KONDO Thread 9

[Iqueen]

Kondo your Home and your Life. Live the JOY!

Hello all. Was going to rejoin the minimalist thread, but I'm guessing everyone is now on here?

I haven't read her book. Might download today.

Basically, house looks like a skip - filled with pointless things. I started decluttering last year and tried embracing minimalism, but fell off the wagon and seem to have more than ever.

I'm excellent at getting stuff out, but bad at not bringing things back in.

I am unwell a lot of the time and I think it is because I am drowning. I honestly believe if I could sort out my home, I would be a lot better in myself.

Starting today then.

Hello, new ones! (it's not just me now!)

ItsMe I like the email idea, I have heard of it, but using it for drawings and paintings etc. sounds better. Although I don't know how you would keep track of the email and password until they're at an age to appreciate it? And how would you keep the email account open and running for X amount of years without having to do all the security stuff time and time again?

But I know what it's like; my mum had 5 of us and kept our school books, paintings and things we'd made for YEARS! We each had a bag of our own stuff until she downsized and moved to her final house with her last kid in tow (me) and threw it all out because none of us wanted it after we had sieved through it atleast once. Thought it was quite sad that she'd kept it all for so long to just throw it all away in the end, but I guess she had to. I think it's more for the parents than the kids after they've seen it once.

I started a sketchbook of drawings of my son noting some of the moments and little things he does rather than taking a picture to keep forever. So just have specific photos.

But anyway... I'm finding that the stuff I need to get rid of is getting bigger! Place is feeling better already. I think I'm attacking ornaments, photo frames and the airing cupboard next. Exciting!

I'm finished!

Whoa!

I can't believe it only took me 6 months. So much gone and not missing it at all.

Wow, prettymess! Well done!!

Time for a namechange prettymess? do you think your house will remain Kondo'd?

Well done Prettymess. Do you want to come and do mine now?

Well done pretty .

At the charity shop with a car load of bags at 8.30am.

This is the beginning. Again. I do this every year. It is time to make sure we don't fill it back up again.

Oh it's staying like this! It really has transformed my life.

All hail prettymess!

I'm stuck on papers because I don't have much time to Kondo and that's where I'm at, but I've got a bit of a block about it because I'm still not seeing how I will organise it once done. Like a pp I have a child with extra needs and a lot of paperwork to go with them, although that's not the only thing. I've got to be honest, when the weather is this good, I don't want to stay indoors in my few free spare hours in the daytime so maybe this will really get started again once the rain returns! I'm generally too shattered to do anything in the evening once the kids are finally asleep. I have made a few small improvements to things like incoming school papers though.

Ok, have made a start on clothes for the second time!! Doing ok. Littlest ones clothes were sorted until she went and grew about a foot so I have to start again with hers anyway! Onwards!

I'm currently in a 'are we moving in the next 3/6/9 months?' phase of life. Which...is fairly typical for me, tbh. BUT I am also pregnant.

Currently at the 'mostly just look a bit pudgy' stage.

On the plus side, this uncertainty about where we'll be living means it's easy to say 'no, thanks, it's really kind of you to offer us enormous baby-related things we don't want but we might be moving soon so best not to take it right now!'

Tell me, Kondoers: logically, a baby needs...some stuff, but probably not LOADS of stuff. What things do I actually need to have in the house before it gets here?

And also, because this fascinates me: what was the most useless baby-related item you bought/were given?

Congratulations Mrs Ursa!
I'm still struggling to wash clothes - let alone kondo them or anything else. Like a pp I'm stalled at paperwork! However I've realised that I've genuinely got a lot to cope with one way or another at the moment so I'm cutting myself a bit of slack for now!

Congratulations MrsUrsa!

All we truly needed in the first few months was the crib, bouncing chair and pram besides owning almost every conceivable baby item going.
Tummy time can be as easily performed on a thick blanket as it can on the variety of play mats available, baby doesn't really need a swing chair (wish we had known ds would hate his) and the 'change station' was completely impractical, not in the least space saving and actually rather ugly. Far easier to lay a blanket down, grab the nappy and do it where ever I happened to be.

