Oh I DEFINITELY regret throwing out some of my old, comfy t-shirts. 😂 This is a refreshing video, because some minimalist RUclipsrs say that "you'll never regret getting rid of things" and that's not always true! 😉
Mom of 6 here (and we homeschool and homestead too), here's my take on laundry: involved your kids as early as possible and make it a habit. My toddlers help switching laundry, my 4 year olds sort and put away and by 5/6 they are independent on doing their laundry. It's it done perfectly? No. Are the loads always full? No. But do they have a life skill? Yes. Are they proud of themselves? Yes. Do they take better care of their clothes? Absolutely. When they come in from outside as little mud balls I will often hear my boys say, "we got to start laundry now so this doesn't sit and stain." My second piece of advice is to try it out different routines and rhythms for laundry for yourself. When I had my first kiddo 12 years ago, EVERYONE said you have to do a load a day. I hate laundry so that felt terrible to do. I tried it for awhile and my mood was terrible. Especially going through a long, dark, winter. I switched to having a laundry day, and then I would watch a show at night and fold everything and laundry turned into my favorite thing. I don't do much laundry myself anymore because my boys usually help with most of it, but when I do need to do some folding or catch up, I find some way to make it enjoyable. I have been known to take all my loads out to my deck and fold outside while I watch the sunset. And even now, I have a hard time focusing on getting school lessons in when I start a load in the morning and know that I have to monitor when it's done, flip it and fold it. I just don't have that bandwidth.
Ah, this!! This is so good. You're not the first homesteader who gave me the advice to let my children do it with me and to let the imperfections/mess-ups teach them. Thank you for this. You're making the mundane task beautiful and intentional. Best I've heard! Thank you for sharing!
Oh my gosh this is great! One time my mom got rid of a wallet of mine when I was a kid that had $80 in it. It was so devastating 😫 I sometimes get too deep into the control part of minimalism and have to remind myself that it's not about control, it's about enjoying life. So thank you for that reminder!
For VBS we took large black trash bags and cut a head hole and two arm holes to pull this over the kids to protect their clothing while doing crafts! Works great and it's cheap!
I’ve truly never understood why so many of the minimalism videos I’ve seen have so much white and beige. I wouldn’t call myself a minimalist yet, maybe not ever, but I always buy things in my favorite colors whenever I’ve needed something or upgraded from something lower quality. It is such a happiness ding even with something as basic as packing my lunch bag for work. Coworkers asked if I did this on purpose, always having so much of certain colors, and I said yes. Some of them started doing it too and told me it really does make things better to just have their favorite color around more, that it adds a level of contentedness.
If it is any encouragement...I am sure you have saved WAY more than $600 by becoming a minimalist!!! You are doing a great job! And the few things you need to replace (laundry basket, work/paint clothes, etc) can ALL be found at thrift stores or FB MP for CHEAP for this season of life! You are in a new season of growing boys and baking goodies- enjoy what you get to treasure hunt for and buy to serve you well! (Ps...as a mama of 7, we don't fold any laundry...everyone gets their clean laundry in a basket and puts it away in cubbies or hangs them up! ALL socks go into one basket and they can hunt for what they need!🤣 I only put away my own, the hubs and the youngest's laundry while watching youtube! Enjoyment of dishes and laundry has grown on me over the years!💛)
ha, thank you for that encouraging reminder! Also, this is GREAT advice. It's so much more about involving everyone and teaching children that they are responsible for their clothing(something I didn't grow up learning too well...and honestly it was probably more my resistance to it than anything). Going to start teaching my children today! Thanks for sharing this!!
Laundry/habit stacking: I also have two boys and a husband. I used to hate laundry, and it was SO overwhelming!! One day my husband suggested i do one load each day (even if it was a small one). It changed my life!!! Here's my routine: Before i go to bed, i brush my teeth -that's where I habit stack. I load the washer. In the morning the first thing i do is drink a full glad if water. That's when i start the washer. By the time I'm done reading with my boys on the morning, the way is ready for the dryer. It works so well for us this way. I only have one basket and it's generally stored/not being used.
I rent an apartment and the landlord set up laundry days for each tenant and it actually made my life a lot easier. Sundays and Wednesdays are my days. It just makes it easy knowing those are the only days I have so I do it. I also make sure the clothes I'm washing are actually dirty. If I know it was worn once and didn't get dirty I put it back in the closet.
Thank you so much for being honest! Regret is a normal part of life, and I think it's essential for those pursuing minimalism to admit that it is a possibility.
So nice to see this video. Was getting worried that you may not still be doing videos and you are my favorite utuber! I appreciate all your videos and your work in posting them
Forgot to mention, after really paying attention to what our family wears i realized we wore a lot of the same outfits most of the time. So we cut out a ton of clothing and I started buying better quality clothing. Made a huge difference on the volume of laundry. If kids have four weeks of clothing and you are not consistent with laundry there will always be a pile.
I am with you on clothes to get messy. I experienced a fire at my apartment building (everyone was ok) and while many clothes were okay some werent and thus I valued what was kept. I have 1 freebie t shirt and 1 $5 pair of sweatpants for messy stuff. I also had no 'old' towels when a friend asked. I definitely will head to the thrift store before I take on any future messy projects.
