Tidying up and KonMari

[gcuthbe1]

Thank you, that is helpful when thinking about others things, and I will keep reading!! I'm glad your hubby is getting accustomed to it.

Wow I can't believe your grocery bills are really cheaper?? I was thinking yesterday how I shouldn't grocery shop for awhile in order to force us to eat the stuff that's been piling up in the cupboards!

In terms of moving... I was thinking I might have a tough time throwing away some things simply bc I am so frugal and don't like to think I'll have to re purchase that same or similar item again. Maybe she'll touch upon that in the book too.

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[spotty_dog]

Thank you, that is helpful when thinking about others things, and I will keep reading!! I'm glad your hubby is getting accustomed to it.

Wow I can't believe your grocery bills are really cheaper?? I was thinking yesterday how I shouldn't grocery shop for awhile in order to force us to eat the stuff that's been piling up in the cupboards!

In terms of moving... I was thinking I might have a tough time throwing away some things simply bc I am so frugal and don't like to think I'll have to re purchase that same or similar item again. Maybe she'll touch upon that in the book too.

I really like this article, which talks about the sunk-cost fallacy, failures of prediction, and other psychological effects that are studied in finance and economics that apply to these decisions about our belongings: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/...-kondo/392921/

And yeah, it's only been a couple of weeks but shopping from a list just suddenly became almost effortless. I should probably withhold judgment since it hasn't been long, but it really feels different. When I say the grocery bill halved, I am specifically admitting that it was WAY out of control to start with. There have been times in my life when I've been good at keeping a budget for food, but the last couple of years have not been those times.

[gcuthbe1]

I enjoyed that article and this one on mantras for minimalists! My goal is to finish the book within the next week and get going!
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/83430...ushpmg00000003

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[spotty_dog]

I enjoyed that article and this one on mantras for minimalists! My goal is to finish the book within the next week and get going!
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/83430...ushpmg00000003

Sweeet. A lot of those mantras looked like good ones to help clarify the "sparks joy" decision! But remember, unless your vision for your own, personal, ideal life explicitly includes a minimalist philosophy or aesthetic, you don't *have* to go that direction. Some of us are happiest in an environment with a little more overflowing abundance and that's okay too.

[gcuthbe1]

Sweeet. A lot of those mantras looked like good ones to help clarify the "sparks joy" decision! But remember, unless your vision for your own, personal, ideal life explicitly includes a minimalist philosophy or aesthetic, you don't *have* to go that direction. Some of us are happiest in an environment with a little more overflowing abundance and that's okay too.

Haha good point!
I was traveling for a year for work and lived with just a duffel bag of things there, and a backpack I would carry back and forth. I'm always a light packer for any travels. My desk at work is always clear with a few decorations and few essentials in a drawer. So I think I'm naturally inclined towards minimalism but my frugal nature of not wanting to throw away useful things and stocking up on too many on sale things has made my home less than ideal. We'll see what happens once I start digging in, but I think that whole "life changing magic" bit about a tidy home transferring into making other areas of your life better will hold true for me. Here's hoping!

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[spotty_dog]

It sure sounds like having a plan like this could help you get to a place where you're more relaxed and "yourself" at home.

Today I baked cookies as class treats for my son's birthday, and it was just so nice not to have to dig for the measuring spoons, or hunt for the spices (mmm, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies), or have the roasting pans come flying out when I squeeze the baking sheets out of their storage.

[gcuthbe1]

Definitely. So I read through the clothes section. The whole how can your socks relax all balled up thing was too much for me. So I paused there and started going through my clothes. It's still so hard to get rid of so much stuff!
I need your advice. How do you organize your belts and your shoes? I'm in need of a better solution than what I have going currently.

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[spotty_dog]

Discard first, then organize. Anyway, I'm no use for advice, my three pairs of shoes are on a shoe rack in the front hall closet! (Totally not a "shoe person".) I'm intrigued by the Japanese "shoe cabinet" she keeps mentioning, those are neat pieces of furniture. But definitely don't worry about that yet. If you finish your discarding phase and still can't decide how to store them, put them in a box and keep moving. The right organizing solution will probably present itself as you go along.

BTW, the anthropomorphism of considering the socks' feelings seems pretty silly, but the premise is sound. As a knitter I've always cringed at stretching the top ribbing of my socks for storage, but I couldn't make any other system work in between tossing them loose in a drawer and balling them. Laying them together and folding or rolling is simple but it works, and lets that top elastic and ribbing contract back to its proper position in between wearings. Phew, poor elastic!

[HouseofWool]

BTW, the anthropomorphism of considering the socks' feelings seems pretty silly, but the premise is sound. As a knitter I've always cringed at stretching the top ribbing of my socks for storage, but I couldn't make any other system work in between tossing them loose in a drawer and balling them. Laying them together and folding or rolling is simple but it works, and lets that top elastic and ribbing contract back to its proper position in between wearings. Phew, poor elastic!

Ha, I always lay my hand knit socks together and fold in half.

[poky]

Ha, I always lay my hand knit socks together and fold in half.

I have something like this http://www.organizeit.com/images/diamond.jpg. it's just cheap plastic, but it keeps things tidy and keeps pairs of socks together without stretching the cuffs.

[Sheherezade]

Apparently, they are adopting the book as a SITCOM. This makes perverse sense to me. Clearly, they've watched ordinary people try to do this.

https://www.thereadingroom.com/artic...or-sitcom/1114

[gcuthbe1]

Apparently, they are adopting the book as a SITCOM. This makes perverse sense to me. Clearly, they've watched ordinary people try to do this.

https://www.thereadingroom.com/artic...or-sitcom/1114

Haha oh I am sure they will have plenty of jokes to crack

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[gcuthbe1]

I have something like this http://www.organizeit.com/images/diamond.jpg. it's just cheap plastic, but it keeps things tidy and keeps pairs of socks together without stretching the cuffs.

Nice! Do you have anything fancy you like to use for shoes or belts?

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[MrsK]

Or you can fold socks like this. They are rolled together but they lay flat and the cuffs aren't stretching out.

[poky]

Nice! Do you have anything fancy you like to use for shoes or belts?

Heh. Not fancy. I use this (closetmaid, they have them at target) for shoes: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...CL._SX522_.jpg

and we only have a handful of belts between us; we're currently just using one of these: http://www.containerstore.com/catalo...gerBlack_x.jpg