KONDO Thread 9

[Iqueen]

Kondo your Home and your Life. Live the JOY!

rumred Your collection obviously has sentimental attachment. Why not leave it for the moment, until you have really honed your 'sparking joy' recognition?

Hi everyone! I never had the habit of discarding down, until last year when I fell pregnant again and realised that we were going to need to make some proper space in our house for our new DS. With two very small children and two jobs, I struggle to kondo properly so I just try and do a bit every day. (It's taken about 18 months so far.) my clothes are done and so is my wool stash which used to be massive. Books and miscellaneous crap are my Achilles heel, so I'm grateful for the support of a thread.

i wish rather sadly that I could feel the benefit of tidying though - DH is a hoarder/collector and really struggles to let go of stuff, so our house still feels crowded and cluttered. He is slowly getting interested in decluttering, but mainly he puts stuff aside "to sell." Selling it is a faff and so it ends up sitting there for ages, taking up space. No solution, just venting :)

Hello Everyone

Its too hot outside for the likes of an English Rose, so I'm inside getting hot and bothered making chutney.

DH has decided that its too nice a day to go through books and is cutting the hedge instead, so my jubilation at getting him to confront the book situation is deflating rapidly... Oh dear. We are going to run out of 'day' today. I'm away next weekend, and we're off on our hols the following weekend - I'm not sure how long my patience will last.

Anyone else battling this with their other halves?

rumred - I still love Yazoo, Utravox, The Waterboys, Erasure... I love listening to the DAB radio station 'Absolute 80's'. They always play stuff I'd forgotten I liked!

Hello all, just checking in as I've been away on holiday. Packing certainly was easier with kondoed and beautifully folded clothes. Also going on holiday does show you how little you can manage with on a day to day basis. No kondoing today as I've been washing clothes and unpacking. It is lovely having a "place" for everything. I actually started unpacking and putting things away as soon as I got home rather than having a partially unpacked case hanging about in the hall for a week. I chivvied the DCs into unpacking straight away too.

honing the joy sparking. I suppose we all have it to do.

ah miscellaneous crap failedspinster we all have that. I've cleared my misc crap/useful things drawer today- lots of rubber bands, flower feed sachets and just, well, rubbish. 24 years of it

Have read the whole book this weekend and very excited about starting BUT

• what about things that you don't love but can't afford to replace and need E.g. I have 2 suits, neither of which give me joy as don't fit that well but can't afford to replace right now e.g. my large chopping board is a bit warped and scratched and doesn't give any joy when I use if but if I throw it away I have no chopping board!

Don't want to focus on negatives as I can see loads of things I can discard already but I think so many of my possessions don't give joy but I need them and can't afford replacements for all immediately.

Any tips from advanced kondo-ers appreciated!

Smerlin Several of us are in that position - 'don't like it' but can't afford to replace it yet.

The suits stay - they are an incentive to save the money the money you are no longer spending on non-essentials, towards replacements. You may be lucky and find 2 more that bring you joy in chazzers.

The chopping board stays, too. It may not bring you joy, but the food you prepare on it does. Put the kind of chopping board you would like as a replacement, on your Birthday/Christmas List.

So do you think it would be ok if I wrote a (not too extensive) list as I go through of things that are necessary but that don't give me joy and therefore need replacing asap? Almost like sticking a red 'condemned' sticker on them...!

Smerlin sounds like a good idea.

Any tips on papers? I did about a third of the filing cabinet yesterday and then lost the will to live, it's sooooo boring! And the knowledge that I'll have a tidy filing cabinet isn't nearly as much incentive as having a tidy wardrobe/garage/office...

Back from holiday and catching up! Pliplops - I sooo agree with you about paperwork and I'm drowning in personal and work stuff (self-employed) as well as now drowning in dirty washing and camping stuff post holiday!

I think very few people can afford to replace everything that doesn't spark joy.

However, i think the process does give you a clearer idea of what you really like and value, and then you can begin to replace things over time. The list is a good idea, and I think I'll be doing similar.

I'm actually looking forward to doing paperwork, am I weird?
plipplops according to the book, you should only keep a small folder or so of papers, is there any chance that you won't actually need a filing cabinet at all, once you've finished?

I did the kids' books last week, and the last of the baby paraphernalia. i thought I'd get to toys as well as I had a few days off but even doing the books has made a big difference in their rooms.

Ds1 came down one morning last week, and said that the best thing about 'Marie Kondoing' your clothes is that you can see straight away what you want to wear.
He's a very messy and disorganised seven year old so if he can see the benefit then it makes it all worthwhile.

I'm looking forward to doing papers as well. I've periodically gone through some of my files, but never the whole lot together and I know that there'll be loads that I can easily throw away. However I'm not letting myself do it until I get the discarded books out of the house.

I've thrown away and organised LOADS of papers and have lots more to go. There's no way I can/will get it down to the two files MK dictates though. Has ANYone achieved this???

I too kept books to make me look well read. Then they ended up in the spare room so no one saw them anyway. Once I realised that they nearly all went. I kept very few and made space on the DVD shelves in the living room so I see them more at least.

Meanwhile sailing week over and most things washed. New sailing kit needs homes found.
Have listed some more komono on freecycle but very little progress. As usual sigh!

Do you think Marie K has a Monica cupboard, or a secret drawer of crap??

madaunt No she doesn't. Yet.

Freecycle and ebay are treacherous and marvellous depending on the individuals involved. I can't get rid of the trouser press for love nor money.

I've got my paperwork down to several folders. I'm not sure 2 files is possible?

Hello - can I please join?

I am a complete hoarder of crap - sentimental and otherwise. Saw the Kondo book recommended on here and dipped in thinking I would read a page or two...

Well, I am now OBSESSED! Is this a usual response? I am about 20 bin bags in already.....

Welcome to the madhouse, roonerspism

Hi Rooner
Yes, welcome. Your local charity shop will be sending you a Christmas card to thank you for being one of their most generous donators this year! I'm on first name terms with my local branch.
I'm about 3 weeks in, and trying to fit in an hour a day either sorting out my stuff, or getting it out of the house.

Yes rooner it is addictive. I've had to become more strategic - if I get rid of any more furniture (what category is that?) the house will be rather sparse and echo will be a problem . I'm moving so it's a good time to be kondoing.

How are you finding it?