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SeaStar
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| Posted: June 01 2015 at 5:22pm | IP Logged
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Got through most of my clothes today... my sock drawer is half empty!
I did throw away about 4 terminal pairs and donate another couple of pairs, so that with folding them the KonMari way and putting them in a box freed up tons of room. I love that this system uses ordinary boxes to organize, as I am a bit of a box junkie. I love a good, solid box or a pretty box. Now I can have my way with them 
I didn't do so well with my tops, though. I know I kept a few items that didn't spark joy just because they are newish and I will wear them, if not joyfully. I will have to make another pass.
My dd volunteered to do her room after watching me, and between the two of us we have over four bags of clothing to donate.  My ds pretended he did not notice what was happening.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: June 01 2015 at 9:41pm | IP Logged
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I understand, Melinda. I kept a few things,too, that I knew I would actually wear that I'm not in love with.
I've been including towels with my clothing category just because it's all laundry, and I've done so much of my sorting and tossing during the process of folding laundry. I read Modern Mrs. Darcy's review of Design Mom's book, and one of her take aways was the importance of pretty dish towels and the remarkable difference they can make.  It is so true.
I have to admit, it was a relief to learn that animal shelters will accept donations of old linens, blankets, and towels. This knowledge made it so much easier to let go in this category, knowing that they would not be wasted. I have a garbage bag full of old towels and cloths and such, and I have a big drawer of cleaning rags neatly ordered, and my kitchen drawer no longer contains any towels that I do not like. Both drawers are neatly categorized so that, even though many of the cleaning rags are old and stained, I only kept the ones that fit my categories, so they do spark joy in that there is order, if that makes sense. So much easier to store this way!
I also did dh's drawers today. It was harder because I couldn't toss his things unless they were obvious (horribly holey or the free t-shirt that is 3 sizes too big, which he's never worn and I know he never, ever will). But, he was short on drawers regardless, and because I had pared down my own clothes and the babies so much, I was able to rejigger things so that his clothes fit so much better, and this method of folding really does make everything fit so much more efficiently.
I feel like all I've been doing for days on end is fold clothes It isn't quite true, but it has been a TON of folding since I wasn't caught up on laundry from the seasonal switch over and have gone through almost all the storage bins and refolded after sorting. I'm still not at laundry zero and have just a couple more bins and winter coats to wash and put away, but I can see the light! This is where I can really see the wisdom of her insistence that you complete one category before moving onto another. Normally, I would have flitted off to declutter some other random thing by now. I can definitely see this as a key to her method's success.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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SeaStar
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| Posted: June 02 2015 at 10:08am | IP Logged
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Finished winter clothes this morning... I now have significant empty space in my drawers! Just the change in folding method helps so much- I would not have thought that.
Also tackled winter coats... I don't know, we seem to have and wear about 4 coats each. Is that excessive?
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: June 02 2015 at 12:21pm | IP Logged
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Honestly, with your smallish crew, I think it is fine. It would overwhelm me if we all had so many, but I really do think that coats can serve different purposes. If you truly enjoy wearing them all, why not? We usually have about three: winter play, winter public, light jacket. My husband has more winter coat options, and I have more light jacket options.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: June 02 2015 at 12:39pm | IP Logged
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What are we talking about for coats? I mean.. if you live where you need a light jacket and a rain jacket and a winter coat and a dressy coat.. it's easy to have that many. And if you start including things like sweatshirts and fashion pieces (like denim jackets or cardigans) then the number only goes up.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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SeaStar
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| Posted: June 02 2015 at 6:55pm | IP Logged
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OK- that makes me feel better
We each have a light and heavy winter jacket. The kids have one zip up hoodie each (if that gets dirty/muddy, etc we use the other light winter coat for back up- also use light winter coat for church). Dd has a jacket from her ballet studio, and ds has one from his fencing club (these were fund raisers).
I also have a zip up hoodie I wear most winter mornings when out walking.
So they are all being used and spark joy, so I guess we'll keep them (until outgrown....)
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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SeaStar
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| Posted: June 13 2015 at 4:23pm | IP Logged
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Just finished going through almost all my books. Oh, my!