Laundry advice here! I've been doing this wash system now for several years (5+ maybe) and it works for our family of 6. To note: we have 4 laundry baskets. 👍🏻 Mondays I wash sheets (every other week I wash ours and then our children's) Tuesdays I wash all our cleaning rags (I use Norwex, and cheaper microfiber instead of paper towels, and recently got cloth napkins). Wednesdays I wash my husband's and my clothes. *We share a laundry basket in our bedroom. Thursdays my 10yo washes her and her 4.5yo sister's clothes. *They share a laundry basket in their room. Fridays my 12yo washes her and her 6.5yo brother's laundry. *They have their own laundry baskets in their own rooms. Saturdays I wash everyone's 1 towel we all use if I didn't remember to get them into their respective laundry days. 🤪 Sundays I do no laundry. 🙌🏻 I have it set in my calendar on the first Sunday of the month to do a cleaning cycle on my washing machine. PS so I know you have two young children so you will be doing everything for them. For that I would still do my MTW and on Th just wash both of your boys clothes. Fri-Sun you shouldn't have anything to wash (except for potty accidents). And to note, we are minimal with clothes too. I keep about 6 tops and 6 bottoms for my girls and for my boy keep 8 of each (he just gets dirtier!). And they all have 4 nicrer church outfits. The other trick I do is have them wear the same thing on MT and the same on WTh and the same on FSat. Then their Sunday clothes. Of course if they're filthy they get new. But having 3 days of clothes for each week is why the 6 tops/bottoms is like 2 weeks worth of clothing. 😁 Last tip for less expensive laundry basket options. Ive used a large plastic trash can for my son. And for my 4yo (before sharing now a bigger one with her older sister) I got a fabric tote bag and hung it on the back of the bedroom door and she just put her clothes in that and could drag it to the laundry room on her day. And my bigger 2 girls have a folding laundry basket from Ikea that are super cheap. What my husband and I use is his tall plastic white one from high school (and we are 40-ish 😂)!
I'm just amazed by you all! This is the third comment I've responded to saying THANK YOU. I definitely need to make a cleaning schedule instead of trying to tackle it all! Such good advice!! Thank you for taking the time to share this with me. I just read it to my husband!
@@margaretmatheny you're welcome! It does take some time to figure out what works for us and then throwing children in the mix, seasons just change so quickly!
I have a rule...no laundry on the weekends (unless there's an incident, because life happens). I usually do 2 loads 3 days a week and Fridays are my sheets/bedding day. It's made my life so much easier and I am pretty much always caught up on laundry now.
Interesting! Our rule is laundry ONLY on the weekends, lol. My boyfriend and I both have busy jobs, so if I were to do laundry throughout the week, the folding piles would just lay there all week.
Pay for fluff and fold to do your laundry once a week 😘 this will help so much. Create a system w multiple baskets for each color of laundry or for each persons laundry whatever works best for you. Ive seen some amazing ones here on youtube.
This was both funny and wise. I don’t think you should throw away so much! I have cloths that are more than 30 years old and I use them. Havn’t always but when I don’t feel like having them I store and then go through ones every season to see what I can retire and what I can ”shop” from storage.
For laundry, I learned years ago from my sister-in-law with 5 foster kids to put one laundry basket in each bedroom. The oldest child in that bedroom is responsible for managing when they are soon going to be short of clothes and then doing the entire process from washing to back in the drawers. This means far less sorting the clothes for ownership across my family of 8 children age 11 and under. One of the main attraction for me to minimalism is that it claims to make things easier by having less stuff which isn't always the case. Like having an extra set of sheets to make it less stressful when sickness is going through your family and kids are throwing up on their beds. Their is a balance probably in a slightly different place for each family and their circumstances. I've learned to ask myself would life be easier and simpler with or without this item.
I once decluttered but was too lazy to bring the stuff out of the flat… and then realised later that I needed some stuff out of that bag some time later and was able to pull it out again. Since then, only stuff that I am absolutely sure about leaves the flat.
Mum of 3 boys here: I have two laundry baskets one for whites one for everything else. I do one load of clothing a day ( whatever basket looks fullest ) plus bedding and towels once a week. I air dry everything outside to save the energy. It’s one of these jobs that’s never ending so I just stick it in first thing in the morning. Xx
Ok I just have to say this is so reassuring!! I have watched your videos for two years but have never followed thru with total declittering because of practical reasons- like winter seasons, stand mixers (also got for my wedding and will never afford it!! But I have it!!) Also- baby clothes for our next child etc. I haven’t felt so pressured to “let go” but always had the nagging voice not to get rid of stuff. I’m going forward confident to just follow my intuition and declutter but not to punish or deprive. Thx, love u. !!!
This was wonderful, thank you for sharing! I just got a laundry basket with three separate pockets. My husband and I love it so much! The last year or so we always found ourselves making piles on the floor because we didn’t want his work clothes to transfer grease to our nice clothes, and also I prefer to keep towels and wash clothes separate from clothes. I highly recommend! 🤗 Keeping junk shirts is a great idea, I did not think of that! I am going through the process with my husband of letting go of things we no longer need, it’s such a wonderful feeling! I just found your channel recently and I just love your content!😊
It won't be long before those kids can help fold and put laundry away. Hang in there, and then train that habit. Thank yoi for your honesty! It's helpful.
I think maybe try a storage house for when you want to declutter something but you are unsure if you're gonna need it in the future, you stored it there. I know a lot of people here who store their excess things in storage houses. And from time to time, they go there and look for something especially when seasons change or when there are occasions like birthday weddings etc.
