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Original poster

Any (aspiring) minimalists about?

339 replies

HereticFanjo · 25/06/2021 14:33

I am a natural clutterbug but aspiring minimalist! I'm about to have a couple of months off work between jobs and with no holidays planned this feels like the time to really go for it on the minimalism front! My income will be dropping substantially so I may need to sell some stuff rather than just donate.

How did you get there if you made the leap to minimalism? I find books and household stuff especially difficult to part with.

OP posts:
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FlipFlops4Me · 07/09/2021 08:57

One of the things I've noticed so far is how much "decor" (as Joshua Becker calls it) we have/had in the house.

We have decided to go full Becker and only keep those ornaments or pictures that actually mean something to us - the vase we bought on our honeymoon that is the perfect size for sweet peas, the psychedelic china pig I bought as a 16 year old and still use to save in now.

Decor is the the set of Lilliput Lane cottages (loads!), the candle holders that just sit there, a couple of small figurines that fill a gap, the decorative jug and water bowl set bought for a dressing table I don't have - everything that has no meaning for either of us.

So - off they all go to clutter up someone else's home.

Rummikub · 07/09/2021 14:50

This makes me feel
Better as I’ve never done random decor.

FlipFlops4Me · 07/09/2021 16:37

@Rummikub - don't feel bad if you haven't got very far yet with decluttering. I've been meaning to for years and would do a little bit and then stop. The reason I'm going like a dingbat now is purely and simply the fact that my DH needs me to. If he didn't, I'm sure I'd be telling myself I must make a start properly soon..... every day ........

Boriswentcamping · 07/09/2021 21:47

Also lurking....

MMMarmite · 07/09/2021 21:58

1 more small bin full of old paperwork etc.

I'm trying to avoid being perfectionist and therefore getting stuck and demoralised. If I go through a drawer and manage to chuck 60% of the useless stuff, that's much better than none.

Rummikub · 07/09/2021 22:11

[quote FlipFlops4Me]@Rummikub - don't feel bad if you haven't got very far yet with decluttering. I've been meaning to for years and would do a little bit and then stop. The reason I'm going like a dingbat now is purely and simply the fact that my DH needs me to. If he didn't, I'm sure I'd be telling myself I must make a start properly soon..... every day ........[/quote]
It’s an incredible motivator and you’ve gone for it wonderfully.

I am finding this thread helpful as I feel a bit less overwhelmed and more motivated. And I have hope!

FlipFlops4Me · 08/09/2021 07:34

@Rummikub - there's a Youtube video by a woman who took 5 years to declutter her house - she says it was a pace that suited her and her family and worked well for them.

I'm still a Joshua devotee. One of the really big things I've taken from him is the fact that clear surfaces bring calm rooms. And they do. It makes such a huge difference to the emotional feel of a room.

It's neverending though - I'm nowhere near done in the hall and the landing. There's hundreds of DVD's and CD's on shelves up there. All recorded on hard drive .....

InvincibleInvisibility · 08/09/2021 19:26

Well I've sold another small set of lego.
Not much more is going out (Im waiting for the only charity shop near me to accept donations again from sept. 11th).

I have started to think of things for Christmas for me, all of which will be consumables except trainers which will replace an existing pair.

Its DS1's birthday soon and I'm being very careful with what we get him. The hassle of getting rid of things years later is making me wary of buying more!

I'm also imposing a bit of a break on myself so I don't get overly stressed with it all.

MinesAMassiveSalad · 08/09/2021 21:13

Yes, I am very wary of buying stuff now.

FlipFlops4Me · 09/09/2021 07:14

Joy is mine. DH has agreed that since all our music is recorded and on both hard drive and in the cloud, I can box up the CD's. He'd rather I not get rid of them so they can go in the spare room where there will be plenty of space after the next few recycling runs.

I'll have two tall sets of bookshelves to go too!

Rummikub · 09/09/2021 14:31

@FlipFlops4Me
Thanks for the link. Hmmm 5 years seems rather fast Grin

Good news re cds. Agree about clear surfaces being Calming. My dd‘s room is clear and calm. Probably needs more stuff in it!

SomethingToldTheWildGeese · 09/09/2021 17:26

Thank you so much for all the tips! I've just done an ornament declutter and am now looking at my over stuffed wardrobe...

FlipFlops4Me · 10/09/2021 13:16

OMFG I am cream crackered. Went through the DVD's and ditched 7 bin bags full, keeping one tall set of shelves full.

Then I packed several hundred CD's into archive boxes and I've stashed them under our bed. It is my plan that if we haven't looked through the boxes in a year (and I've diarised) I will ditch them. I will make sure I've got the digital recordings safely in the cloud though.

I was literally dripping by the time I'd finished.

My son will bring the three large sets of now spare bookshelves downstairs tomorrow when he brings my super dil over and I will arrange to recycle them somehow. If I have to I'll get the Council to come and take them as bulky items.

Tomorrow - oh god! - we clear the little computer room that is so over-crowded that I can't actually get into it.... still, dil is coming to help so I know we'll get it done. It looks like one of those hoarder rooms you see on TV.

Bargebill19 · 10/09/2021 15:47

That’s amazing and inspiring!

If just ‘spring’ cleaned throughout on the back of this thread. Just the bedroom to go. Had thought I was pretty good at keeping stuff light - 3 bin bags have told me otherwise!
She’s and outside being left for next week.

