Konmaried my closet

[lemanfan]

There.. a couple of hours of konmariing and 2/3 of my closet space is now empty.  Good feeling.

Now I just got to decide if I need new coat hangers.  The existing ones are uneven, leaving my shirts in different heignts.  Hmm.

[bobechs]

I just spent a couple of minutes reading and replying to this.

We both lost a chunk of our unrecoverable time alive.  You much more than me, fortunately. (For me, of course)

[lizzzi]

I'm not sure what bobechs is saying. That lemanfan has wasted precious time? I am also konmarie-ing my room today. And how soul-satisfying it is. Not a waste of time at all. My afternoon is raising the same question--should I get new hangers, to really make the closet look nice? I'm not sure yet, but I very well might. Clean, green (as in environmentally), and serene. It's worth my time to set up my home in this way. Very good for my head.

[lemanfan]

You're welcome, bobechs.

[bobechs]

Party on, dudes.

[lizzzi]

Ha-ha! Bobechs is hilarious.

[I'm a red panda]

So, ready to downsize to a house with a smaller closet?  Sounds like wasted space ;)

I don't know about the hangers. Seems like a waste of money to replace something perfectly good.  That said, I understand the impulse to want them to be the same.  My hangers are not all the same, but they are all the same color. And when a random one sneaks in, it really bothers me.

[lizzzi]

Talk about first world problems. Boy, are we fortunate. (Oh, nooooooo. My hangers don't match!) Hahahahahahahaha. Gotta love it.

[lemanfan]

So, ready to downsize to a house with a smaller closet?  Sounds like wasted space ;)

Maybe it's a reason to stop being single and let someone else share the closetspace?  :)

[Rural]

Just Googled KonMarie, and I'm trying not to have a rant about the extreme privilege and self-centeredness implied in the idea that every single damn item we own must bring us "joy." I mean, who the fuck gets to throw away everything that isn't "joyful?" Unless you mean (and she doesn't mean this) something like "my roof brings me joy because it keeps the rain off of me, and I haven't always had that." In that situation, which I have personally been in, virtually everything is joyful.


 That said, I've always been in favor of taking the good ideas where I find them, and of giving credit where it is due. I just folded all my work shirts so that I could "file" them vertically in the drawer, and that's going to be much more functional. Now I can see where everything is, and life will be better at the crack of dawn when I'm blearily staring into a drawer.


So there's good and there's bad. For the record, I think it's wasteful in the extreme to throw out perfectly good hangers just because they don't match other perfectly good hangers that are already in the closet.  Plastic ones will virtually never break  down in the landfill. At least wire ones would rust.

[Cassie]

I used her method to condense my closet & got rid of about half my clothes. Many I never liked or wore, etc. Now when I go in there it all fits & I like it all. I thought some of her stuff was weird-like how does socks, etc bring me joy but I need them.  I like having half my hanging space empty. The floor space is not empty however-I use it all.

[I'm a red panda]

Just Googled KonMarie, and I'm trying not to have a rant about the extreme privilege and self-centeredness implied in the idea that every single damn item we own must bring us "joy."

Joy can be defined in many ways.  If you start with this philosophy you were accumulate a lot less to begin with. It isn't just about paring down what you have.

But almost everything about this forum comes from a place of privilege.  Just the idea of stopping work early is privilege.

So there's good and there's bad. For the record, I think it's wasteful in the extreme to throw out perfectly good hangers just because they don't match other perfectly good hangers that are already in the closet.  Plastic ones will virtually never break  down in the landfill. At least wire ones would rust.

I was on the side of not getting rid of the hangers, but getting rid of doesn't necessarily mean throwing away.

[lemanfan]

Just Googled KonMarie, and I'm trying not to have a rant about the extreme privilege and self-centeredness implied in the idea that every single damn item we own must bring us "joy.

Just like with MMM, you gotta take it in a balanced way. I personally don't go overboard with the "joy" issue, but it was really nice getting rid of a lot of stuff that was either too worn or that I never use. :)

[Rural]

Just Googled KonMarie, and I'm trying not to have a rant about the extreme privilege and self-centeredness implied in the idea that every single damn item we own must bring us "joy.