The shelves are sighing with relief. I had the kids help me.
It was hard, but we forged ahead, and now I have the room to show case our treasures front and center.
And we still have plenty of books!
ETA: I discovered that I had more duplicates than I thought, and even some triplicates! No one really needs five different versions of Aesop's fables, right? 
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: June 15 2015 at 11:09am | IP Logged
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I did recently go through our books when we moved them all at Christmas, but I was able to part with some cookbooks that I simply never look at. There was one recipe I used from a giant Williams Sonoma cookbook, and ironically, it was one of the few recipes without a picture, so I photocopied the page to save and put it in the to go pile. I only kept the books I actively use.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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CrunchyMom
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I admit I got bogged down last summer and then pregnant and never "finished" decluttering my home a la the konmari method. I just got her new book, Spark Joy, and so far, I am finding it a helpful continuation of her first book, not a mere rehashing.
I feel I NEED to do this, but I am admittedly overwhelmed. It is all a little more complicated in a large household than if it were just me living here. She thinks she has addressed this, but I do think that having a full household of *growing* stair-stepped kiddos that is constantly evolving is a little outside her expertise. Even a smaller family's needs change more rapidly than a single person or couple's.
So while I am positive that this is hormonal, too, has anyone else struggled emotionally during this process? I am not really talking about the emotion of getting rid of an item but just the feeling of wanting desperately to find order and feeling incapable.
Don't get me wrong, one reason I am revisiting her book is because, however odd her tone is at times, she is a great cheerleader. She does a good job of making it seem doable. One new passage I read in this new book of hers that I am trying to keep in mind is as follows:
Quote:
"...are you sure it's okay to take so much time?"
My response is an emphatic "Yes!" because the tidying process is definitely moving forward.
No matter how messy your house may be, tidying deals with physical objects. No matter how much stuff you may own, the amount is always finite. If you can identify the things that bring you joy and decide where to keep them, the job of tidying must inevitably come to an end. The more you do it, the closer you get to a house full of joy. Therefore, nothing could be more wasteful than to give up in the middle.
...
If you don't keep at it, you tidying marathon will never end. So if you've stopped in the middle, stop procrastinating. It's time to get back to work. |
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I know I am a CHAMPION procrastinator, and it is so much easier to be an ostrich than to tackle the "insurmmountable."
But I feel so darn whiny, too, like, "But Konmari, you don't understand. It is so much harder for ME."
Because, seriously, I have to keep those blasted tubs of seasonal and kid clothes because I am glad every time that I have them, but by golly, storing them is a BEAR. The attic would age them all so quickly with the extreme temps it gets, the tiny garage and crawlspace are my husband's only place for his woodworking hobby, and we have no basement. I was able to make it all much more manageable using her methods, but I still feel so burdened by where to keep those stupid things!!!
And even when I pare down, when there are a lot of people at play, it is still a lot of stuff! And LOTS of people who need to be able to put things back where they belong or else it all falls apart.
Anyway, I thought I'd revive this thread and see if anyone else needed to get back on that horse, too, or if there were any cheerleaders out there.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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CrunchyMom
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It also feels like such a solitary job. I mean, my husband is truly on board...to a point. But then, when I bring up questions or frustrations regarding certain areas, his suggestions often make me batty. 
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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ekbell
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I sorted through our clothes and then stalled for the school year 
While we keep seasonal clothes in our bedroom drawers and closets (in Alberta the weather changes too frequently to do so), I now have a stack of plastic tubs with kid clothes in one corner of our 'library' filling a niche made by the position of the loveseat and one of the bookcases.
The stack is higher then I am tall but thanks to well designed tubs and the bookcase isn't in danger of falling over.
Now getting the toys under control......
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organiclilac
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I've been working through this list: 200 Things to Throw Away and it's been helpful!
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Tracy, wife to Shawn, mama to Samuel (4/01) and Joseph (11/11), and Thomas (2/15)
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Erin
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How are you ladies going with this deep de-cluttering?
I've recently read the book 'second hand' aka a girlfriend read it and daily gave me updates. Then we've been cleaning like mad, school holidays here in Australia, it's summer and we're inspired. Great to have a cheer squad.