Happy Sunday morning Margaret. Excellent video with spectacular production values - warm, heartfelt, motivating and inspirational and calming. Your organizational and decluttering skills are impeccable. But that's to be expected from someone with such a high sense of aesthetics and a keen sense of detail. Thanks so much for sharing a tour of your cozy home. 😊😊😊😊
Laundry tip, do one load everyday (given that the washing machine gets actually somewhat full) but also put away the load from the day before. It takes all in all just a few minutes and you stay on top of it and maybe just one hamper would also suffice (it does for us, but we dont have children). and then, but that is kind of advanced and not for everyone, but when i am buying new clothes, inalready think about how i would wash it, if i have enough other stuff in that colour that could be washed together and that is going into my decision making process. but i also like doing laundry so that might not work for everybody
Start a load first thing every single day (I take a break on Sundays) of all dirty clothes and household laundry. The FINISH it! Wash, dry, fold/hang, and put it away. I do an extra load of towels and one of sheets every week. That was a huge help when I was home every day with our six kids.
Washcloths, baskets, towels, sheets, handsoap, medicine, heatpad kind of things are so important to family life/running a house. You or someone else will get sick and be thankful the little things are in place.
For laundry, I use 3 laundry bags from ikea and I use 1 for lights, 1 for darks and 1 for clothing (mostly all of my clothing) that doesn’t get fabric softener. I also have a laundry basket with a lid for towels and washcloths to keep the smells down in the laundry room. I also do 1 small load each day of the week and take weekends off, I put it on in the morning, switch it at lunchtime and then put away in the afternoon. The routine seems to work well for me and my family of 4 (my husband and I plus our 2 toddlers).
Oh no!!! I would totally cry too- but also TOTALLY something I would do!!! I’ve definitely decluttered a few things that I had to re-buy, but if it’s on $5-10 I’m not too upset.
Great video!! Thank you so much for this list, wow I can relate!! My heart hurts for that $600!! Ahhhhhh. I have also regretted getting rid of some "junk clothes" and extras of a few things I could have really used.
I do a load a day generally. I have three littles 6 and under. I was the baby’s clothes with mine. Two big kids get washed together cause they share a room. Hubby gets his own load. Towels. Sheets. And we cloth diaper. Dry and put away same day. Also once we decluttered so much we wash more often but it’s less items so easy to put away. 😉
Love it! We have 4 children and I honestly can't remember how I managed all the washing when they were young. I was working part time as well. I think I washed daily maybe even twice (light and dark loads) so there wasn't so much drying, certainly in the cooler months. We live in the UK.
Really good video to make. I am also someone that declutters things whenever possible but I sometimes keep certain items I may still need to think about because of those exact reasons + in some cases they still work and I'd rather wait another extra year or 2 to finish those products off and then never buy them again. I dislike throwing away/donating perfectly good things just because they may not make me happy. In my case, I have enough space to store those so I don't mind holding onto them for a bit longer but they definitely provide lots of uses for me so regardless of my personal feelings towards them, I'll still keep them. Again, not doing that with everything I own but most things, yeah. I also think it's best to attempt to sell items/products in good shape just to try to get some of the money back from them. Donating, while nice, psychologically just makes you quickly go through your items and naturally not checking through them as well as you normally would if you wanted to sell those items. When you want to sell something, you check every angle of that item so that the receiver knows what they're getting aka you get to fully check what you want to get rid of.
Laundry...the never ending pile ....but I have 8 healthy people ...I have a washer...I have lots of sunshine to dry the clothes...I have girls to help fold and hang them out...I have a laundry room ...I have soap...I do laundry everyday...3 loads at least ...that way it's not sitting stincky... find what works for you...we all have more time than we think
I have hated laundry for as long as I can remember but finally have a system down that works for us. I have two toddlers. Mon: wash the boys clothes Tues: my clothes Wed:Towels, wash cloths,etc Thurs: Sheets and any blankets that need to be washed Friday: my husbands clothes My oldest son has favorite pants so I usually throw them in a random load every other day lol this system usually gives me the weekends where I don’t have to worry about washing or folding.
The thing that really changed laundry was to stop washing everyone’s laundry together. Instead of sorting by color I gave each person their own basket and so that eliminated having to figure out who the socks belong to. I just take the basket to that room and fold and put away. No sorting needed. This other idea is the total opposite. The other thing that I have done was when we were moving we stayed in a very small apartment for a month. Most of our clothing was in storage and every night i would take what was in the hamper (everyones clothing) and wash it, dry it and fold it. It was so easy because I washed all the laundry every night and our clothes were ready for the next day.
I have three kids under five and they mostly wear the same clothes daily. I decided to downsize what they have and they each have five outfits and every night there clothes go right into the wash along with whatever else needs to be washed for the day. I start it before I go to bed and in the morning put it in the dryer and then right into their drawers. Sometimes they put those clothes right but on or put them away themselves because it's very easy for them to do. I found this to be the most useful method for us.
Laundry: I have 1 basket at the first floor at our bedroom. There goes everything in it. On the second floor next to the washingmachine I have 4 baskets. I sort the laundry in categories, dark clothes, light clothes, dark towels etc, light towels etc. When a basket is almost full, I do laundry :) i have this system a few years now and it works perfectly!! The basket next to our bedroom i sort first in the baskets on the 2nd floor :)
Oh no! Hate that about the money! I used to have anxiety about decluttering thinking I would always regret it, but realized that if I was not using it in this season of my life, then maybe I was meant only to have it for a short time so that I could pass it on to someone else who needed it (even if selling it, they still got it at a discount!) Also, it might not even work at this point (trust me - I try to come up with all the excuses it was a good decision to get rid of it 😂) It certainly makes you think of needs vs wants when purchasing again! I do laundry every other day, one load - my husband's and mine together then two days later, my two kids together, one load. Towels and sheets on the weekend. I used to have my kids throw their clothes in the washer when done with them for the day, but my son is a 17-year-old slob and so placing a laundry basket in the corner of his room saves me so much frustration and pickup! ha! I think life is all about learning as you go - it may take some trail and error and some things work better in certain seasons, but mostly for me I have come to realize that I don't have to take some things so seriously that I miss out on the small joys! Have a great weekend!