Just like with MMM, you gotta take it in a balanced way. I personally don't go overboard with the "joy" issue, but it was really nice getting rid of a lot of stuff that was either too worn or that I never use. :)

I agree, and I think I did that. After I had my fit over the selfishness of the larger philosophy, I watched a video (in Japanese, so I didn't have to listen to the rest of what she said) of how she suggests folding shirts to get them to stand up, and I did that. Assuming things don't wrinkle worse than the stack method, that's a better way.

[rockm87]

I've got say if you read the book it is a little different to the hype online, and actually I think it can relate to the MMM way.

She says some people just hoard things, buy things and store them and dont use them...which we all agree is pointless spending, just buying things for the sake of spending and then forgetting about them and living in our homes with useless crap we dont need!

Her idea of objects that 'give us joy' isnt just about shallow things of having the newest or shiniest, its about being grateful for what you have...and the joy can be for example, you can feel joy for your bike. Because by using it it saves you money, gets you fit and helps you carry your groceries home or your kids to school. Hence the 'joy' she mentions, it is as much about practicality and functionality.

This is the weirder part of the book, but it does make you re-evaluate the stuff you have and whether you really need it....which i think is quite MMM...even if beginner!

[partgypsy]

I bought these first when they were a branded thing as a set, and then more as the generic version,
http://www.amazon.com/Home--Clothes-Hangers-Velvet-Hanger/dp/B00NMU93VW/ref=sr_1_5?s=storageorganization&ie=UTF8&qid=1441741347&sr=1-5&keywords=hangers
They were really worth it to me. For one I have my clothes in an armoire (and not a big one at that). The hanging shelf is organized left to right, hanging pants, hanging skirt, sweaters, short sleeved shirts, long sleeved shirts, a couple dresses. The sweaters and shirts are also sub-organized by color.

I don't have to worry about clothing falling off the hangers, and everything hangs and fits in the armoire much nicer, it is more of a pleasure to organize my clothes and see everything.  I ended up buying some for my husband's closet to help organize it better as well. It is almost like having a bigger closet.

[FrugalTravelGal]

Marie Kondo's book sounds interesting, so I just reserved it online through my local library. Unfortunately, the library has  3 copies, and there are 86 requests ahead of mine! 

[BlueHouse]

I recently cleared out my closet and bought these hangers.  I love them.  The main reason is because they're thinner and take up less space than my old plastic hangers.  Now I have extra empty space. 
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HA019J4/ref=rr_xsim_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441928816&sr=0
Now I have joy every time I enter my closet.

[FLA]

I bought these first when they were a branded thing as a set, and then more as the generic version,
http://www.amazon.com/Home--Clothes-Hangers-Velvet-Hanger/dp/B00NMU93VW/ref=sr_1_5?s=storageorganization&ie=UTF8&qid=1441741347&sr=1-5&keywords=hangers
They were really worth it to me. For one I have my clothes in an armoire (and not a big one at that). The hanging shelf is organized left to right, hanging pants, hanging skirt, sweaters, short sleeved shirts, long sleeved shirts, a couple dresses. The sweaters and shirts are also sub-organized by color.

If these are like the Joy Mangano Huggable Hangers that are stupid expensive and can bought generic, they work great with a small closet. I got them cheap and had at least 1/3 of my closet back. Got a small closet, these help a ton.  Mine were bought slowly over the years and are different colors, so not Konmari.

I am reading that book now, I think I am going to be one of those people who take what they like and don't do the rest so not likely to have Life Changing Magic.  Friends I have who went super Konmari, do feel their life has changed.  Sigh, I'll decide after I start.  I want to meet this strange little woman who spent her childhood obsessed with organization, who believes socks have feelings and when rolled in a ball they don't get the proper rest.  Konmari's socks probably get better rest than I do!

[TVRodriguez]

There.. a couple of hours of konmariing and 2/3 of my closet space is now empty.  Good feeling.

Now I just got to decide if I need new coat hangers.  The existing ones are uneven, leaving my shirts in different heignts.  Hmm.

Congrats on freeing up those items and regaining your space!  I also used the method (albeit imperfectly) to cut out half of my clothes.  I have not moved on to any other categories yet, but I am very pleased with my closet now.  I was also surprised at how quickly I was able to do it once I started. 

I didn't read the book itself, tbh.  I did watch some of her videos and interviews online and read reviews.