YupIHave · 10/09/2021 19:11

@FlipFlops4Me Are you doing before and after photos for every space?

InvincibleInvisibility · 10/09/2021 19:35

Well done @FlipFlops4Me!

Ive sorted through all the felt tips and crayons and am giving loads of pink and purple ones to my friend's DD. My DSes never use them but I can't buy individual colours so have to get the 12 colours everytime. They use up loads at school.

And a colleague is getting my baby sling that I LOVED with DS2. But we are definitely not having a 3rd and DS is 7 so Ive decided to give it to a good home.

FlipFlops4Me · 11/09/2021 16:53

Well, we've finished the box room that was my DH's computer/junk room. This evening my DS will remove the filing cabinet (the chap a few doors up the road has a son who deals in scrap metal) and take a couple of large bookcases out for me.

Tomorrow I can clean/tidy the landing and little room and see if anything else can go. Then there's just the spare room but that has to wait until all the bin bags have gone - sadly, that won't be until the end of this month at the earliest. Still it gives me time to deal with the six carrier bagsful of filing I found stashed in the computer room....

Any (aspiring) minimalists about?
Any (aspiring) minimalists about?
FlipFlops4Me · 11/09/2021 17:00

I cannot tell you how pleased I am. The house has an altogether different feel - fresh, light, clean. Yes, there are dozens of bags of rubbish to go, but they're all confined to one room and I can (almost) shut the door and hide them. Gradually they'll all go and eventually I'll have that one final room to clear out.

All I do now is carry on with my mantra of 5 a day to go. Don't care what, but 5 somethings in the black bag. And I write them down at the end of the day so that I can be sure I've done it. Of course gradually it'll get harder because I'll run out, but that's a while off. Meantime - my mission is clear surfaces, tables, whatever.

MMMarmite · 11/09/2021 22:51

Along with the decluttering, I have been making an effort to stay on top of the cleaning and tidying recently. Today i invited people round to mine with two hours notice. No stress-cleaning or embarrassment, it was great!

FlipFlops4Me · 12/09/2021 08:17

My DS came to collect SuperDIL and while he was here he took out the filing cabinet (delivered to neighbour for his scrap metal son) and a couple of large sets of bookshelves that had lived on the landing. You wouldn't believe how spacious the landing looks. I have to phone the Council to collect the bookshelves - no-one wants them.

Today is more or less a rest day. Just laundry, cooking etc, and thankfully the Ocado order comes because I didn't have any chocolate last night Sad. The only other thing on the list is one large carrier bagful of filing to go through. Don't think there's many keepies in there but I have to check before shredding it all.

PoloMintPatty · 12/09/2021 10:03

@FlipFlops4Me

My DS came to collect SuperDIL and while he was here he took out the filing cabinet (delivered to neighbour for his scrap metal son) and a couple of large sets of bookshelves that had lived on the landing. You wouldn't believe how spacious the landing looks. I have to phone the Council to collect the bookshelves - no-one wants them.

Today is more or less a rest day. Just laundry, cooking etc, and thankfully the Ocado order comes because I didn't have any chocolate last night Sad. The only other thing on the list is one large carrier bagful of filing to go through. Don't think there's many keepies in there but I have to check before shredding it all.

You are a true inspiration. I'm so sorry that it's something awful that has triggered this but my word, you have done wonders. Enjoy the fruits of your labours... all that calm, lovely space. It's got to be good for your mental health as well as for your DH. Well done, you're an amazing woman!
FlipFlops4Me · 12/09/2021 11:22

@PoloMintPatty - that's kind of you to say so but if I really were amazing I'd have found a way to stop my DH from turning our home into a hoarder's heaven.

If he hadn't had his stroke it'd still be a total mess and I'd still be avoiding having people round. I never did find the guts to tell DH how I felt and then do something about it in the face of his refusal to part with so much as a speck of dust.

Now though - he has forgotten his previous attitude and is totally on board with our house going minimal.

InvincibleInvisibility · 12/09/2021 11:36

Maybe so FlipFlops but you're still an inspiration! You could have chosen to not do much or just declutter the edges.

You've inspired me to keep chipping away at my stuff. 2 jigsaws and 2 cameras have gone on selling sites today. And I've continued to try to match lego sets to sell them later (mammoth task and not a lot of fun and doesn't pay that much for the time spent sorting lego - however I do feel like I'm doing my bit for the environment and also making the more recent lego more accessible for the DC by not being mixed in with loads of old 80s stuff they don't like)

PoloMintPatty · 12/09/2021 11:39

@InvincibleInvisibility

Maybe so FlipFlops but you're still an inspiration! You could have chosen to not do much or just declutter the edges.

You've inspired me to keep chipping away at my stuff. 2 jigsaws and 2 cameras have gone on selling sites today. And I've continued to try to match lego sets to sell them later (mammoth task and not a lot of fun and doesn't pay that much for the time spent sorting lego - however I do feel like I'm doing my bit for the environment and also making the more recent lego more accessible for the DC by not being mixed in with loads of old 80s stuff they don't like)

Absolutely agree. You could have stayed as you were, especially with everything else to contend with. But you haven't. You've made real, positive change.

And you've inspired me to get cracking in here!

YupIHave · 12/09/2021 12:52

@InvincibleInvisibility could you not sell Lego by weight? I've seen sellers on eBay do that. DS has been getting Lego for 10 years, it's all mixed up and the thought of sorting it into sets leaves me sweating. It would take months and months.