Day 8: Papers continued...

6/16 Papers continued:

Good News: I Love my closet now! I go in and only the clothes I like are inside ~ no more wondering if it fits, and no more time wasted looking at unworn clothes that make me unhappy etc.  I'm reaping the discarding benefits already!!
Bad News: I'm allergic to dust and the paper in the filing cabinet in the garage gave me a wicked allergy fit!  I've got one more basket in the kitchen to do, and the garage will have to be given over to hubby to dissect.  Most of it is garbage I'm sure since I haven't needed anything in it for over 10 years.
More Good News: my husband burned 25 years worth of useless statements in the fireplace tonight!
More Bad news: We have a huge pile of ashes that need to be cleaned out of the fireplace!! you have to take the good with the bad ~

Thanks for reading ~ Hope your laughing along with me! I would love to know your thoughts, so please comment if you can and let me know if you've read the book and are decluttering too.

I'm not done with the paper in my home, but between what my husband wants to handle himself, and the memento part of paper, I'm going to move on to what Marie refers to as Komono (miscellaneous items) and I call "stuff".  Since I've got lot's of it, this may take some time!  The first on the list for tomorrow is CD's, DVD's and I still have VHS tapes (showing my age just a bit) ~
 

Day 7: Papers

2/4/16

My house isn't this bad, but I feel like it's a mountainous chore to go through papers.  My husband doesn't want me to mess with them, so my hands are tied except for the baskets in the kitchen and my old filing cabinet out in the garage.  

I've photographed my problem spots in the house and I'm hesitant to put it all in one spot to sort through it because I think I know what it is, and where it is right now.  I'm going against Marie's advice and I'm working on discarding right where it's at and I'll have to come up with a better organizing system after to keep it all in one place.  I'm working on cutting up old membership cards, store discount cards, expired coupons, expired medical cards, receipts, and garbage so far.  I actually just found a cat toy manual! ~ really ~ Ugh, the things we end up sticking in a basket is kind of crazy!
I completed discarding from 4 baskets worth of paper stuff.   I opened the filing cabinet in the garage and got lost in a binder of collected (and forgotten) postage stamps from the early 90's.  I will continue this paper quest tomorrow.
P.S. If your working on this method, let me know how it's going for you, I'd love to have company on this journey!

Day 6, Books

2/4/16

This morning I've been working on my books.  

Luckily, I sorted through my books this summer, so this is what remains:

I'm letting go of about a 1/3 more of my books, because I can always take them out of the library.  The majority of recipes I've been using have been online rather then my cookbooks anyway, so I'm donating those as well.  The other bonus with letting books go is that it's less to dust around! 

I think Marie states the truth on page 95:

"The moment you first encounter a particular book is the right time to read it"

in other words, keep your collection small and manageable to read.  The books I've kept, I hope to read before my next yard sale, and if I haven't; I will get rid of more then.  

Tomorrow is the start of sorting papers. This is going to take some time, and some spousal conversations and support.   I'm going to start with just my paper mess which is quite a bit and see where that goes.  Let me know what you thoughts are!

 ~ Tidy on ~

Day 5, LL Bean and the 80's

2/3/16 Day 5 of Tidying up with Marie Kondo.
Totes, Bags, Coats, purses, shoes, hats, gloves, and scarves.

Wow! I have way more bags then I thought, and collecting them all from around the house was the key to seeing just how many I own.  I don't have that many pocketbooks, but I have too many reusable grocery bags and totes, so I donated several of those.  one bag that I thought would be hard to part with is my leather bag from the 80's.  I traveled all around with this leather friend on lot's of great adventures and it has served me well.  I thanked God for it's service and stability and put it in the donate bin hoping some college student will see that it's still functional and love it some more.  The canvas bag from LL Bean is a treasure! Even though it's stained and faded, I can't part with it till I get a replacement for $45.  This wonderful tote has carried beach toys and towels all up and down the east coast.  Sturdy, trusty, and dependable, I love my beach bag and it brings me such joy! 

This coat (above)is also from LL Bean and also from the 80's.  The 80's was when I was in High School and College, so I guess that's why I've kept so many special items from that decade.  My grandmother had given me money to buy a new coat and this wonderful treasure is what I picked.  It's a size medium which barely zips for me now, and it does have some stains, but once again I'm thankful for my Gammy, for her generosity, and for the coat that gave me warmth and kept me dry all these years.