We’re a family of 5 and I find doing a load a day works best for us! I never feel behind on laundry that way. My boys are responsible for putting their clothes away. Even the toddler (no its not perfect in their drawers). When it comes to folding laundry try to make the task enjoyable like watching a youtube video or listening to a podcast.
That's why I do not do decluttering by numbers, because you tend to declutter for decluttering sake in the momentum. Beennthere myself 😬. I try to ask the right questions instead and use a quarantine box. I did sell a lot of furniture and regret only a pair of armchairs... But now thinking back it would not be good to my vibes so eventually I learned not to think about it. I've learned to surround myself with new items that bring freshness to my life.
Ok, I had to share something with you I recently did that was extremely costly. We purchased a cow during the summer. As he unloaded the cases of meat with my son, he did not put the tailgate down. I did not look and check the bed of the truck to make sure none was left back there. I was smelling this horrible smell and i couldn't figure out what it was. 6 days later I h eeeeewww ard the voice say step up on the bumper and look in the bed of the truck. Well, he left 2 boxes of meat in the bed of his truck. Hundreds of dollars of rotting meat. It was disgusting and we too shed some tears. I always check to make sure we unloaded everything and I beat myself up over it for months. I can tell you one thing I learned, I will double check next time. He learned to unload with the tailgate down because had it been down we would have seen the boxes. It probably was pretty close to your $600 loss. We must forgive ourselves and give ourselves grace. Blessings. 🙏
I regret getting rid of my zentangle art books. I didn't use them but now I am starting to do art so...I just bought some new art books so I feel a little better 😂 .
ooh we all do stupid things, all of us. I lost some money for shopping because i stuffed it in my sock and it fell out oooops. I have let go of so much and i felt as if i was eliminating my life, i have had to learn so much and its hard for me to treat myself and everytime i do i think i have to justify it, it is hard to balance it all out sometimes and there are seasons for plenty and seasons for less. Do we ever get it all right, i doubt it, God bless you and your family xxx
If you own your home and have the extra cash laying around you could always make built in laundry bins. I have 5 box openings that reach up to almost the ceiling in my laundry room. Laundry stays in one place, just an idea.
Laundry = not minimalist but the process is the best, but each person gets their own basket. When it’s full throw the whole thing in the wash, and now you don’t have to sort laundry! That whole wash goes right back to the person’s closet. Even better is if you only wash on one day. Sundays are wash day here. Then you’re not stressing about laundry everyday.
My laundry suggestion would be buy quality stuff you can wash together without ruining. Making a mental note of the least amount of loads as possible and pick a day for it. I would drive myself crazy with multiple little loads of stuff I honestly didn't care for much that would fall apart after 2 washes cause it was on sale. Just made me not want to wash the stuff right away. Boom. Mess sitting out. With quality and schedule I don't have that stress in the back of my mind.
For some, minimalism is a religion, and Marie Kondo is their founding saint. The white and beige and greys and black are the new habit worn by Minimalism's converts, projected onto homes (turning them into monastic cells) For others, it's merely a reminder to live more in the Here & Now, a tap on the noggin to rebalance to the extent that works in the present time. I'm a hoarder; it's genetic, like alcoholism is for many alcoholics, and ceasing to drink does not make you not an alcoholic. I see the hoarding throughout my female lineage, I see the accompanying neuroses and perfectionism and control-issues and OCD and asthma and possible ADHD. But now that I'm retired, have a more stable life, have a sufficient fixed income, and some age-related limitations, (plus I no longer care what other people think), I am finally paring down my 'inventory' and simplifying my life. I've been de-hoarding. Will I keep duplicates/triplicates/more of some items? If it's practical to do so, yeah. I keep misplacing my reading glasses, so I buy them in lots at discount and leave them everywhere, 'enriching' my environment at home and where I am when I'm out & about, so I don't find myself without such an essential item. Do I keep clothing 'just in case' an event comes around that requires it? Yeah. I have no social life, I don't attend expensive 'do's', I live a very laid-back casual life. But I don't need extra stress if there's a court case or a funeral or if I will be central to some public honoring, so I keep a simple Little Black Dress, a dress coat, choice of pantyhose, and basic shoes; it's a 'uniform' of sorts that covers a broad use, because I'm not a savage. Photos? Journals/diaries? Yearbooks? Some people purge these, saying we live in the present, not the past. They toss out kids' drawings or even their own; they toss out photos of their past loves or their kids' earlier photos. These are documentation of evolution; they're personal or family HISTORY. I recall looking at a photo of my 3yr-old daughter next to 3yr-old me, and I see the commonality; not in the physical resemblances, but the spirit we expressed in our photos. Believe me, she's her own unique person, but there's a loss in annihilating documentation of what was/is. It can take decades just to develop the perspective that opens your eyes to the information contained in a photo. "He who forgets the past is doomed to repeat it." Keeping historical documentation furthers understanding and perspective; it ADDS VALUE. Minimalism, like every '-ism' can be carried too far. It's meant to make us contrast what we do with a different perspective, but you don't have to join the cult; you can just adopt the things that 'add value' to your present life. 'Adding value': isn't that the fundamental point of minimalism?
my tips are : 1. Do a load of laundry everyday 2. Load the load the night before 3. part of the breakfast routine is you start the load 4. Fold laundry before you start dinner
What works for me: Each day, I fold what's in the dryer (run it for a bit if it needs unwrinkling) and put that away, move the load that's in the washer to the dryer, and put a new load in the washer. Done. Next day - Repeat! So easy and such a good feeling to know, as the machines do their thing, laundry is done for the day.
