KONDO Thread 9

[Iqueen]

Kondo your Home and your Life. Live the JOY!

I'm most of the way through my fabric stash now. I've had a few items that I (literally) smiled and said "ooh, I'm keeping that!", a similar number (if I'm honest) of "no, you're not mine any more"/"I'll never use this" but most of it is in the category of "I like it and will want to use it one day and will be sad if it's gone before I can".

... I should really just keep the ones that made me go "oooh", shouldn't I? And let go of my fear about not having the "right" fabric that future me "might" want to use?

Case in point: strips of white cotton from a charity shop bedspread I bought for the fabric in 2003. I saved the strips because "these will make useful trim". 12 years later, I have them, haven't used them, and STILL think "these will make useful trim"... these should probably go to a charity shop or similar so someone else can use them, shouldn't they?

I like your style :)

My 9 boxes and 7 bags have been whittled down to... 9 boxes and 1 bag.

I think I'll take your advice grey and only get rid of what actively doesn't give me joy- I've already gotten rid of a lot, after all!

Has anyone got any good CD/DVD storage cases?
I know I'm not supposed to be buying storage but I can't see dh getting rid of very many, and I would really love to get rid of the plastic covers so they take up less space.
I'm finding this so addictive that I have to stop myself from going on about it to family & friends.
I almost cant understand why everyone isn't doing it
Also, has anyone done children's art work? Ds2 comes home with at least 2 pictures from pre-school every day and there is only so much space on the kitchen wall.

I've actually always been good about artwork- if I don't like it and DD is clearly not super-proud of it (she forgets about 95% of things within a few minutes of doing them), then I assume that the point of THAT piece was to learn skills/enjoy colouring or painting or whatever it was they were doing that day, and I put it into the recycling bin. That gets emptied every 2 weeks and there are enough pieces on display that I'm confident DD knows she can ask to hang up the important ones.

I suppose you could thank the artwork for providing your child with the joy of doing or of learning whatever skill that piece taught them

Hello all. Have been on previous threads. Love, love , love the book. Only thing that has helped me in many years of reading decluttering and organisation books. Variable health =variable progress but that's OK.

Six carrier bags to the chazzer today.

Thanks cycle and detective*.
That's a really good point about the art teaching them a particular skill, and giving them pleasure while doing it.
I hadn't thought to focus on the process rather than the end result.
I might invest in some display folders and get them to choose what goes in.

still tripping over camping stuff and washing here! Motivation not very high tbh! Also trying to make myself get on with work - only semi-successfully!

Roonerspism Welcome, and well done, with what you've achieved so far!

The only problem for us 'hoarders' is that it will take 'a bit longer'.

My house is still full of 'good intentions' - stuff, which was bought on that basis, and then never identified as 'it's not going to happen'! So, not crap but, for me, definitely junk!

Hello all. Has been many a moon since I last did any Kondoing. We've moved house since I started and I'm feeling a bit downcast at how much crap we still have. We moved from a 3-bed flat with 1 reception room to a 4-bed detached house 3 reception rooms and a garage and I still feel surrounded by things. I need to start it all again, so it's time to read your comments for inspiration and reread the book.

I do wonder if anyone has any advice for dealing with a generous MIL who doesn't listen, though. She loves buying things for our daughters and we'll often get something in the post. They're coming to visit on Thursday and I'm dreading what's going to come into the house with her. We've asked her to keep things at their house if she wants to buy more toys as the girls have (more than) enough, which she thought was a good idea but she hasn't followed through. We've said we'd like to keep things clutter free, and we've mentioned that we don't want the girls to associate Grandma with gifts. Unfortunately, DD1 (who is 3) already does.

I do find it very frustrating, especially because she usually brings things out in front of the children, making it very hard to say no.

Any suggestions for how to make our point firmly without upsetting her?

Give her the book?
:)

Stear her desire to show her love through gifts into books, clothes, and days out. Or big expensive things, so she can't send things so often.

GrouchyKiwi You might take her aside, and tell her nicely, but clearly, that you would prefer her to put money in a savings account for each of your DC, rather than buying gifts so frequently. Perhaps you can limit gifts to only Christmas and birthdays?

Explain all your reasons, and thank her for her generosity.

We don't know what the future holds, and we should ensure that our children are capable of limiting their wants, if necessary.

Plan a lovely day out together with doc somewhere special.
Put the lovely photos into an album to encourage her to spend on experiences rather than komono/landfill.

Start with 'inside out' to introduce the concept of a positive memory bank.

Invent a recycling project about wastage, landfill, conserving the earth's resources.

Good reason to Kondo- hauling everything out of my wardrobe has led me to realise that I have clothes moths!

Feel it is a bit mean of fate to spring this surprise on me as I planned to Kondo before this disastrous realisation and now my Kondo-ing has been overshadowed by fear of creepy crawlies

Love the suggestions for DCs' art. My stumbling block is definitely the sentimental stuff. Has anyone managed to chuck away any photos yet other than those with crappy ex boyfriends

Thank you for the suggestions. Should be able to work out something. :)

Now looking at DSs clothes gives me joy!

fantastic Greymalkin.
It's over a month since I started on our clothes and they all remain beautifully organised and folded, even the children's.

I keep opening the drawers just to admire them!

I can't seem to do this KonMarie lark in the right order. I've had a pile of old cards and letters of my mums sat on the side looking at me for almost a year now. Mum passed away ten years ago and I haven't been able to do anything with them. They do not make me happy as the letters all relate to a time in her life when she was seriously ill and it was a miserable time for me. The cards are mostly cards from me to her and for some reason they made me sad.

So, I handled each and every one of them, thanked hem for reminding me of my mum, being a tangible link to her, items that she personally handled, then I said they do not make me happy and so I am sending them on their way. I kept a few of them that did have little positives in.

I actually feel quite a bit better!

Well done Greymalkin

I've finished the yarn, for those interested my stash of knitting wool has gone from 3 boxes and 1 bag to 3 boxes. I've also looked at my half finished projects. Next for my stuff : haberdashery.

DH seems to go through stuff if I leave a pile on his side of the bed so I've started sorting through his piles of junk, and will give him a catagory /small bit of a catagory a day until everything is sorted.

I can imagine that must have been difficult, Grey, but it seems saying goodbye to them was the best thing for you.
Well done on the knittting stash cycle, I'm afraid I'm completely devoid of talent/creativity but at least it means I don't have any craft stuff to de-clutter (apart from dc's).
I have stalled a bit but am contemplating starting on paperwork tonight.
I don't have any money for re-decorating stuff until next month, so I keep telling myself that I can use the time for kondoing instead.