Personally, I got rid of a LOT of hangars (goodwill), and I didn't bother with matching those that remain.  I also don't fold everything, and I what I do fold I don't fold her way.  But whatever works.  Even doing it half-assed, it helped a lot.  Plus I got the pleasure of giving away some really good clothes in excellent condition to friends and others who will actually wear them and put them to use.  I had been holding them thinking I'd use them and just never did.

[FLA]

I don't know about the hangers. Seems like a waste of money to replace something perfectly good.   

those velvet hangers, generic ones, are the same as the ones that tv saleslady made, Huggable hangers.  I never gave a thought to my hangers until I heard these really do give you back like 1/3 of your closet space, compared to normal hangers.  I got generic ones and it was true! I am a Konmari FAIL right now, they are all different colors and do not point in the right direction sometimes, and they have not been given applause or a rest.

I saw on Choxi yesterday you could get I think 108 of them for $44, this is a good price.

I am at the tail end of her book where she talks about why she is like this, kind of sad.  I want to try her method but I am disabled, if all my clothes got dumped on the floor, it would take me weeks to get through that pile.  But I do think I can do her recommendations, albeit at a snails pace, in my bedroom.  Then the BR should not be hard. 

Does everyone fold like her?  I couldn't picture what she meant so I have to youtube the folding and see it in action.  In this house, I am very fortunate to have closet space more than double anywhere else I've lived. So storing extra isn't a huge deal but it does weigh you down. For instance, I have been unable to be a nurse for over a year. My closet is still filled with work clothes and I am NOT ready to get rid of them, none were expensive, but many shirts were not old, I did not get enough use out of them yet, what if I get rid of them and then suddenly get well and I'd have to re-buy stuff that I had already bought cheaply? Even if that is total denial, I cannot psychoanalyze it and get rid of it all, not yet.

maybe I am not ready for Konmari

[Dicey]

I don't know about the hangers. Seems like a waste of money to replace something perfectly good.   

those velvet hangers, generic ones, are the same as the ones that tv saleslady made, Huggable hangers.  I never gave a thought to my hangers until I heard these really do give you back like 1/3 of your closet space, compared to normal hangers.  I got generic ones and it was true! I am a Konmari FAIL right now, they are all different colors and do not point in the right direction sometimes, and they have not been given applause or a rest.

I saw on Choxi yesterday you could get I think 108 of them for $44, this is a good price.

I am at the tail end of her book where she talks about why she is like this, kind of sad.  I want to try her method but I am disabled, if all my clothes got dumped on the floor, it would take me weeks to get through that pile.  But I do think I can do her recommendations, albeit at a snails pace, in my bedroom.  Then the BR should not be hard. 

Does everyone fold like her?  I couldn't picture what she meant so I have to youtube the folding and see it in action.  In this house, I am very fortunate to have closet space more than double anywhere else I've lived. So storing extra isn't a huge deal but it does weigh you down. For instance, I have been unable to be a nurse for over a year. My closet is still filled with work clothes and I am NOT ready to get rid of them, none were expensive, but many shirts were not old, I did not get enough use out of them yet, what if I get rid of them and then suddenly get well and I'd have to re-buy stuff that I had already bought cheaply? Even if that is total denial, I cannot psychoanalyze it and get rid of it all, not yet.

maybe I am not ready for Konmari

Actually, FLA, fewer possessions might mean fewer decisions, which could be helpful to you right now. I've no doubt that people will be offering their konmari skills for hire. If you can get someone to help you, it might be worth a small investment. It could be very freeing.

[FrugalTravelGal]

Marie Kondo's book sounds interesting, so I just reserved it online through my local library. Unfortunately, the library has  3 copies, and there are 86 requests ahead of mine!

UPDATE:  My library notified me on May 5th that the book was finally available! I started reading it yesterday.

[lizzzi]

I have the book, but lost it in my cluttered areas somewhere.

[fishnfool]

Just to add my $.02 to this life changing thread. It is good to keep a few wire coat hangers around for other purposes. They work great for snagging hair out of your tub and sink drains. Also good for taking camping to roast marshmallows on!

I purge my closet about once a year and usually pass on my old clothing to a needy relative if it still has any life left in it. But most of the time I wear it out or save it for my pile of painting/yardwork/carmaintenance clothing.

