KONDO Thread 9

[Iqueen]

Kondo your Home and your Life. Live the JOY!

Madaunt I think if you have on display paintings that you do love, that is honouring your relatives skill and their memory. Having other paintings in the loft, out of sight will not bring any joy to anyone, so send them on to bring happiness elsewhere. Charity shop, a day centre / community centre, even a school?

Fishbones I too have a stack of diaries, full of teen angst and family misery. They were precious to me at the time, they were a release, somewhere to pour out vitriol and poison. If my DH saw them he wouldn't recognise the woman he married, if my DS sees them when he grows up, he might see why he doesn't see some of his relatives. But I'd like to tell him myself in an age appropriate way, rather than him reading about it from the perspective of a 14 year old.
So......release them, feel lighter and freer.

Virginmummy I find that with pans that are part of a set, the lid from one often fits upside down in the pan one size bigger, which leaves a flat surface to stack the smaller pan onto creating a tower, iyswim?

The KonMarie bible fell through my letterbox yesterday. I ski read the chapter titles, and it does sound rather 'woo' but I'm going to give it a go!

Thanks everyone, I think I am going to do a carboot With all my stuff so will take them along and see if they spark joy in anyone else!
I used to have a couple of half teen diaries - I came across them some time ago and had to shred them as they were so embarrassing!

Have registered just to let all you diary finders know there is an event called London Cringe, an evening where anyone can go onstage (at a pub, I think) and read selected entries from their teenage diaries. It sounds hilarious, I only wish I lived in London so I could attend :D
I saw them on fb for anyone interested.

Fishbone when my dad died my mum found a pile of his old letters from an ex it wasn't very nice. No major surprises but not exactly what you want to read. For that reason when we last moved house I got rid of a pile of smutty letters from my ex.

When I cleared my mother's things, I found only one diary, from the year I was born, and discovered a (tasteful) reference to a date with my father - the day of my conception!

Diaries can be very enlightening, the story of part of our journey and how we have become the people we are. I often think that they could be very useful in the future, if (heaven forbid) we suffer from dementia. They can be used, and photographs, to help maintain our long-term memories.

I queen! That is an excellent point that I had forgotten.

The use of diaries and particularly photographs for dementia patients.

I will still have to brace myself to read them sometime.

Tiger
Thanks for the London Cringe! Wicked idea
I listened to 'my teenage diary' on r4.
:)

Hello. I've been rather preoccupied and have lost track of the thread a bit. It looks like we're planning to move house rather unexpectedly. Boy am I glad I've been kondoing. Although I do slightly regret all the books I've binned, which I'd like for the new place. I'll just have to re-buy what I want. No biggie now books are so cheap I guess. I can make a list of what I want on my shelves! That will be fun. I do love a list.

During discussions a few threads ago about diaries I discovered "cringe" which is a book from the London and New York cringes. I was never disciplined enough to maintain a diary myself, but I really enjoyed reading that book and the memories it evoked. There's a guardian article available online too. I reconnected with my cousin and his friends who I spent a lot of time with. We reminisced. It was fun. Its a very personal choice chucking diaries and there are different reasons to consider. It is about joy, but actually I think as well as being clear on what brings you joy, it might be worth, esp with something as irreplaceable as your diary, being clear on what makes you uncomfortable and why you want to get rid of it. Will you always feel that way. It will help process it all too, which, as well as thinking about how our past influences our present and future selves, and informs our identity, is part of the point in revisiting them surely. I don't generate loads of this sort of thing, so it's easier for me to be in the keep camp regarding my stuff than if i had loads. Its all in "sentimental" anyway. I found my mum's pre marriage diaries as a teen and it gave me an appreciation of her beyond being a sahm. Her other life. But there was no graphic sex in what I read! I've so far kept a bunch of letters from old boyfriends - but then I'm friends with them on Facebook and DH is fine with that. Also fairly innocent tbh.

I don't know if those ramblings are helpful or not!

Car boot this weekend, plus lots of dumping of stuff cleared from the garage about 2 months ago that's been sitting in my garden.

Hello Starface, that's a thoughtful and helpful perspective on diaries. Ta.

My copy of the book arrived and I have begun reading. My first thought is how sad it must have been for her, how she was so constantly anxious and on edge for pretty much all her childhood.

