I'm going minimalist in a week

[BadgerFacedCoo]

Has anyone else done this?

I have disabilities, a large family, a part time job.

I need an easy to clean house. Today I did our bedroom and everyone's wardrobes and bedding. Everyone helped me by stripping back their wardrobes and bedding (two sets each) and honestly I don't think we're throwing out anything that will be missed.

I have a skip booked for next week. I am doing a room a day with a lot of family help.

I am aiming to have a house I can clean upstairs in an hour one day, downstairs in an hour the next and alternate. I do in an hour what an able bodied person could do in 30 mins. I am doing low spend budgeting so there is nothing new coming in.

Love to hear from anyone else who has done this or is thinking of doing it.

I have taken 2 car loads of stuff to the dump this week and 1 car load to the charity shop. It feels amazing to get so much stuff out of the house but I feel like I haven't even touched the sides! I'm not on an intentional declutter, but I do feel like I want to keep going now that I've made a start

Between £40 and £50 an hour, depending on how long you book her for. She covers Beds/Bucks

No thanks to me @emmama2 well done to you. It's hard when you've not been well and sounds like you k ow what you're doing and are well in control.

Will she not be geared towards big jobs or even low level hoarding @saraclara . I'd charge that to go through someone else's holey pants. I just ask do I need this, do I want this, is it in my way?

Work today.

Getting everyone ready and it's easier. Having the kids involved has helped.

We all have a lot less clothes now but we can all see what we have and it'll be easier. Except one of my daughters still has two whole rails but that's her thing and she has used her walk in cupboard. We've tried to be so careful of the kids stuff. I need it easier to tidy and sort with their help but it's their stuff and we have been respectful of that.

I was looking out the kitchen window at the garden. I think I'm going to get a chap/lassie to come do my grass and and tidy up out there. Outsource that completely.

It is satisfying.

3 car laods out is huge. Do you find yourself wondering what went in? We were never messy but I am amazed at how much we don't need, had two of or had outgrown and was just sitting on a shelf or hanger.

@saraclara yes that is expensive thank you for that information I charge £150 per 7 hr day plus travel etc in London it’s be more like that rate

@BadgerFacedCoo I definitely found myself wondering why we have lived with all this stuff for so long! Although quite a lot of it came out of storage as we have just moved, I've no idea why I thought it was all worth storing.

I'm lucky that when I started my minimalism journey my youngest had come out of the baby age so I had a load of very quick, easy wins like potty, travel cot, bed barrier, high back car seat.

I also started on a small shower room which was over flowing with towels, medicines and toiletries on an open shelf unit. By decluttering that, the room looked so much simpler and nicer and it really motivated me to keep going.

I'm several years in and still getting my inventory down. We recently moved overseas which was a huge motivator.

I like listening to youtube videos whilst decluttering. My favourite are Joshua Becker and The Minimal Mom. Its worth listening to a few to see which click. I'm not so keen on A Slob come Clean or Clutterbug but I know they are loved by lots of other people.

I'm curious. How much do you get done in a day? Assuming the person isn't a hoarder, but has just accumulated more than they need, does a day achieve much? I'm sure it's really hard to say, but are we taking a couple of rooms? The main rooms of a three bed house? A garage? A loft?

@BadgerFacedCoo I did this at the beginning of last year, due to us moving house. To make the house look it's best for selling I had a huge clearout. And there is nothing like looking at an item and thinking do I want to pack this up and then unpack and find a new home at the other end, to really make you think about what you whether you want to keep an item. This was despite us moving to a much larger home.

At the start of the school holidays I cleared out 2 of my childrens wardrobes of outgrown clothes. But you have reminded me that I need to have a check in a few more parts of the house for clutter.

This was about half a day so 4hrs

@saraclara see above that was an outside area and it took about 4hrs to deconstruct the clutter and redistribute. Its totally dependant on the house and the client

Thanks, that's helpful. Probably at least a day to do my garage and loft then

I became minimalist about 6 years ago. It has literally changed my life. Off to sleep now but will answer any questions you may have, tomorrow.

Did you find it hard to keep to when you first started @Theoldwoman ?

Weve done every room now and we're onto the last. Under the stairs, one big outdoor storage and the pantry to go.

I think I'll circle back once it's done too. I am so tired. DH did more than his share on his day off so where I thought it wasn't going to happen with work and tiredness of Friday he really pushed us on.

It's skip day.

inspiring thread - thanks for starting OP.
Have the idea that minimalism is substantially easier than it used to be with the switch to so much stuff being digital/online/in the cloud.
And if urban can live without a car and all its metal/associated gubbins.