[Kaybee]

Marie Kondo's book sounds interesting, so I just reserved it online through my local library. Unfortunately, the library has  3 copies, and there are 86 requests ahead of mine!

UPDATE:  My library notified me on May 5th that the book was finally available! I started reading it yesterday.

My city's library system has 60+ copies and over 300 holds...lol, I'm not sure if that's accurate or if there's an error in their system somewhere but based on that info, it'll be awhile before it gets to me!

Edited because of spelling!!

[Cassie]

It's worth it to buy the book. I have read it more then once for inspiration to get rid of more things.

[Kaybee]

It's worth it to buy the book. I have read it more then once for inspiration to get rid of more things.

Meh, my mother (a borderline hoarder) bought it and then stopped halfway through ("That lady obviously suffers from some kind of mental illness...she's so obsessive!!) so I'll likely just steal it from her the next time I visit.  I'm already a minimalist so there's not really much I need to toss (if anything, lol, a neighbour once came over 2 months after I had moved in and asked when I was expecting my "stuff" to be delivered) but I was more interested in learning about her philosophy and her folding techniques. 

[asauer]

KM'ed my house last year- amazing feeling.  Made a bunch of $ to pay down our mortgage and am now saving time b/c I don't have to pick up all kinds of clutter crap anymore!  Congrats on a fresh, new closet!

[MrsDinero]

Just Googled KonMarie, and I'm trying not to have a rant about the extreme privilege and self-centeredness implied in the idea that every single damn item we own must bring us "joy." I mean, who the fuck gets to throw away everything that isn't "joyful?" Unless you mean (and she doesn't mean this) something like "my roof brings me joy because it keeps the rain off of me, and I haven't always had that." In that situation, which I have personally been in, virtually everything is joyful.


 That said, I've always been in favor of taking the good ideas where I find them, and of giving credit where it is due. I just folded all my work shirts so that I could "file" them vertically in the drawer, and that's going to be much more functional. Now I can see where everything is, and life will be better at the crack of dawn when I'm blearily staring into a drawer.


So there's good and there's bad. For the record, I think it's wasteful in the extreme to throw out perfectly good hangers just because they don't match other perfectly good hangers that are already in the closet.  Plastic ones will virtually never break  down in the landfill. At least wire ones would rust.

I love the method, but agree with you on the word "joy".  I tend to replace the word with "purpose" or "value".  Does this thing add purpose or value to my life?  Yes one glass vase adds purpose because I like flowers, however 4 glass vases do not.

[Metric Mouse]

Just Googled KonMarie, and I'm trying not to have a rant about the extreme privilege and self-centeredness implied in the idea that every single damn item we own must bring us "joy." I mean, who the fuck gets to throw away everything that isn't "joyful?" Unless you mean (and she doesn't mean this) something like "my roof brings me joy because it keeps the rain off of me, and I haven't always had that." In that situation, which I have personally been in, virtually everything is joyful.


 That said, I've always been in favor of taking the good ideas where I find them, and of giving credit where it is due. I just folded all my work shirts so that I could "file" them vertically in the drawer, and that's going to be much more functional. Now I can see where everything is, and life will be better at the crack of dawn when I'm blearily staring into a drawer.


So there's good and there's bad. For the record, I think it's wasteful in the extreme to throw out perfectly good hangers just because they don't match other perfectly good hangers that are already in the closet.  Plastic ones will virtually never break  down in the landfill. At least wire ones would rust.

I love the method, but agree with you on the word "joy".  I tend to replace the word with "purpose" or "value".  Does this thing add purpose or value to my life?  Yes one glass vase adds purpose because I like flowers, however 4 glass vases do not.

Could the point be to find joy in that purpose? To look up at your roof or the pretty vase and feel joy because you don't have to worry about rain or snow or leaving your flowers on the counter? To be as content with your life and your surrounding as a vase filled with fresh flowers?

[rosaz]

Just Googled KonMarie, and I'm trying not to have a rant about the extreme privilege and self-centeredness implied in the idea that every single damn item we own must bring us "joy." I mean, who the fuck gets to throw away everything that isn't "joyful?" Unless you mean (and she doesn't mean this) something like "my roof brings me joy because it keeps the rain off of me, and I haven't always had that." In that situation, which I have personally been in, virtually everything is joyful.

