Where do you put it all?

[SheStoodInTheStorm]

The things that have no real 'home'?

I've read Marie Kondo and love the idea but I just don't have the time to do it properly right now. I've sorted and donated a lot of stuff and the "sparking joy" has helped with that, but what do you do with the things that don't have a home?

Things that get left on the kitchen table, arm of the sofa, shoe rack etc because there is no home!

I hope someone comes slo g with an answer because I'm like you!
I thought about getting a pooffee with storage under to dump stuff in.

Like what? I don't have any of these things in my house! Sometimes I leave something we need in the morning on the table from the night before, like a form for DS to bring back to school, but nothing is left anywhere without a reason. I am very, very rigid about a place for everything and everything in its place though.

Dump what though? How can something not have a place?

Examples needed

Yes cream but where to you put it?

Well give me some examples of what you mean.

Magazines you haven't finished reading, letters (I need a better system for these), children's bits and bobs (pair of socks, bracelet, wet wipes etc), remote controls, things you don't always need but might need eventually or will need in the future?

I an not sure what particular stuff you are talking about, but I was getting wound up by stuff being left on surfaces or going in the 'crap drawer'.

I managed to clear enough stuff out to have a spare shelf in a deep cupboard. I bought a huge but cheap Ikea cutlery tray. I keep all the random stuff in it like reading glasses, sunglasses, a pot of loose change, scissors, Sellotape, sewing kit. Basically still a crap drawer but an organised one and everything has a place!

Yoghurt maker and slow cooker both are used but they just hang out by the cupboards

Magazines- on the shelf under the coffee table or in a rack. To be honest, I don't really buy them much, as I see them as an unnecessary item.

Letters- deal with them as soon as possible; definitely within a week. I look at my post daily, as most goes straight in the recycling. Any that need to be kept, pin on a noticeboard or leave in a designated place (mine is on top of the printer in my spare room) until you have dealt with them. Then recycle or file.

Children's bits and bobs- any that you need for outings, either in your bag, or if they're old enough, give them a little rucksack to carry essentials. Replace anything that needs it straight away and always put anything that's used and can be used again straight back in the bag. In my house, all clean socks are neatly balled in drawers, all dirty socks are in the laundry dry hamper, all jewellery is in my jewellery box and 1 packet of wet wipes that I keep for jobs like cleaning Venetian blinds is in my cleaning basket in the cupboard under the kitchen sink.

Remote controls- my coffee table has a drawer, so in there, neatly lined up. Otherwise, you could line them up neatly on your coffee or side table, or next to your TV, when it's not on.

Magazines - on coffee table or in magazine basket on living room
Letters - into dedicated carry basket which lives either at bottom or top of stairs to be carried upstairs on next trip upstairs to go straight into home office where I place in magazine file with "in use" paperwork to be actioned next time I sit down to do paperwork. Never gets lost, great system for me.
Socks - clean should always be in cupboard in kid bedroom or in laundry basket waiting to be put away . Dirty = take to utility room laundry bag (small one hangs in there for odd bits), or = into carry basket to go upstairs into main laundry basket which lives upatairs
Bracelet = into carry basket to go upstairs and into its home ie jewellery basket in my room
Wet wipes = difficult, depending on age of child might have various packets around house but just try to designate a "place" and just always use it
Remote controls = home is drawer in living room but usually end up on chairs/sofa etc, I try not to stress abt this as I think that's just life
Other stuff = honestly I find it easier to write a list with to dos, rather than leaving stuff out as a "reminder" to do things and just to get the stuff out when I know I will actually do the job.

Hope this helps.

I found the most useful lesson from Kondo was always store like with like. Even though I have quite a big house reducing the number of different places I kept stuff made a massive difference to how easily I could finds and tidy up. One place = easier to keep track. Sounds bizarre but true.

My drawer of things that are used occasionally.

I have Kondoed a lot. Really a lot. But yes I still have drawers of crap, with light bulbs/sellotape/screws etc.

Sorry no help

Magazines, I rarely buy them but if I do I put it on a side table, next to my bed or on a shelf in the kitchen until I've read it.

Letters, junk goes straight in the recycling, important stuff is filed or relevant information noted on the calendar etc, DH's Mail goes on his desk, DC's Mail goes on their desks, school letters go on the notice board.

Kids bits and bobs, DC have boxes in their wardrobes for bracelets/gloves/hat/sunglasses etc, socks lying around I ask the owner to put away/in the wash, wipes in the bathroom and DC wardrobe plus a pack in my bag.