This coat was my mom's.  This one still fits, however it's made of wool, and wool makes me itch.  I love how this coat makes me feel like an actress, it's creative and has a flowing style; but again when it touches my neck or my arms I get all red and itchy.  Even though this is a memento, I'm able to let it go because like Marie suggests to hold the item and ask "does this bring me joy?"and clearly, this item does not.

 This bag was a gift maybe from a friend of my mother's maybe for graduation (again the 80's!).  I tried using it, but always felt like it was too masculine for me.  It's too bad, because it's a great bag and made very well.  I could have re-gifted it or tried to sell it at a yard sale, but it's monogrammed.  So I've held onto it for decades, but thanks to Marie, today I'm letting it go to the thrift store.  My scarves, hats, shoes, and gloves had no significance and I kept only those that still serve me well and bring me joy.  

Tomorrow is books!  I've already gone through 99% of my books this past summer and sold them at a yard sale.  I kept a large box full in the garage for another yard sale and the rest will be donated.

  I welcome your comments, and if you need encouragement and support to start let me know, and we can do this journey together!

Day 4: Starting on Clothes

Here is a link to the authors website: http://tidyingup.com/ 

2/2/16
Quotes from the book and notes:
We should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of. (pg 41)

I actually go through my clothes at least once a year, and had a yard sale this past summer and got rid of lot's of things, so it shouldn't take too long.  I have avoided letting go of several items which I will be sharing with you today.

Tidying order for clothes (pg 65):

Tops (shirts, sweaters, etc.)

Bottoms (Pants, skirts, etc.)

Clothes that should be hung (jackets, coats, suits, etc.)

Socks

Underwear

Bags (handbags messenger bags etc.)

Accessories (scarves, belts, hats, etc.)

Clothes for specific events (swimsuits, kimonos, uniforms, etc.)

Shoes

What things will bring you joy if you keep them as part of your life? (pg 66)

The most important points to remember are these: Make sure you gather every piece of clothing in the house and be sure to handle each one. (pg 68-69)

Loungewear pg 69-70 (gulp) "What you wear in the house does impact your self image."  I do enjoy fuzzy warm unattractive pajamas and loungewear.  I'll keep some because they do bring me joy and warmth, but I will invest in some new more attractive sleepwear in the future. 

I've decided I'm going to create a photo book on shutterfly of mementos that I'm keeping and items I'm letting go of.  I think it will help my family know the history behind some of the things that I love.

Here is the closet before:

empty pretty sock drawer huh?

and I don't think I have that much clothes! 

I put on my bed all my socks, pantyhose, bras, underwear, bathing suits, shorts, t shirts, pants, tops, sweaters, dresses, workout clothes, and pajama's.  

This took me over three hours and the final result was four big bags to donate, one garbage bag, and one small pile of nice spring/summer items for a yard sale.

I've noted some items that I kept but that need to be replaced, like some new bras.

I also noted some memento's: My fathers tan B Altman Sweater, My mom's dress that she wore to my sisters wedding, and the dress that I spent too much money on for my daughters graduation that I didn't like how it looked on me. but I'm waiting to deal with them, as Marie suggested and I'm putting them in the hall closet for now.  I'm also waiting to take an after picture of the closet, because I put  everything back but didn't "arrange" it.   Marie suggested to wait to do that till after you have finished discarding from your home and only have left what brings you joy.

Tomorrow I will do my coats, shoes, bags, purses, scarves, hats, and gloves.  Please leave me any comments or suggestions you may have and let me know if your on this journey too! 

Day 3: Typing the bold print & making notes continued

Here is a link to the authors website: http://tidyingup.com/ and book:

2/1/2016

For reference, I'm going to continue typing the bold print from the book "The life-changing magic of tidying up" by Marie Kondo.

The moment you start focusing on how to choose what to throw away, you have actually veered significantly off course (Pg. 39)

Noting: I hate to admit it, but I'm already doing this in my mind and wondering how I'm going to part with certain items that no longer bring me joy!

We should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of. (pg 41)
(This is HUGE it's the key behind keeping the right mindset we have to have!)

Take each item in one's hand and ask "does this spark joy?" if it does, keep it.  If not, dispose of it.
(pg 41)

Noting: I'm not going to be throwing my items away unless they're broken or stained.  I'm going to donate some items, sell some on Ebay, and have a yard sale.  I want to use the money to buy some new things like dishware and art for my home when I'm finished tidying up.