I'd also mention that a lot of her book focuses on things you wouldn't have to replace if you threw them out. I probably won't throw out my dresser even though it doesn't bring me joy, because then I'd have to buy a new one, but why hold on to books that don't bring me joy? What would I be gaining? If I only had 5 shirts, I'd better keep them all, but if I have more than that, why not discard the ones that don't bring me joy? What are they adding to my life?

Sure, this isn't advice directed at someone who count all their possessions on ten fingers, but I'm not sure why that means it's not worthwhile for those of us who do have many more things than we need.

[Tris Prior]

I haven't done the full on KonMari but I've been paring down my closet using some of her principles. For me, "sparks joy", in terms of clothing, translates as either "I feel good wearing this" or "This serves a purpose, and I don't have more duplicates than I need."

I live in Chicago. Therefore, I need sweaters, snow boots, a good quality coat that stands up to below-zero temps. Do any of those items bring me joy? No, I HATE winter and HATE having to put all that crap on daily for months on end. But they are in fact needs given where I live. I had some sweaters that are looking worn out or don't fit me properly or make me feel generally dumpy, so those either went in the donate pile, or got "donated to the alley faeries" (where you put stuff out in the alley and it magically disappears. We have a lot of homeless people around here so warm clothing is quickly snapped up even if it's too shabby to donate.).

I do think there is some privilege, though, in being able to get rid of useful things just because I don't like them, and because I have more than I strictly need.

[Zikoris]

I KMed my closet awhile back and it sure is freeing. My current work (office) wardrobe consists of six tops, two skirts, three pants, five dresses, and five sweaters/wrap-things. I have an additional two warm long sleeved shirts for winter, and a blazer for the very rare occasion I need one. I haven't quite planned well enough that everything matches everything else, but it's pretty darn close, and I really like everything I have right now.

[kite]

I don't know about the hangers. Seems like a waste of money to replace something perfectly good.   

those velvet hangers, generic ones, are the same as the ones that tv saleslady made, Huggable hangers.  I never gave a thought to my hangers until I heard these really do give you back like 1/3 of your closet space, compared to normal hangers.  I got generic ones and it was true! I am a Konmari FAIL right now, they are all different colors and do not point in the right direction sometimes, and they have not been given applause or a rest.

I saw on Choxi yesterday you could get I think 108 of them for $44, this is a good price.

I am at the tail end of her book where she talks about why she is like this, kind of sad.  I want to try her method but I am disabled, if all my clothes got dumped on the floor, it would take me weeks to get through that pile.  But I do think I can do her recommendations, albeit at a snails pace, in my bedroom.  Then the BR should not be hard. 

Does everyone fold like her?  I couldn't picture what she meant so I have to youtube the folding and see it in action.  In this house, I am very fortunate to have closet space more than double anywhere else I've lived. So storing extra isn't a huge deal but it does weigh you down. For instance, I have been unable to be a nurse for over a year. My closet is still filled with work clothes and I am NOT ready to get rid of them, none were expensive, but many shirts were not old, I did not get enough use out of them yet, what if I get rid of them and then suddenly get well and I'd have to re-buy stuff that I had already bought cheaply? Even if that is total denial, I cannot psychoanalyze it and get rid of it all, not yet.

maybe I am not ready for Konmari

You may not be ready.  That's OK.

I broke it down into sections, Konmari'd all my socks.  Then my undies.  With my little rolls of sock sushi and undies folded like little envelopes, getting ready for work was a breeze.  I loved looking in my drawers and finding exactly what I need.
This inspired me to do jeans, T's & sweaters.  The last thing I tackled was work clothes.  I realized I need only one weeks worth of work outfits.  I'm not in some far outpost where laundry soap is impossible to procure.  Every week, almost everything I own gets washed, hung to dry and then put away. We air dry everything, so most things come out of the washer, get put onto a hanger on the clothesline and then get hung in the closet when dry.  This is efficient and manageable because I pared down.  If I hadn't, I might actually be able to use 108 hangers.  But now, the thought of 108 hangers makes me feel very tired. I don't want to own that much clothing ever again.

The whole clothes purge was spread out over several weekends, but each category was done in one big purge, all at once, ie.. all socks in a pile, dive in & go. 