I managed to kondo DDs clothes but she struggled to set a joy benchmark. Any tips on how to explain it so that we can whittle her wardrobes down just a little more?

MsUrsa
congratulations!

It took us 10 years and a lot of medical intervention to get pregnant. When pregnancy finally happened I held back on everything - even to the level of choosing a name - to the absolute last moment out of a superstitous fear of pushing my luck.

So, from our experience, what you need beforehand is TRULY minimal. You don't know the size of the baby beforehand - don't buy clothes or nappies in advance as they will probably be too small or too large.
DO have your DP be mentally prepared to go out and buy nappies and at least four onesies in the right size as soon as the baby is born though.

what we needed apart from those:
nursing pillow
baby bath
waterproof bed underlays/mattress protectors
wet wipes
baby change mats (we laid them out on floor and did the nappy change there. Also means there is no need to worry about falling when the baby gets old enough to roll.)
Bin with a lid for soiled nappies.
Small bowl and a few wash cloths to be able to clean up soiled bottom
Probably some kind of car seat (we didn't, but had a cloth baby carrier, and live in a city with extensive public transport)
Cloth baby carrier and/or pram

-we were given a cot. It ended up not being used. He slept with us, and only with us (made his wishes very clear from the beginning!)
-we got a few dummies in, he rejected them. Get one only if you're thinking of using them, and see if it is accepted before buying more.
-I bought a fancy nursing bra. Turned out that I never used it. Hold off until is seems definitely needed.
-You might end up needing bottles for feeding. Don't buy in advance, though. You might not need them

Huge congratulations!!!!

I was pretty minimal too. anzu's list is comprehensive but tbh, we did without the baby bath and nappy bin.

I bought a few babygrows in newborn size and cardis. Newborn nappies. Cotton wool.car seat. Carrier.

The travel system..., v expensive and not sure if worth the dosh. I would definitely try to get hold of second hand!

Well done pretty! I am also in awe.

I managed to do most of the bathroom this weekend (lotions and potions e.t.c.) and got rid of loads of stuff. the only problem is that our house is such a tip that there is stuff everywhere so I am not sure that there are not random lotions and potions lurking elsewhere. Anyone else like this? Guess you do the random stuff as you go round the rest.

Have to say I find momentum difficult. I am Ok for a little while and then seem to need to have a rest. Not sure I could spend an entire day Kondoing.

Welcome newbies - look forward to hearing how you all go too. I am also not necessarily doing it in the prescribed order. I should have moved onto books but my DH would have library if he could so I have left this category for later on. I will get round to it though......I will....I will.

Hello everyone, I've been AWOL for a while but back and feeling motivated now.

Pretty are you truly finished?! That's marvellous, any particular pearls of wisdom to share?

MrsU - congratulations. I agree with others, a change station piece of furniture is most likely useless. The are ugly, bulky and not safe in my opinion. Use a blanket and fold away change mat on the floor. Also top and tail bowls are pointless. Ditto baby bath, they will kill your back; get a recliner type bath seat with sticky feet that can go in the main bath.

Tomorrow I am going back to my clothes. When I first Kondo'd them I got rid of so much, but held onto far too much as looking back, I'm not sure I truly believed in the system. Now, I have realised that I really only wear a quarter on he things I kept and those are the things that I love. So, with much more confidence, I'm am going to have another purge.

My socks and underwear all look lovely still, as do all of DSs clothes. Even DHs socks and underwear drawer still looks great.

Feeling the joy!

Pretty do you think you'll need future big declutters again or are you done forever? It's inspirational seeing people finish.

Grey this is what I think I will need to do. I had a huge cull last week, but I can tell that there are already things which still need to go.

Haven't made much more headway since last week, although on the positive side I haven't acquired any more clutter.

