back to that when I get to sentimental stuff. Bypassed papers so need to get back to that but a day without children was too good an opportunity to pass up Smile

If the 20 year old diaries might be nice to read in the future I'd keep them, if it's just day to day planning I'd bin I think...

fishboneschokus · 04/08/2015 18:31

Worse than day to day planning; long, long books full of painstakingly detailed thoughts in beautiful handwriting, about Who knows what because I haven't read them (yet)

Have horrible suspicion that I will find the author rather self absorbed....

A) throw them without reading them? In which case, what was the point of writing them? Was I writing to my future self?
B) read them? Some trepidation here
C) put them away unread (so that eventually someone will have to make decision a or b. Posthumous embarrassment scenario there

But it has been a very joyful kondo day here so I will live with the indecision.

:)

Ohhelpohnoitsa · 04/08/2015 21:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fishboneschokus · 04/08/2015 21:41

Thank you!
Those are exactly the thoughts going round in my head. Esp, others discovering them.
I would be grateful to hear any other thoughts on this.
I am putting them away unread for now, but I'm going to deal with them.
Unless they turn out to be masterpieces, but as oh help indicates, I am probably right to fear the worst.
At least we didn't have the Internet then!
:)

MadauntofA · 04/08/2015 22:55

A question for the more seasoned kondoers- I have (in the loft) a couple of paintings done by a dead relative. They really don't spark joy in me and are quite dated (copies of pictures popular in the 70-80's. I have a couple of other paintings of hers that I really love which are hung up. What do I do with the ones in the loft? Unlikely that my DDs would want them, and the only reason I still have them is because she spend hours doing them I would feel guilty getting rid but they are just gathering dust???

IDismyname · 04/08/2015 23:38

Mad - I would get rid of the ones in the loft. If you have several hanging up in the house that give you joy, surely that is enough?

I have been going through my stash of fabrics and half finished patterns. It's been really hard going for some reason. I feel like I've hardly made a dent in it. Never thought they would command so much nostalgia in me. I've probably got rid of 50% of the stuff so far, so not bad.

defk0ndo · 04/08/2015 23:42

MadAunt - I feel that this is a situation where Marie would say, thank them for providing further evidence of her talent and release them. They have served their purpose. You have other pictures done by her hung up, honouring her memory and presumably sparking joy for you.

If no other relatives wish them I would discard as you feel appropriate.

Thevirginmummy1 · 05/08/2015 06:33

Thank them for the inspiration and talent they've shown you then release them. I'd suggest a charity shop. They might not be your cup of tea but they'll probably appeal to someone. That way your relative could become a sought over artist ???? She certainly didn't put the effort into them for them to be stored in a loft and rarely looked at.

On another note how do people store saucepans and frying pans? Going to attack the kitchen today while DS is at nursery. Have plans for the baking trays but not sure about pans. We have deep pan drawers under the job so hopefully once I sort those out there'll be room to get to the pans but I think stacking them will be my only option.

Thevirginmummy1 · 05/08/2015 06:43

*under the hob!