Anyhow after muttering, "what would a single person know and we have so many children over a large age spread' my girlfriend got to a part that has made a massive difference.
I've been calling the children to come and be part of this. Admittedly I have teens and pre-teens as well as littles. the 9yr old down have been of a slight help but the others have been wonderful, (most not all).
For example I would put all the jigsaw puzzles on the table, told the children to select which jigsaw puzzles 'bought them joy' imagine eye roll, or they thought worthwhile keeping for siblings. Then what was left I gave away! That simple, quite different to in the past when I'd think "this would be useful, educational; etc' the children have different ideas. and I just LET GO, filling me with lightness.
I've blazed my way through our entire house over the last 3 weeks, have only the kitchen to do. I've purged and purged including hundreds of books!!!!! That;s a whole story of selection in itself.
So yes Lindsay it is overwhelming, particularly initially until you get in the groove. We can be your cheer squad though 
Oh and husbands.. I rang my friend one morning and said, "There are two problems with this method, children and husbands!!"
Off to check out your list Tracy, might find more to throw 
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Erin
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CrunchyMom
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I am getting a lot our of her new book. She goes into a lot more detail about how she organizes and stores specific items that I am finding very helpful. Even as I laugh over your underwear getting cold and lonely when there is too much extra space in the drawer, her overall point about not leaving space still rings true to me.
She continues to talk about her use of plastic drawers in closets, and I finally decided end of last week to do that starting with our foyer closet, and I liked it so much, I bought drawers for MY side of the master closet. And now, after doing the measuring and math, I figured out we could do two wide sets of 8 drawer towers, side by side, in the boys closet leaving six singles for under the bunk beds and allowing us to get rid of the (broken and falling apart) MALM dressers they've been using, freeing up enough space for the twin bed (that also has 3 drawer storage underneath), meaning all five boys could sleep there! (Yk, in theory, once we manage to get the 4 and 2 year olds out of our bed). AND they'll have clothes without tripping over dressers.
She kept saying that her goal is for you to get rid of excess furniture meant for storage, that she thinks houses usually have enough space in their closets and cupboards to store all that you need, and she never plans to use any furniture over what the homeowner already has, and I just kept dismissing her as crazy since she really is AND she surely doesn't have experience with families of 8. But by jingo, she was right. We've spent the last two days cleaning the boy level (a DISASTER), but their clothes really do fit in that space.
This epiphany alone is worth the cost of the book. I kept looking at those Ikea dressers with the bottoms bulging out and the face frames falling off, wondering how we could afford to replace them, but for $126 in plastic drawers (that will be in the closet, so, no real aesthetic issue), even if they don't last forever, they will surely work for a few years until we could manage a sturdier option in the same space or our needs change anyway with a growing family.
And, after talking to dh, he thinks we can use parts from the dressers that are still good to come out with a couple of decent dressers we can use in the play room for dress up and toy storage.
I also liked her description of how she divides things by material (cloth, paper, electronic) and stores like things next to each other, and I realized she was right about that, too, in terms of the harmonious feeling. I'm not convinced ceramic bowls have auras, but they do look pretty next to each other, separate from the glass ones, etc...
I have a lot of nesting energy, but my pelvic issues in pregnancy mean I can't lift heavy things or sit in weird positions on the floor or really pick up much off the floor, so the boys are my arms and legs to a great extent. But, I don't feel bad, really, blazing through their level and making them help because, well, it is their mess.
I was pretty hormonal and overwhelmed posting a few days ago. I felt discouraged after having started the process and then seeing things fall apart during my first trimester. But, I am happy to say that once I found a place to start (by far the hardest part to me when feeling overwhelmed about anything), things have come together quicker than I'd hoped and made me realize there was a lot of fruit in the work I'd already done last summer. The surface clutter was thick, but many of those things DID in fact have homes and the practice of purging made it easy to make decisions about some of the things that didn't.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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Erin
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Lindsay
Have you folded clothes the KonMari way? If not I really, really encourage you to fold your clothes so that when you pull out the drawers you can see your clothes 'on edge'. I was skeptical but it takes up soooo much less space. There is no way my clothes would have fit standard way, on top of one another. Oh and dh was so impressed unbeknownst to me he did his drawers that way too!!