Someone donated an old coat to goodwill in out town. Probably someone’s family member died and they donated all their clothes. The goodwill people found $35,000 in the pockets of the coat. Everyone in my town learned to check better the stuff you donate. Sorry about the $600.
I use baby wash cloths to wash my face every morning. We all know we don't really use those baby wash cloths. Lol I loaded up in the baby room. At my church thrift store when they had the bag sale. They are soft, small, can get makeup on them..who cares
Mom of 7 here. I've tried all the systems I could find on RUclips. You have to take some things into consideration. 1. Washing your clothes with SIMILAR WEIGHT. example: t-shirts socks underwear and lighter clothing . Jeans and hoodies (the only thing my two teens wear) in another load. I don't separate colors and I've never had an issue. 2. Your wash/dryer machine. A large load for you may be a medium load for someone else. If your dryer does not dry efficiently that causes a lot of anxiety regarding laundry. These are expensive purchases and they don't make them like they use to. Taking care of your machine and not overloading with soap or clothing can make a huge difference in efficiency. Since I don't have as many kiddos at home anymore I went from 2 washer/dryers two one set of new ones. The new ones work better than the two old ones. Faster, larger capacity. Just something to think about. 3. Having a place to fold not on your bed or couch. We have a simple board going across our washer and dryer. (Its slightly raised for ventilation with smaller boards) If you have a top loader get a small plasic folding table. Mentally, in my own mind, clothes in a heap on the bed or couch says to me "dirty or wrinkled clothes its ok to leave them there" And when you go to bed and throw them on the floor because you didn't get to it... yeah frustrating. My personal favorite system, two loads each day. I have one area that clothing gets sorted. The kids know at the end of the day they have to put all dirty clothes in the laundry room and sort it properly. (This is where that consistency as a parent comes in but makes life easier in the long run) I have an ikea Kalax with 12 shelves. Each has a plastic basket that holds about 1 load in it. ( i found that large baskets fool you into thinking you have less laundry.)I have them labeled. 4 kiddos, 2 adults 2 towel, 2 sweats, 1 jean, 1 delicate, 1 dish rags and reusable napkins and cloths, 1 sheets. We do one heavy load and one light load per day. I or the kiddos load the wash the night before and turn it on first thing in the morning. I turn on my timer on my phone for both loads and I'm done before the noon burnout. Hope this helps
This works! It’s exactly what I do, we are 10 in my home counting dogs too and doing laundry everyday even if it’s a small load helps a lot to not get overwhelmed with having to do a bunch of loads in one day… also to help with the electric bill because dryers consume A LOT I air dry the smaller loads.
@@kathiagarrcia so funny you mention the dog. Our one dog has three beds. When he gets groomed we wash them all. Its worse than a kiddo soiling the sheets, so many parts to unstuff and restuff. Definately adds to the laundry mess, but like dirty sheets or blankets those take priority or you get full laundry pile up. Ever notice how a large pile of laundry seem so say " ahh, you can do it later"
@@jmj9063 I have 4 dogs all different sizes and they still manage to make the same amount of mess so washing sheets it’s a must in here I do it at least 3 times per week and yes definitely I get tempted in leaving the laundry for another day specially on Sundays when I don’t want to do absolutely nothing after running errands but you gotta do what you gotta do to stay sane 😂
@@susannovak8263 lol I had to go look at it. I actually only have one towel bin and my oldest kiddo ( whos an adult) keeps her basket in her room and does her own laundry. Keeps anyone from accidentally "borrowing" clothes. So three kiddos and my hubby and I. But there would be room on top for a couple more. The key is to lable them and put the littles bins in a reachable spot. Making them do the sorting takes care of half the battle. Giving them the clothes to fold and put away is the other half. I lay them out flat and lay them in a basket for them to finish after school. Pain in the but to keep on top of but so worth it.
Beating yourself up for a $6 laundry basket is too much. A new stage of life with toddlers definitely needs more washcloths. I used loads when my kids were toddlers. I had a specific color for the kitchen to use Instead of wipes or paper towels, only for baby faces. No washing dishes with them!
Junk T-shirts: How often do you need them? Seems to me better to either borrow from family/friends &/or just buy some from a thrift or yard sale. Most instances of needing work grubbies are not immediate; you have some lead-time to prepare for the event. Just swing by a thrift and outfit yourself &/or the kids. There really is no need to take up valuable real estate in the home for a rare-use item. And buying thrift items helps to support a thrift's good works. Selling the Standmixer: Again, it's a large item, takes up a lot of valuable real estate to store and effort to shlep from one residence to another. You don't mention how much care-free time passed between the sale and the need for it arose. No; it was worth selling it and buying a newer (better-appointed) upgrade when your circumstances were ready for it. Even solid, sturdy items degrade; wires oxidize, plastic dries out and gets brittle. You're better off getting a new one when you need it. Let that regret go.