The thing I like about her methodology is that she insists you don't buy anything for storage until you've purged.   

[Rural]

Just Googled KonMarie, and I'm trying not to have a rant about the extreme privilege and self-centeredness implied in the idea that every single damn item we own must bring us "joy." I mean, who the fuck gets to throw away everything that isn't "joyful?" Unless you mean (and she doesn't mean this) something like "my roof brings me joy because it keeps the rain off of me, and I haven't always had that." In that situation, which I have personally been in, virtually everything is joyful.

I'd also mention that a lot of her book focuses on things you wouldn't have to replace if you threw them out. I probably won't throw out my dresser even though it doesn't bring me joy, because then I'd have to buy a new one, but why hold on to books that don't bring me joy? What would I be gaining? If I only had 5 shirts, I'd better keep them all, but if I have more than that, why not discard the ones that don't bring me joy? What are they adding to my life?

Sure, this isn't advice directed at someone who count all their possessions on ten fingers, but I'm not sure why that means it's not worthwhile for those of us who do have many more things than we need.

If you have more than five shirts that fit, you've paid for those shirts. You wear them now, and the things you love last longer in rotation, or you wear them later, after the shirts you love have worn out. Either way, they mean you buy less over a longer period of time. People who throw out perfectly good clothing spend more on clothing sooner or later (unless they die, of course). Therefore, privilege and self-centeredness. It's less offensive if the stuff is given away or donated than sent to the landfill, but its basic nature doesn't change.


And she does talk about more than clothes, though I don't remember what exactly was in the video I was talking about in the post you quote since that was nine months ago.

[Cassie]

Studies show that most people only wear about 20% of the clothes they own so why not donate or give away the rest so that others can benefit. If you don't like something you won't magically start wearing it because you need clothes. You will buy something that feels good to wear.

[Rural]

Studies show that most people only wear about 20% of the clothes they own so why not donate or give away the rest so that others can benefit. If you don't like something you won't magically start wearing it because you need clothes. You will buy something that feels good to wear.

Hmm. I think I buy fewer clothes than most people, then. Or maybe I just have more use for rough work clothes - looks definitely don't matter for those.

[Cassie]

For me clothes have to be comfortable or I won't wear it.  I buy a lot less clothes then I used too. With being semi-retired I mostly wear casual clothes.  It sounds like you work hard and wear clothes out.

[I'm a red panda]

Studies show that most people only wear about 20% of the clothes they own so why not donate or give away the rest so that others can benefit. If you don't like something you won't magically start wearing it because you need clothes. You will buy something that feels good to wear.

Hmm. I think I buy fewer clothes than most people, then. Or maybe I just have more use for rough work clothes - looks definitely don't matter for those.

Chances are if you are on this website, that is true.

[Mr. Green]

Studies show that most people only wear about 20% of the clothes they own so why not donate or give away the rest so that others can benefit. If you don't like something you won't magically start wearing it because you need clothes. You will buy something that feels good to wear.

I can totally agree with this and I rarely ever buy new clothing (basically only if something wears out). For example, I have two button down shirts I wear to work every week without fail. I have other clothes that are comfortable but these are the most comfortable and I give no fucks about people seeing me in the same two shirts every week. I should probably be going through my wardrobe again!

[kite]

Just Googled KonMarie, and I'm trying not to have a rant about the extreme privilege and self-centeredness implied in the idea that every single damn item we own must bring us "joy." I mean, who the fuck gets to throw away everything that isn't "joyful?" Unless you mean (and she doesn't mean this) something like "my roof brings me joy because it keeps the rain off of me, and I haven't always had that." In that situation, which I have personally been in, virtually everything is joyful.

I'd also mention that a lot of her book focuses on things you wouldn't have to replace if you threw them out. I probably won't throw out my dresser even though it doesn't bring me joy, because then I'd have to buy a new one, but why hold on to books that don't bring me joy? What would I be gaining? If I only had 5 shirts, I'd better keep them all, but if I have more than that, why not discard the ones that don't bring me joy? What are they adding to my life?

Sure, this isn't advice directed at someone who count all their possessions on ten fingers, but I'm not sure why that means it's not worthwhile for those of us who do have many more things than we need.