Daresay the the ceramic bowl doesn't have an aura  but pretty does give pleasure. I'm actually thinking in future of only buying white sheets, pretty and harmonious, side note.
Oh and KonMari's thing of just look after your own clothes first and it will inspire your husband. I was a huge doubter and it didn't happen immediately but by the time I'd done several communal areas and handled thousands of books, dh was actually keen to purge his books and gave away a bookcase full!! All the books he was saving for his retirement (in 20 rs) gone!
Yes I found we have way more furniture than we need. I culled half our school supplies, sent a box of stationary to Africa. Most of our sewing materials to the op-shop, so was then able to get rid of a cupboard! and considering these cupboards are long, most noticeable. I also started thinking of furniture differently and stopped making do and seeing what I could do to fix situations now.
Do tell me more about like things together!
It's good for the boys to be involved as you say and I think they'll also be more aware.
One thing it's making me think of is not bringing more things in without considering. That's the hard part for me though I love a good garage sale/op shop bargain. Actually I've long banned myself from garage sales, but I do love op shops. Not realistic not to go but to be very very considering of what I do buy.
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
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setonmom
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SO I read the first book, and would summarize it as "she's crazy, but she's right". And I am one of those "Stuck in the middle" of a massive decluttering. SO far I've done clothes and books.
I've started reading the second book and so far it is a little too crazy for me, but
I was wondering about her thoughts about auras and how that relates to sacramentals.
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Erica Sanchez
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The husband comments are cracking me up!
My problem is paper clutter. I am a declutter-er by nature, but I can't keep up with the paper messes. Does she tackle that in her books?
I folded one drawer of clothes in this style several months ago and the difference in what could fit was almost unbelievable.
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Have a beautiful and fun day!
Erica in San Diego
(dh)Cash, Emily, Grace, Nicholas, Isabella, Annie, Luke, Max, Peter, 2 little souls ++, and sweet Rose who is legally ours!
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countrymom
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CrunchyMom wrote:
I
She describes how so many of us "rebound" after decluttering and organizing and insists that with her method, there is no rebound effect, and I have to say that I believe her.
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This quote has made me put the book on hold at the library.. After Don Aslett, I thought I knew everything about decluttering and letting go. But after a few months of resale shop rebound mania, I am right back to where I began...well not completely, but enough stuff has come through he doors for me to say "Help!"
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Erin
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Erica Sanchez wrote:
My problem is paper clutter. I am a declutter-er by nature, but I can't keep up with the paper messes. Does she tackle that in her books?
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Erica
well I haven't read the book, I confess that straight up, only 2nd hand. However I thought I was a de-clutterer too, it's just that 10-12 people live here of all ages etc etc
So I suspect and challenging your here my friend you may need to 'let go' of even more papers!!
Do you really need what is in your files? Bet once you get in the groove you could at least half it!
The husband comments are amusing you, well after my husband carrying on like I was giving away his first born, I continued to ignore his comments btw and just blazed on. He looked at his 4 filing cabinets the other day, yes 4!!! and said, I could probably half the amount!!!! Yes my accountant husband, who files 7 years of paper said that!!
If I, the book collector can give away 800 books!! yes I did. Two girlfriends came today and took 5 boxes!! I now only have 15 boxes to donate!! Then I'm sure there's room for a little more papers to go. Cheering you on. Start with one drawer tomorrow and come back and share
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Erin
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Erin
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countrymom wrote:
CrunchyMom wrote:
I
She describes how so many of us "rebound" after decluttering and organizing and insists that with her method, there is no rebound effect, and I have to say that I believe her.
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This quote has made me put the book on hold at the library.. After Don Aslett, I thought I knew everything about decluttering and letting go. But after a few months of resale shop rebound mania, I am right back to where I began...well not completely, but enough stuff has come through he doors for me to say "Help!" |
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I LOVE Don Aslett, he revolutionised my thinking!! But even with him I never went to this level.
The children have banned me from singing Frozen's "let it go' as I tossed each item, I rather thought my new words were witty. oh well.
So I want to know how do we stop the rebound effect??
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Erin
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up