Grey, I alternated between thinking what a great perspective in the book, to she must have been a right pain to the rest of her family, to did she not have any friends/ do anything when she was a child other than tidy?! A Google of her name comes up with an image of her happy and heavily pregnant, so I assume she has found a partner and has had a child beyond the work she does. So she can't be a complete nut!!

She says in the book that the process should take about 6mths. I haven't started properly yet (other than pre book chucking out random things and lots of clothes) as I'm away at the moment. But getting v excited about how my house will look once done! How far down the process is everyone?

I think there are definitely some issues there!

So far I've done my clothes and the kitchen. I'm not following her rules to the letter - can't possibly get out everything from one catagory and sort it with two DC's under three! So far I've probably spent about twenty hours on it though I started a good few weeks ago. If I had a week to myself I reckon I could do the lot! I'm lucky in that we're renovating and about to move in to the newly enlarged living room so it's a blank canvas and I'm intending to start as I mean to go on! I am trying to stick to categories but am having to sort the storage before. I move on. Anything that doesn't fit in the right catagory is either being put in the right place or.... Ahem shoved under the stairs! I'm getting to it though and I'm being quite disciplined. I love how my wardrobe and kitchen look and it makes life so much easier. Just need to get through the rest of it!

No kondoing for me this weekend - my pregnant daughter and partner are visiting!

I need to get my @rse in gear again - Done clothes (several times, and still have a 'maybe' pile ) several bags of books gone, but still hundreds more to go, and lots of random kondoing but the 'random komono' is probably a way of procrastinating. So, I need to give myself a good talking to and get back into focus!

hello all I'm part way through kondoing my life. I got the book a few weeks ago and its good. I've always loved my house so her talking to possessions doesn't phase me, it kind of makes sense. (I tell my car I love it and its going strong, 16 years on). anyway, I'm moving in next few months so clearing with a vengeance now. and I'm stuck- I have about 150 vinyl albums which get played maybe twice a decade. I'm very fond of them. one minute I think get rid, the next I decide to keep them, after all space isn't a problem.

anyone else managed to sort this? I realise this will mean little to anyone who wasn't brought up with vinyl in the 60s and 70s

re diaries-I have mine from over the decades and keep them because theyre interesting and throw light on the journey I've been on ( tedious but that's another story). and I keep old letters. they are brilliant. have shared with old school mates and friends from my teens who sent them- totally worth keeping, fascinating.

I've given a few clothes a second chance - but only because they are winter ones, and they have until Christmas to prove to me that they deserve to stay...

However, in the case of 150 records - I'm not sure...

Options that spring to mind are:

• Buying them on CD or digitally (I know, I know... its not 'the same')*

• Going through them and weeding out the ones that really don't get played much at all. Then at least you have been through them!

• Just a thought - could you get the records transferred onto discs?

Rum red,
Thanks for thoughts on diaries.

Everone else,
Keep going. You won't have to do it again or, if you do, you will have pruned it. Says the High Priestss of Good Enough.

I have found the process so helpful that even if I stop now I have gained.

Have dead but formerly talkative Roomba.

:)

Ha poor old clothes waiting to see if they make the grade.... I've been pretty ruthless with clothes but there's some on borrowed time I'm sure

I've downloaded stuff I want to listen to regularly. The albums are I think more of an emotional attachment/kudos thing. People rave about vinyl and I smugly think well I've still got mine. Yet I rarely play them because they're inconvenient unlike cds and usbs... I play my singles on a jukebox so they're staying. It's the emotional attachments that I find hardest and much as I like Marie I think she's too young and wealthy to get how that feels. Or I'm just making excuses.

Good enough. Quite

rumred Yes, you're making excuses - and we all do it over some things!

We need the truth though.

Your records (see, brought up in the 50s/60s. too!) are probably 'a collection', strictly speaking.

Now, truly joyful collections should be on show/used regularly.

On the other hand, is it a way of hanging on to your youth? Or the past - a simpler life, the fact that your collection represented a lot of money and was treasured? Did it earn you kudos from your friends then, and does it still earn some acknowledgement, when you bring it out twice a year?

If you are really a vinyl afficionado and still buy records in preference to CDs, keep them. If the collection is just an emblem of who you were, or a facade for being an afficionado now, sell them.