If you have more than five shirts that fit, you've paid for those shirts. You wear them now, and the things you love last longer in rotation, or you wear them later, after the shirts you love have worn out. Either way, they mean you buy less over a longer period of time. People who throw out perfectly good clothing spend more on clothing sooner or later (unless they die, of course). Therefore, privilege and self-centeredness. It's less offensive if the stuff is given away or donated than sent to the landfill, but its basic nature doesn't change.


And she does talk about more than clothes, though I don't remember what exactly was in the video I was talking about in the post you quote since that was nine months ago.

It's a privelege, in a good way, to be able to help others with some of what I have in my closet and around my home.  It would be self centered to hoard it all for my own potential future use.  A future use, if I'm honest, isn't coming.  That's the point.
Kondo asks you to be honest with yourself.  There is no magic number that is the right number of X to own.  But if you look at your entire collection of X and handle each one, you know which to keep, which to donate, and which is already landfill. Joy is an apt description, particularly from someone for whom English isn't her first language.  It did resonate with me.  Everrything is either valuable to you (joy!), valuable to someone else (sell or donate) or landfill masquerading as useful. Maintaining a little pile of landfill inside your home doesn't earn you moral brownie points.  It's actually a shitty thing to do to stack up a mess for someone else to be burdened with in your declining years.  It's also shitty to hang onto something someone else needs so that they must buy a new one when the thing isn't doing you any good.  That wastes the earth's resources.  Sell or give it away.

If your life is already clutter free, just skim past her advice.  You don't need it. 

[FrugalTravelGal]

Just Googled KonMarie, and I'm trying not to have a rant about the extreme privilege and self-centeredness implied in the idea that every single damn item we own must bring us "joy." I mean, who the fuck gets to throw away everything that isn't "joyful?" Unless you mean (and she doesn't mean this) something like "my roof brings me joy because it keeps the rain off of me, and I haven't always had that." In that situation, which I have personally been in, virtually everything is joyful.

I'd also mention that a lot of her book focuses on things you wouldn't have to replace if you threw them out. I probably won't throw out my dresser even though it doesn't bring me joy, because then I'd have to buy a new one, but why hold on to books that don't bring me joy? What would I be gaining? If I only had 5 shirts, I'd better keep them all, but if I have more than that, why not discard the ones that don't bring me joy? What are they adding to my life?

Sure, this isn't advice directed at someone who count all their possessions on ten fingers, but I'm not sure why that means it's not worthwhile for those of us who do have many more things than we need.

If you have more than five shirts that fit, you've paid for those shirts. You wear them now, and the things you love last longer in rotation, or you wear them later, after the shirts you love have worn out. Either way, they mean you buy less over a longer period of time. People who throw out perfectly good clothing spend more on clothing sooner or later (unless they die, of course). Therefore, privilege and self-centeredness. It's less offensive if the stuff is given away or donated than sent to the landfill, but its basic nature doesn't change.


And she does talk about more than clothes, though I don't remember what exactly was in the video I was talking about in the post you quote since that was nine months ago.

It's a privelege, in a good way, to be able to help others with some of what I have in my closet and around my home.  It would be self centered to hoard it all for my own potential future use.  A future use, if I'm honest, isn't coming.  That's the point.
Kondo asks you to be honest with yourself.  There is no magic number that is the right number of X to own.  But if you look at your entire collection of X and handle each one, you know which to keep, which to donate, and which is already landfill. Joy is an apt description, particularly from someone for whom English isn't her first language.  It did resonate with me.  Everrything is either valuable to you (joy!), valuable to someone else (sell or donate) or landfill masquerading as useful. Maintaining a little pile of landfill inside your home doesn't earn you moral brownie points.  It's actually a shitty thing to do to stack up a mess for someone else to be burdened with in your declining years.  It's also shitty to hang onto something someone else needs so that they must buy a new one when the thing isn't doing you any good.  That wastes the earth's resources.  Sell or give it away.

If your life is already clutter free, just skim past her advice.  You don't need it.

Very  well said!

Just wanted to add that I checked out The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up from the library. I liked it so much that I bought the sequel,  Spark Joy, from Amazon, as it goes into more detail about tidying and organizing more things.

[lifejoy]

Interesting thoughts in here.