Ok, only the $600 stinks. But that falls under rule not to declutter other people’s things. As a homeschool mom of 8, 5 & 3 yr old boys everything else can be bought at the thrift store or marketplace. I took opposite path and kept everything for someday through 7 years as newlyweds, got even more stuff to help with babies until I was drowning in my own house. I didn’t discover minimalism until my 3rd was born. You couldn’t buy back the freedom and peace you’ve had not lugging that stuff around. Or the success you’ve had sharing the joy of simple living with us. Grieve the $600 and move on. You’re an amazing wife, mom and RUclipsr. Even the $600, tell hubby you likely made that back on the video you made. 😉
are you using ecos? im so confused about its toxcity some say its great and some dont --- i am using it but would like to know if you have any thoughts
Oh I DEFINITELY regret throwing out some of my old, comfy t-shirts. 😂 This is a refreshing video, because some minimalist RUclipsrs say that "you'll never regret getting rid of things" and that's not always true! 😉
Mom of 6 here (and we homeschool and homestead too), here's my take on laundry: involved your kids as early as possible and make it a habit. My toddlers help switching laundry, my 4 year olds sort and put away and by 5/6 they are independent on doing their laundry. It's it done perfectly? No. Are the loads always full? No. But do they have a life skill? Yes. Are they proud of themselves? Yes. Do they take better care of their clothes? Absolutely. When they come in from outside as little mud balls I will often hear my boys say, "we got to start laundry now so this doesn't sit and stain." My second piece of advice is to try it out different routines and rhythms for laundry for yourself. When I had my first kiddo 12 years ago, EVERYONE said you have to do a load a day. I hate laundry so that felt terrible to do. I tried it for awhile and my mood was terrible. Especially going through a long, dark, winter. I switched to having a laundry day, and then I would watch a show at night and fold everything and laundry turned into my favorite thing. I don't do much laundry myself anymore because my boys usually help with most of it, but when I do need to do some folding or catch up, I find some way to make it enjoyable. I have been known to take all my loads out to my deck and fold outside while I watch the sunset. And even now, I have a hard time focusing on getting school lessons in when I start a load in the morning and know that I have to monitor when it's done, flip it and fold it. I just don't have that bandwidth.
Mom of 6 too!😊🙌💝
Ah, this!! This is so good. You're not the first homesteader who gave me the advice to let my children do it with me and to let the imperfections/mess-ups teach them. Thank you for this. You're making the mundane task beautiful and intentional. Best I've heard! Thank you for sharing!
Oh my gosh this is great! One time my mom got rid of a wallet of mine when I was a kid that had $80 in it. It was so devastating 😫 I sometimes get too deep into the control part of minimalism and have to remind myself that it's not about control, it's about enjoying life. So thank you for that reminder!
For VBS we took large black trash bags and cut a head hole and two arm holes to pull this over the kids to protect their clothing while doing crafts! Works great and it's cheap!
yep, we used the "trash bag smock" method for many a craft day / messy project when I was a kid.
I’ve truly never understood why so many of the minimalism videos I’ve seen have so much white and beige. I wouldn’t call myself a minimalist yet, maybe not ever, but I always buy things in my favorite colors whenever I’ve needed something or upgraded from something lower quality. It is such a happiness ding even with something as basic as packing my lunch bag for work.
Coworkers asked if I did this on purpose, always having so much of certain colors, and I said yes. Some of them started doing it too and told me it really does make things better to just have their favorite color around more, that it adds a level of contentedness.
If it is any encouragement...I am sure you have saved WAY more than $600 by becoming a minimalist!!! You are doing a great job! And the few things you need to replace (laundry basket, work/paint clothes, etc) can ALL be found at thrift stores or FB MP for CHEAP for this season of life! You are in a new season of growing boys and baking goodies- enjoy what you get to treasure hunt for and buy to serve you well! (Ps...as a mama of 7, we don't fold any laundry...everyone gets their clean laundry in a basket and puts it away in cubbies or hangs them up! ALL socks go into one basket and they can hunt for what they need!🤣 I only put away my own, the hubs and the youngest's laundry while watching youtube! Enjoyment of dishes and laundry has grown on me over the years!💛)
ha, thank you for that encouraging reminder! Also, this is GREAT advice. It's so much more about involving everyone and teaching children that they are responsible for their clothing(something I didn't grow up learning too well...and honestly it was probably more my resistance to it than anything). Going to start teaching my children today! Thanks for sharing this!!
@@margaretmatheny of course! Blessings!💛
Laundry/habit stacking: I also have two boys and a husband. I used to hate laundry, and it was SO overwhelming!! One day my husband suggested i do one load each day (even if it was a small one). It changed my life!!! Here's my routine: Before i go to bed, i brush my teeth -that's where I habit stack. I load the washer. In the morning the first thing i do is drink a full glad if water. That's when i start the washer. By the time I'm done reading with my boys on the morning, the way is ready for the dryer. It works so well for us this way. I only have one basket and it's generally stored/not being used.
I rent an apartment and the landlord set up laundry days for each tenant and it actually made my life a lot easier. Sundays and Wednesdays are my days. It just makes it easy knowing those are the only days I have so I do it. I also make sure the clothes I'm washing are actually dirty. If I know it was worn once and didn't get dirty I put it back in the closet.
