Marie Kondo fans - advice needed!!!!

[lill72]

I have just got the book and am reading madly!!! I love this and am going to start to Kondo the house shortly!

Just wondering if you have any tips on the following....

I have got heaps of hand me downs for DD's. Most of which do not spark joy! To the contrary. Do I get rid of them all? I just feel guilt that they were given to me.

I have this same sentimentality about presents people give - like the horrible London bus milk jug given my MIL for instance!!! Although I found a tea towel I gave to her in her regifting cupboard, somehow feel I should keep her gifts. No you scream!!! She will never know by the way as we live in different countries.

Also - the presents she gives my DD's - giant teddies and all these horrible soft toys. My DDs like of course, but they do not spark joy for me! How to resolve this?

many thanks for your thoughts!

I don't think that you can remove from your life the things that your children love/like/enjoy but certainly move on things that are yours that don't bring you any joy.

With clothes, I don't put my DD in anything I don't like but she is a baby so has yet to develop her own preferences!

Thanks Zampa - yes I agree I dont put DD's in anything I don't iike - though 5 year old sometimes makes her own choices. I have found hand me downs useful sometimes tpo pack for spare clothes for nursery or even to wear for nursery as I dont care if they get paint on them.

Hasn't Marie Kondo just had a baby? I am looking forward to her guide on how to Konmari baby/toddler stuff. The Konmari lifestyle seems to be suited to single Japanese ladies living in perfect tiny apartments. I live surrounded by squeaky eggs and orphaned stacking cups. Although my wardrobe does look lovely now.

Yes I agree more suited to child free lifestyles!! oooh that would be exciting - as yes this I would def like to see how she navigates her way through the masses one builds up with children! I am currently Kondoing babies clothes - more room already just by folding vertically! I am hooked. Guess we can do the best we can with the Kondo method with babies.

Me too MrsMmoggins - I just retrieved a rice cake fro sole of my foot and stood on some playmobil!

I'm having a big decutter at the moment and have also struggled with these things - especially all the outgrown jumpers that my elderly grandma hand-knitted. In the end I kept a couple, carefully wrapped in a box of sentimental stuff in the loft, and donated the rest to a local charity appealing for warm clothes for resettled refugee babies/children. So I felt they were going to a good cause. I've taken care to choose charity shops that mean something to me for the rest.
I have been quite ruthless with gifts I've been hanging onto out of duty/guilt and it does feel so good to have been brave and moved them on.
The kids' stuff is much harder, as you can't take away things they're attached to. My daughter is a hoarder, but I've persuaded her to part with some baby toys she never plays with by saying we'll sell any old toys she doesn't want anymore on the local Facebook groups and she can have all the proceeds to save or to buy new toys/clothes with. She did find quite a few things then.

1. Only keep the handmedowns you love. Pass the unloved ones on so they are not sitting sadly in your loft/cupboard etc poor mites :(
2. Regift / charity shop all the way. Or if she is coming for a visit then leave it a suitable period of time and fix them with a "got my eye on you" look
3. One at a time stealth them out the door. I don't care what anyone says but soft toys are horrific

I've started to take an interest in Kondoing as living in an endless sea of plastic tat has started to get me down. I think hope it's the perfect approach for me because when I was single I was very ruthless with crap. But DP is a collector and NEVER puts stuff away, and since having 2 DC it's all just defeated me.

I think I feel guilty making decisions about other people's stuff and that's always held me back. But tomorrow never comes and I'm thoroughly sick of deferring to him cos now I've reached my tolerance level and think tough shit to you, it's your fault for leaving it out.

Today I applied myself to the bookshelf and it felt great.

Now to move onto the next task. Would you recommend getting the Kondo book? For example is my "tough shit" attitude going to get me in trouble down the line ? I'm not sure there's space for it now, to be honest. Or could I glean the info from the net and mumsnet?