Hello again. I've had a few months off, but finally back getting rid of stuff - last week took a full shopping trolley and couple bags to the charity shop (and did Gift Aid for it all), then car load of rubble to the tip, have Freecycled a few items, failed to sell any on Facebook, and have list to EBay (if it doesn't sell, then charity shop, Freecycle or bin).

Ds is quite amenable to giving away some stuff and now has a huge under-bed box for all his Lego (which means any Lego found in the house gets chucked in there and if he can't find the brick he wanted, that's his problem). Dd swears she loves every single one of her toys and things have to be snuck out when she isn't looking...

Morning! Back under a different user name (was violet).

I first kondoed a year ago and it took 6 months (hours and hours each week!). I've gone from an utterly chaotic headache to sleek clutter free and totally relaxing house. I've still got photos and IT (emails etc) to sort through though - never managed it first time round. My husband also needs to conquer his sacred man den but will need my help to do so.

On the baby topic we co- slept and BF, so got away without buying Moses basket/cot/bottles. For me the essentials were - a sling, an ergo carrier once a bit older, mcclaren buggy from birth (small foldable), blanket so I could put baby on floor, travel changing mat (used at home and when out), britax rear facing car seat, cotton nappies with fleece liners. A nursing pillow can be handy but equally a normal cushion can be used instead

I've got rid of a a big box of my son's toys today and some other chunky toys. So they're not in a pile anymore and he has everything in about 3 boxes now and under his bed.
Done my airing cupboard, picture frames and the ornaments. I'm slowly starting to replace the necessary stuff before I throw out the old unwanted stuff so I'm not left with nothing! The charity shops are going to think it's Christmas already...
I've found that if I put things out on the floor/table and quickly pick up the ones I want, anything else I differ over or just don't care for, goes. Quick.

I was thinking more about that email idea as well... My son came home with a massive rolled up life-sized painting the other day. I might frame some actually and email the rest. Bit by it places are getting bare. It's refreshing, I think.

Congrats prettymess! We bow before your Kondoing wisdom.

Thank you for all the advice, everyone! Makes me feel slightly less crazy to know what's useful and not.

(Especially knowing that yes, short of the apocalypse, shops will still be open once the baby actually gets here).

SIL has kindly offered to give me a...whatsit...Moby Wrap? The kind which are a big piece of cloth you tie round yourself. This seems v. handy, particularly as the kid's current MO is to kick the living crap out of me while I'm sitting or lying down, but be totally fine when walking about. Maybe the motion means they go to sleep? Maybe it's sort of cramped in there when I sit down? Who knows.

ThereGoesaTenner: a life-size painting? How big is your child? That sounds like it would be...a bit tricky to store or display!

MsUrsa Haha, he is a regular sized 3 year old. It looks like they've made them lay on the floor at nursery and they've drawn round them then they've painted them. I thought it was quite cool!
Ugh, I remember my son kicking the crap out of me! Having your ribs rammed is the worst! What I found helped was just laying or slouching rather than sitting, like when you're watching TV, so you don't feel baby is so squished up.

Meh, I've had a stressful few days (don't know why) but more places are bare and the bathroom shelf pretty much has nothing on it now except toothbrushes. I threw out a load of old candles that were broken and melted to non-existence! I was keeping them as ornaments for some reason but came to a conclusion that they just look... knackered.

Another good idea for photos and documents is a Dropbox account. Basically an e-document storage place in the 'cloud'. You can give other people access to each folder to edit or just to view. (I'm site there are other providers but I got dropbox space free with my Samsung phone).

I started using it when my son was born so grandparents on the other side of the world could see all the photos I took (you can upload directly from your phone). But it's turned out to be a wonderful photo diary of our family's last 3 years.

I've now added folders for receipts, paid bills and otherdocuments so I can bin the originals. Also I've started a folder for nursery 'reports' and the like.

I think it's better than an email account as you can browse what's in there easily just by swiping across rather than having to open emails and attachments.