Totally makes sense. I gotta make a cleaning calendar for myself/my family. Routine is what helps me when I fall into procrastination mode!
Thank you so much for being honest! Regret is a normal part of life, and I think it's essential for those pursuing minimalism to admit that it is a possibility.
So nice to see this video. Was getting worried that you may not still be doing videos and you are my favorite utuber! I appreciate all your videos and your work in posting them
Ah you're so kind. I'm not done! Just had to wait a bit for the sponsor to check this video
Forgot to mention, after really paying attention to what our family wears i realized we wore a lot of the same outfits most of the time. So we cut out a ton of clothing and I started buying better quality clothing. Made a huge difference on the volume of laundry. If kids have four weeks of clothing and you are not consistent with laundry there will always be a pile.
I am with you on clothes to get messy. I experienced a fire at my apartment building (everyone was ok) and while many clothes were okay some werent and thus I valued what was kept. I have 1 freebie t shirt and 1 $5 pair of sweatpants for messy stuff. I also had no 'old' towels when a friend asked. I definitely will head to the thrift store before I take on any future messy projects.
Laundry advice here! I've been doing this wash system now for several years (5+ maybe) and it works for our family of 6. To note: we have 4 laundry baskets. 👍🏻
Mondays I wash sheets (every other week I wash ours and then our children's)
Tuesdays I wash all our cleaning rags (I use Norwex, and cheaper microfiber instead of paper towels, and recently got cloth napkins).
Wednesdays I wash my husband's and my clothes. *We share a laundry basket in our bedroom.
Thursdays my 10yo washes her and her 4.5yo sister's clothes. *They share a laundry basket in their room.
Fridays my 12yo washes her and her 6.5yo brother's laundry. *They have their own laundry baskets in their own rooms.
Saturdays I wash everyone's 1 towel we all use if I didn't remember to get them into their respective laundry days. 🤪
Sundays I do no laundry. 🙌🏻 I have it set in my calendar on the first Sunday of the month to do a cleaning cycle on my washing machine.
PS so I know you have two young children so you will be doing everything for them. For that I would still do my MTW and on Th just wash both of your boys clothes. Fri-Sun you shouldn't have anything to wash (except for potty accidents).
And to note, we are minimal with clothes too. I keep about 6 tops and 6 bottoms for my girls and for my boy keep 8 of each (he just gets dirtier!). And they all have 4 nicrer church outfits.
The other trick I do is have them wear the same thing on MT and the same on WTh and the same on FSat. Then their Sunday clothes. Of course if they're filthy they get new. But having 3 days of clothes for each week is why the 6 tops/bottoms is like 2 weeks worth of clothing. 😁
Last tip for less expensive laundry basket options. Ive used a large plastic trash can for my son. And for my 4yo (before sharing now a bigger one with her older sister) I got a fabric tote bag and hung it on the back of the bedroom door and she just put her clothes in that and could drag it to the laundry room on her day. And my bigger 2 girls have a folding laundry basket from Ikea that are super cheap. What my husband and I use is his tall plastic white one from high school (and we are 40-ish 😂)!
I'm just amazed by you all! This is the third comment I've responded to saying THANK YOU. I definitely need to make a cleaning schedule instead of trying to tackle it all! Such good advice!! Thank you for taking the time to share this with me. I just read it to my husband!
@@margaretmatheny you're welcome! It does take some time to figure out what works for us and then throwing children in the mix, seasons just change so quickly!
I have a rule...no laundry on the weekends (unless there's an incident, because life happens). I usually do 2 loads 3 days a week and Fridays are my sheets/bedding day. It's made my life so much easier and I am pretty much always caught up on laundry now.
Interesting! Our rule is laundry ONLY on the weekends, lol. My boyfriend and I both have busy jobs, so if I were to do laundry throughout the week, the folding piles would just lay there all week.
Pay for fluff and fold to do your laundry once a week 😘 this will help so much.
Create a system w multiple baskets for each color of laundry or for each persons laundry whatever works best for you. Ive seen some amazing ones here on youtube.
This was both funny and wise. I don’t think you should throw away so much! I have cloths that are more than 30 years old and I use them. Havn’t always but when I don’t feel like having them I store and then go through ones every season to see what I can retire and what I can ”shop” from storage.
I love shopping in my stationery box in the garage! I find all sorts of stuff in there 😀
For laundry, I learned years ago from my sister-in-law with 5 foster kids to put one laundry basket in each bedroom. The oldest child in that bedroom is responsible for managing when they are soon going to be short of clothes and then doing the entire process from washing to back in the drawers. This means far less sorting the clothes for ownership across my family of 8 children age 11 and under. One of the main attraction for me to minimalism is that it claims to make things easier by having less stuff which isn't always the case. Like having an extra set of sheets to make it less stressful when sickness is going through your family and kids are throwing up on their beds. Their is a balance probably in a slightly different place for each family and their circumstances. I've learned to ask myself would life be easier and simpler with or without this item.
You’re not alone on this one. I regret to declutter a few of my jeans that I would ware right now…
I once decluttered but was too lazy to bring the stuff out of the flat… and then realised later that I needed some stuff out of that bag some time later and was able to pull it out again. Since then, only stuff that I am absolutely sure about leaves the flat.
Omg devastated for you! That must’ve really hurt loosing that much money.
It was such a refresher. Seriously getting rid of excess stuff is good but not what you end up needing later and have to buy them.