Keep only those things that speak to your heart.  Then take the plunge and discard all the rest.    (pg 42)

Always think of category, not place. collect everything that falls within the same category at one time. (pg 43)

People have trouble discarding things that they could still use (functional value) that contain helpful information (informational value), and that have sentimental ties (emotional value).  When these things are hard to obtain or replace (rarity) they become even harder to part with.  (pg 45)

The best sequence is this: clothes first, then books, papers, Komono (misc stuff), and lastly, mementos. (pg. 46)

It's extremely stressful for parents to see what their children discard (pg 48)
(especially unworn clothes that you paid lot's of $ for, but I'm getting better at not getting mad, because I know I've made the same mistakes and if they say they won't wear it now, they won't ever wear it!)

To quietly work away at disposing of your own excess is actually the best way of dealing with a family that doesn't tidy (pg 52)
Noting: (Matthew 7:5 NIV)
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.)

The urge to point out someone else's failure to tidy is usually a sign that you are neglecting to take care of your own space. (pg 53)

Noting: Page 59-61 What to do when you can't throw something away 

To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose. (pg 61)

So here we go! tomorrow is my official day to start since my daughter doesn't have school today I want to do something fun with her instead.  I hope your reading along and that you find this blog helpful and encouraging.  Leave a comment if you get a chance!

Day 2: Reviewing & outlining what I've read

1/31/2016

Hello friends,

Here is a link to the authors website: http://tidyingup.com/ and book:


Here we go into day #2.
I want to go back through the book and type the sentences that are in bold for reference:

Start by discarding, then organize your space, thoroughly, completely, in one go. (pg 1) 

A dramatic reorganization of the home causes correspondingly dramatic changes in lifestyle and perspective.  It is life transforming.  (pg 2 &3)

When you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order too. (page 4)

They are surrounded only by the things they love, (pg. 5) This is the first contradiction I see in bold type.  I share my home with three other people, I won't end up loving everything I see in every inch of my home.  I'll just have to love "my" spaces in our home, and appreciate what brings my family joy in the rest of the house.

I think this sentence should be bold: "Success is 90 percent dependent on our mind-set".(pg 5) the right technique is using the KonMari method. (paraphrase pg 5)

Noting: tidying is different then cleaning.

People cannot change their habits without first changing their way of thinking. (page 15)

Noting: Marie references a book called "The Art of Discarding by Nagisa Tatsumi" (page 15) that I'd like to read too.

If you tidy up in one shot, rather than little by little, you can dramatically change your mind-set. (pg 16)

If you use the right method and concentrate your efforts on eliminating clutter thoroughly and completely within a short span of time, you'll see instant results that will empower you to keep your space in order ever after. (pg 17)

Tidying is just a tool, not the final destination.  The true goal should be to establish the lifestyle you want most once your house has been put in order. (Pg 21)

A booby trap lies within the term "storage"(Pg 22) My husband calls me the tub queen! (more on that on another day though.)

Putting things away creates the illusion that the clutter problem has been solved. ( pg 23)
"Tidying must start with discarding."

Tidying up by location is a fatal mistake. "Tidy by category, not by place".
This is what I've been doing for years without success I might add.

Noting: I'm a "can't throw it away" or let it go type of person for sentimental reasons or for guilt in wasting money. (pg 27)

Effective tidying involves only two essential actions: discarding and deciding where to store things.  Of the two, discarding must come first. (pg 28)

I think this should be in bold " There are two types of tidying - daily tidying and special event tidying" I love the idea that I'm working on a special event, it makes it that much more exciting!. (pg 29)

Your goal is clearly in sight.  The moment you put everything in it's place, you have crossed the finish line. (pg. 31)

Noting: Quickly equals 6 months to complete (July 2016)

Tidy in the right order, Do not even think of putting your things away until you have finished the process of discarding. (pg. 35)

Think in concrete terms so that you can vividly picture what it would be like to live in a clutter-free space. (pg 36.)

Noting: My personal mission statement: I will be able to find and wear only things that I love and that fit me properly.  I will be able to use craft supplies that are in good working order and find them quickly and efficiently.  I will have better time management and be able to clean my house faster and afford more time to craft or relax and read.  By freeing my space of unwanted stuff I will free my mind and let go of the past to start a new future.