The books and clothes that don't spark joy for me go into my bi-annual clothing swap :)! That way I get new-to-me clothing and also get rid of the stuff I'm not wearing. It's a great feeling.

Check out KonMarie Adventures on Facebook if you like going through the process with others! Very fun and friendly group.

Check out into-mind.com if you want to turn your leftover clothing into a minimalist's dream: a re-mixable capsule wardrobe!

I love KM. While it is a privilege to get rid of things you might need one day, paying for the space that stuff takes up is too costly of you ask me! I'd rather have a smaller home and buy stuff if and when I really need it.

[Red_Gold]

I KM my closet, books and papers a couple of months ago (still have to get to miscellany). Boy, does that stuff really work! Apart from having a nice tidy closet quite a few big changes occurred in my life. Not all of them welcomed, but I suppose all were necessary.

I was getting ready for an outing recently and got worried that now I don't have enough clothes to mix and match an outfit. Nope, wrong, still did fine even after getting rid of over 50% of my stuff. All donated to charity.

I've learned KM folding techniques on youtube as well.

[jambongris]

Marie Kondo's book sounds interesting, so I just reserved it online through my local library. Unfortunately, the library has  3 copies, and there are 86 requests ahead of mine!

UPDATE:  My library notified me on May 5th that the book was finally available! I started reading it yesterday.

My city's library system has 60+ copies and over 300 holds...lol, I'm not sure if that's accurate or if there's an error in their system somewhere but based on that info, it'll be awhile before it gets to me!

Edited because of spelling!!

Not sure how many copies my library has but there are currently 700 holds for her book.

[lazy-saver]

It is a luxury to not stockpile everything that might possibly be useful someday, but one that aligns well with mustachian values.

I've always felt vaguely burdened by having stuff and this fixed it surprisingly well and painlessly.

A few ways it tended more towards frugality than I expected:

* There was a *ton* of stuff with no conceivable value whatsoever that I had saved when I saved things just in case, just because of what happens in that mindset.
* I found that using this process made more more happy with the things that I have just for practical value. We have some practical household items that I consider unattractive and they used to bother me because every time I saw them they represented "I can never have a nice X because I have a perfectly functional one" but with the mindset of "if a nice X comes my way it's okay to acquire it and get rid of this one", instead of resenting it I'm happy to have the one that works (and since I don't like shopping, nothing else has changed...)
* There were some things that we thought we needed but it turned out we didn't once the things we want were less buried under stuff we don't care about.
* It improved my sense of "stuff I don't need" which applies to stuff I might acquire as well

Some things I did differently:

* Kept things that I knew I would replace if I got rid of them, as well as things that I'm happy to have.  It turns out this is reasonably in line with her philosophy; in her rather lackluster reddit AMA someone asked about I think mattresses not sparking joy, and she said something along the lines that if something is doing good work for you that should make you happy.
* I don't get why she's so into folding. I definitely see the value in being able to see everything at once, but folding and standing on edge isn't the only way to do that.  In any case, the rule of "you have all the storage you need" trumped that and we don't have anything with drawers.

[Zette]

I found the psychology of her book fascinating.  Other organizing books I've read emphasize deciding what to get rid of -- psychologically this sets the bias in favor of keeping stuff.  Or they focus on how to store stuff, which primes you to focus on how to fit the most stuff into the space.  By focusing on choosing what to keep, and setting the bar so high ("sparks joy"), it's more effective in priming you to get rid of stuff.

Similarly, all her little woo-woo rituals, such as thanking an object for its service, create a mental story that supplants any guilt you may be feeling about getting rid of "perfectly good" stuff.

Taking everything out of her handbag every night forces a daily mini-declutter of her purse.

On the other hand, the folding thing is just plain OCD!

In Spark Joy it says that she recently married.   I can't wait to see what having kids does to her philosophy!

[lifejoy]

Folding socks and underwear made me feel like a serial killer lol. I didn't keep up with it.

[bobechs]

Folding socks and underwear made me feel like a serial killer lol. I didn't keep up with it.

After about three weeks in boot camp folding all your few meager possessions into neat little packages that are then dumped on the deck in front of you, only to start over again --then you will really begin to lust for something to kill.  Anything.

It's kind of the Roger Corman/Vincent Price remake of the Konmari/Rainbow Unicorn bubblegum happyland.