Kondo thread 10

[SnozzberryMincePie]

Just noticed the old thread was full, so hope no one minds me starting the new one

What does everyone do with lotions and potions? I have dozens of body lotions and creams from box sets with perfume etc. seems a shame to throw them away but there is far more than I will ever use.

I'm trying to work through the categories, I really am, but I've got a 6 week old who only naps for 12 minutes at a time and wants to clusterfeed/comfort nuzzle the rest of the time (seriously, she was on me for 15 hours straight yesterday until bedtime).

So I'm coining a new sub-specialism of konmari: the ninja kondo. As soon as baby nods off, I plop her down in the crib and quickly attack a single subcategory (yesterday was knickers, this morning it's bras), hurling items to bin and charity bag for as long as it takes to either finish it have to return to the tiny boss. Phew.

At this rate, the house will be clutter free by the time she starts school. Maybe.

This might be useful for paper:

blog.evernote.com/blog/2015/04/02/picture-great-things-with-evernotes-new-ios-camera-functionality/

(This is what I'm using for everything except statutory required physical documents and - bonus - I can do it while holding a baby. She's not too keen on the shredder though!)

Meth I had one of those to be gifted drawers too. I gave it all to the charity shop this week. I figured it had been lying around so long because I didn't know anyone who would like any of it.

Dijini congrats on the baby!

We don't have a garage but we have a very big loft and shed. I'm trying to include them. Very tedious though as I don't feel the results in the same way as the rest of the house.

I made up a spare bag of lotion etc to keep as a travel kit but the rest got chucked. We do seem to have enough toothpaste though to last well into 2025 thanks to DH and his excitement at a bogof deal.

Running out of boxes to put little things in. I recycled some shoe boxes earlier this week...doh!

I had a revelation when doing toiletries: they have expiry dates! This is probably not news to anyone, but I don't know how I managed to get through mumblemumble several decades without realizing that the little open pot icon on the back of the shampoo, hand cream etc indicates how long it's good for after opening. And I know I've had half-used body lotion sitting around for longer than that. If I can't remember using it, or think it's been more than that long since I got it, it goes. So liberating!

(I'm now picturing people reading the above and looking at me all because it's something every fool knows... except me)

I'd never noticed or thought about it, so you're not the only one

I knew, but doesn't mean I did anything about it!

I didn't know that, Djini.

I've not got to toiletries yet, but it's a useful tip for when I do

Djini I only knew that from a previous kondo thread and it prompted me to throw stuff out that was years if not decades old

Congrats on your little one. Mine is three months old and getting slightly better, he'll go in his baby gym for ten minutes at a time now although he still only naps on me. Do you have a sling? I highly recommend one if you don't already.

I declared the loft a separate category, partly because I need dps help to get stuff down. I reckon 90% of the stuff up there can go. It's hard though as when dp is home we always have both kids as well and it's pretty much impossible to concentrate on sorting anything out

Cutyourhairandgetajob - I do have a sling and that certainly helps me be mobile, but she still gets in the way of seeing what I'm doing, bending over etc. And when the 3.5yo gets back from nursery, whatever I've been sorting out needs to be finished because otherwise she'll want to "help"...

I think I've achieved quite a lot over the last few days but I can now see why to get really long lasting results the whole process will take 6 months. I've decided I do need to take it a bit more steadily and spend longer on each category. It's been satisfying to throw away things but I'm finding it quite hard to put back what I've decided to hold onto, even though it looks more orderly. I wonder if that's a sign I'm keeping too much and moving to the next category too quickly.

Bows down to the new baby carrying Kondo Ninja...

Finished clothes! 13 tops gone from tops.

My garage is double length and a lot of the stuff is needed - camping gear, DH's tools, kids bikes etc. I think I'll pull things out if I think of them but otherwise tackle it at the end of komono. DH is on about us needing another shelving unit in there, I beg to differ.

Hi this thread sounds great in guessing it's about organising stuff (which I love) but what is kondoing exactly? Thanks!

*I'm

Did ds's books. She's nearly reading so turned out they all gave her jumping up-and-down joy except one, but lots of old colouring books and magazines are going. And we found one that belongs to school.

Ds's books might be more productive - trying to change how he stores everything so it has a place and can hypothetically be tidied, which at the moment doesn't really work and he has a cupboard with almost nothing in, and a floordrobe of toys...

Wardy Marie Kondo wrote the Lifechanging Magic of Tidying. It's about a particular philosophy of tidying.

well just ordered the book (arrived today) so hoping to join the thread soon! I had a lightbulb moment when i realised that we didn't actually have to get a carpenter in to build more cupboards, but that i could just in fact get rid of half the stuff and use the existing space i have. I have been stuffing things in spaces for ages, and no sooner do i put up a new shelf or create a new space and it gets filled, so hoping with the help of this thread and the book i can take a completely different approach. Enjoying reading everyone else's experiences!

Wardy it is about surrounding yourself with only the possessions that really make you happy.

Once you have decided what they are, Marie Kondo tells you how to store them, fold them, display them in a way that means your house stays tidy.

In its simplest form, Her philosophy is that if you are constantly tidying, then you have too much stuff and it is not put in the correct place.

In her book she talks about the reasons why we keep hold of things, and helps readers to let them go.

It may seem an exaggeration to call her book 'life changing ' but there is lots of evidence on here that it does.

iwantavuvuzela, I managed to avoid buying a extra bookcase by getting rid of stuff, it's a great feeling isn't it!

What do people do when you literally don't have enough cupboards though? I don't have a great deal of kitchen storage and I genuinely do use all the stuff now (did a huge clear out not long ago and really pared everything down to the bare minimum). But I still have pans and things stacked quite annoyingly which makes it difficult to get the thing I want, plus I have a fair bit out on the counter. Wwyd?

Qwerky that's much more helpful than my post. Good summary .

WitchCat could you hang your pans from the ceiling on one of things I can't remember the name of or would you bump your head on them?