I am kondoing most of my books. They were there to impress upon visitors that I was intelligent and educated... I know I am, and I don't have to prove it: I have the diplomas if anyone actually needs proof!

HTH

Like you IQueen I've been Kondoing more and more books as I don't need to prove what I've read to anyone, but the number of "books I want to read that would be hard to find again" is still high.

However, MrNC did do a run to the charity shop to hand over 10 bin bags, couple holdalls and other bags, and a coffee table, and the lot will get Gift Aid added. And I've listed some stuff on the local FB group which will go to a good local cause / EBay if it doesn't sell by the end of the month.

I only have about 4 diaries that have much written in that I'm keeping - the rest were binned years ago.

Any recommendations for good CD-ripping software? MrNC is up for ditching at least half his collection if they get ripped first. Does require building me a new computer first, though.

Have made some progress towards the DIY and now trying to fix the hugely expensive oven we got on Freecycle last year - if it works, will have to decide whether to keep it or sell it.

ah you're good iqueen. yes, they represent how cool I am (irony) and my djing past. similar with books. I realised with books I had them to prove my breadth of knowledge/intellect? don't really know. but also too they were damn good reds that affected my outlook and feelings. but they could move on, and they have. the records are mithering me.

what does a hoarder's collections say about them? my elderly neighbour has a house filled to the ginnels with stuff. I think it wards off loneliness for her. god we're complicated aren't we?

re cd ripping, I use the windows software that came with the laptop. are they much of a muchness? I'd google if I was needing to rip lots. sorry cant be of more help. also I rarely like entire albums so I download singles and make my own mix cds

Iq - I hope you have all your certificates framed and on the wall for all to see

I agree - the clothes were much simpler to apply the Kondo Principle to. I've started doing books. I've done 'mine' and DH is doing 'his' tomorrow. TBH, they're joint books, but some are definitely more his subject matter than mine.

I am quietly very jubilant about this, as DS has had 4 large boxes of books that used to be his parents in the back of his wardrobe since we moved here 11 years ago. He has refused to even look at them, so this is the process we are going through to throw out all the cheapo paperbacks on the bookshelves to make way for the lovely old books in the cupboard. I do really hope we can 'Kondo" a few of those as we unpack, but we are at least taking babysteps.

Hey Rum - what kind of albums do you have? You sound like you've got an interesting past! Im a real 80's girl!

Hi all, we've had to empty the loft for insulation to be installed and I'm determined to not just randomly shove things back up. This means that his anime collectibles that he's 'going to sell ' need to be on our living space until they're gone, but also my 12 crates plus more that wouldn't fit fabric stash needs tof bemail looked at.
I've a few questions : given the 'rules ' above, should we look through Christmas decorations? Or leave them for when we get them out in Dec?

Lots of 80s cocoa. And 70s and 90s, smattering of 60s and 00s too. Was dewy eyed over Kylie nirvana Beatles erasure and buzzcocks today. And the loads more. Loved dance from the 80s. What are you into?

Re books, there's very few I've found can stand a second reading. So I've let the ones I love go. Hopefully someone else will enjoy them. Sounds like we are all trying to do this. I know some people who have entire libraries.

Tiger do vinyl album frames for a fiver - so that you can put your favourites on the wall. My DP still has boxes and boxes of LP's up in our small loft along with a huge stereo system - been there 6 years. We could do with the space (as most of the the loft is given over to an attic conversion) for other storage.He just can't get rid though (of most things). He likes the "comfort" of knowing they are there.

I used to collect vinyl and picture discs etc in the 80's. I got rid of most of them many years ago when we were really broke and some were quite valuable- so I sold those off seperately and then sold off box lots to a local record dealer. I do sometimes miss and feel nostalgic for them but I would rather have the new boiler they financed at the time.

ishouldcocoa Iq - I hope you have all your certificates framed and on the wall for all to see

Nope. Definitely not!

mistymeanour and all the OPs with 'hoarding' OHs - He likes the "comfort" of knowing they are there.

Perhaps insisting that the OHs put their hoards in commercial storage, might allow them to focus more clearly on what exactly 'sparks joy' for them!

Has anyone regretted getting rid of something? I'm wondering now if I am best to pare down my collection rather than get rid of the lot. In fact I'm putting one on the record player now to see how it feels.