Stuff you might need one day, I have a cupboard in the kitchen full of labelled plastic boxes with things like batteries, lightbulbs, sewing kit, various sellotapes, various glues, spare pens and school stationary, command hooks, various charity badges and accessories eg red noses, Pudsey badges, poppy pin badges etc, shoe cleaning kit and spare laces, small torches with batteries, tape measures, calculators, nit combs, envelopes and spare change for school etc.

Tupperware, that isn't crap though, as it's all essential items and it's not left lying around, is it?

We have various drawers and boxes. TV cabinet drawers and cupboard hold all things technological. Drawer in the hallway holds spare keys, batteries, things like the key for the utility meters, sunglasses, all sorts of bits. Paperwork gets filed straight away. There is a box for things like ds's artwork.

Magazines you haven't finished reading:
minimise having these; read or get rid.

letters (I need a better system for these)
We have a clipboard system for school letters. Don't save much else. Household folder for finance things.

children's bits and bobs (pair of socks, bracelet, wet wipes etc)
Can you move them towrds drawers or bathroom, where they belong?

remote controls
I have warantees in a drawer with odd electronics that go with things.

things you don't always need but might need eventually or will need in the future?
Can have a miscellanous large box, to be regularly cleared out.

My odd stuff: things I should be Ebaying, clothes half worn, things awaiting replacement battery. An odd leg warmer seeking its mate, unclaimed deordorant, some Xmas candy canes I need to take to work to give away, some photos, a skirt that needs mending, possibly useless voucher for trip we take in 3 wks time...

Lijkk-
Things to eBay: give yourself a deadline to do this by. If you don't achieve it, off to the charity shop.

Skirt that needs mending: take it to be mended next time you leave the house.

Clothes to be worn again: folded neatly over the back of your bedroom chair. If you have any pegs, use these for bras, shirts, hoodies, etc.

Things awaiting replacement batteries: next time you leave the house, go to Poundland, buy the batteries, put them in the items and put the items back in their proper places.

Odd legwarmer: if it's been odd for a while, bin. Same with unclaimed deodorant - either use it or bin it.

Xmas candy canes: take them to work tomorrow or on your next working day. Or bin.

Voucher that might be useful on holiday: can you check online before you go if you can use it? Otherwise, put it in your bag or with the rest of your travel documents.

Photos to be sorted: put them altogether in a box, basket or drawer, so at least you know where they are, when you're ready to sort them out.

Meh! I'm too lazy for most of that.
Battery is on order.. .from China. Will have it by May. Do not want to forget where the gadget is before May.
Just listed a load on Ebay.
The skirt will take me 5 minutes to mend, only have very poor excuse there ... :). It's not stressing me out. Just thought OP might like to compare with other people's clutter.

I can't figure out the voucher! Will need to take it to venue (22 April). Don't want to lose it in mean time. Will put the candy with work stuff now, though.

I made 2 trips to tip this weekend
About 12 kg of DD's clothes newly bagged up for charity shop (HUGE bags) & some of her designer items will go to Ebay (need time to take good pics & measurements). It's never ending the has-no-home-clutter.

There's an unclaimed school tie kicking around, too. The above list is just the clutter in my bedroom, leaving aside the textiles I mean to give to Quilting Circle & things that failed to sell on Ebay...

I hate to waste useful stuff but may have to sacrifice the leg warmer to textile recycling Gods (grrrrr).

In our house, it's random unidentifiable (by me) bits of computers and electronics, bulbs, batteries that may or may not be charged yet, and shoes. Oh god, the number of shoes... We do have a shoe rack, but it wilts in the face of all those size 13s.

DD chucked 12 prs yesterday. She wants to buy at least 6 to replace them, but it's a start!

Thanks lljkk! Does make me feel less alone

I have this problem too. I sort boxes, cupboards etc putting things in homes/bag for charity. Then end up with a basket at the end with random charger that I don't know what it's for (last time I almost binned one it turned out to be for a remote control car, so lucky I hadn't), a National insurance card, a floppy disc... I can't remember what else, but the basket ended up in a box, which ended up gathering more clutter! It definitely breeds!

I have a few crap drawers. 5 of them. It disturbs me

I need to tip these drawers into something then sort out the lot I guess. It's the only way forward

I don't have anything like that.
Everything has a place. I'm not saying the house is always 100% tidy, or that every single thing is always back exactly where it should go (eg if I need some paperwork quick, I'll get it out the folder. Then put it back in the draw until I have time to put it away).
But things like my ds's clothes for the next day, along with his wipes and nappy stay on the arm of the sofa, ready for the morning. Otherwise they are stored in his nappy box.
Remotes go by the side of the tv. I don't read magazines so don't have those.
Letters and paperwork, we have a folder with separate sections for each type of thing. So in one we have passports, marriage certificate copy and ds's birth certificate copy (we kept the originals separate and send original copies off when needed). Then it follows on based on what we have.