Mum of 3 boys here: I have two laundry baskets one for whites one for everything else. I do one load of clothing a day ( whatever basket looks fullest ) plus bedding and towels once a week. I air dry everything outside to save the energy. It’s one of these jobs that’s never ending so I just stick it in first thing in the morning. Xx
Such an lovely reminder to didn't get rid of too much things.
Ok I just have to say this is so reassuring!! I have watched your videos for two years but have never followed thru with total declittering because of practical reasons- like winter seasons, stand mixers (also got for my wedding and will never afford it!! But I have it!!)
Also- baby clothes for our next child etc. I haven’t felt so pressured to “let go” but always had the nagging voice not to get rid of stuff. I’m going forward confident to just follow my intuition and declutter but not to punish or deprive.
Thx, love u.
!!!
This was wonderful, thank you for sharing! I just got a laundry basket with three separate pockets. My husband and I love it so much! The last year or so we always found ourselves making piles on the floor because we didn’t want his work clothes to transfer grease to our nice clothes, and also I prefer to keep towels and wash clothes separate from clothes. I highly recommend! 🤗 Keeping junk shirts is a great idea, I did not think of that! I am going through the process with my husband of letting go of things we no longer need, it’s such a wonderful feeling! I just found your channel recently and I just love your content!😊
It won't be long before those kids can help fold and put laundry away. Hang in there, and then train that habit. Thank yoi for your honesty! It's helpful.
I think maybe try a storage house for when you want to declutter something but you are unsure if you're gonna need it in the future, you stored it there. I know a lot of people here who store their excess things in storage houses. And from time to time, they go there and look for something especially when seasons change or when there are occasions like birthday weddings etc.
Happy Sunday morning Margaret. Excellent video with spectacular production values - warm, heartfelt, motivating and inspirational and calming. Your organizational and decluttering skills are impeccable. But that's to be expected from someone with such a high sense of aesthetics and a keen sense of detail. Thanks so much for sharing a tour of your cozy home. 😊😊😊😊
Laundry tip, do one load everyday (given that the washing machine gets actually somewhat full) but also put away the load from the day before. It takes all in all just a few minutes and you stay on top of it and maybe just one hamper would also suffice (it does for us, but we dont have children). and then, but that is kind of advanced and not for everyone, but when i am buying new clothes, inalready think about how i would wash it, if i have enough other stuff in that colour that could be washed together and that is going into my decision making process. but i also like doing laundry so that might not work for everybody
Start a load first thing every single day (I take a break on Sundays) of all dirty clothes and household laundry. The FINISH it! Wash, dry, fold/hang, and put it away. I do an extra load of towels and one of sheets every week. That was a huge help when I was home every day with our six kids.
Washcloths, baskets, towels, sheets, handsoap, medicine, heatpad kind of things are so important to family life/running a house. You or someone else will get sick and be thankful the little things are in place.
For laundry, I use 3 laundry bags from ikea and I use 1 for lights, 1 for darks and 1 for clothing (mostly all of my clothing) that doesn’t get fabric softener. I also have a laundry basket with a lid for towels and washcloths to keep the smells down in the laundry room. I also do 1 small load each day of the week and take weekends off, I put it on in the morning, switch it at lunchtime and then put away in the afternoon. The routine seems to work well for me and my family of 4 (my husband and I plus our 2 toddlers).
Oh no!!! I would totally cry too- but also TOTALLY something I would do!!!
I’ve definitely decluttered a few things that I had to re-buy, but if it’s on $5-10 I’m not too upset.
Laundry Basket ! Just today my husband brought it up again. I should have never gotten rid of it. Lol
The towels look soo comfy and cozy 🤍🌷
Great video!! Thank you so much for this list, wow I can relate!! My heart hurts for that $600!! Ahhhhhh. I have also regretted getting rid of some "junk clothes" and extras of a few things I could have really used.
SO good, Marge. It really is all a balance. It's helpful to hear your regrets!
I do a load a day generally. I have three littles 6 and under. I was the baby’s clothes with mine. Two big kids get washed together cause they share a room. Hubby gets his own load. Towels. Sheets. And we cloth diaper. Dry and put away same day. Also once we decluttered so much we wash more often but it’s less items so easy to put away. 😉
Decluttered laundry 🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺 as well ... having them back in bedrooms has been a game changer..
You have a great sense of humour!
Laundry Advise!!!! I do not mix any ones laundry. For me, it’s so much easier to fold and put away each person’s laundry because it’s separate
Love it! We have 4 children and I honestly can't remember how I managed all the washing when they were young. I was working part time as well. I think I washed daily maybe even twice (light and dark loads) so there wasn't so much drying, certainly in the cooler months. We live in the UK.
What’s helped me the most in the laundry is having one basket for whites and one for darks. I got the idea from Minimal Mom.
Really good video to make. I am also someone that declutters things whenever possible but I sometimes keep certain items I may still need to think about because of those exact reasons + in some cases they still work and I'd rather wait another extra year or 2 to finish those products off and then never buy them again. I dislike throwing away/donating perfectly good things just because they may not make me happy. In my case, I have enough space to store those so I don't mind holding onto them for a bit longer but they definitely provide lots of uses for me so regardless of my personal feelings towards them, I'll still keep them. Again, not doing that with everything I own but most things, yeah.
I also think it's best to attempt to sell items/products in good shape just to try to get some of the money back from them. Donating, while nice, psychologically just makes you quickly go through your items and naturally not checking through them as well as you normally would if you wanted to sell those items. When you want to sell something, you check every angle of that item so that the receiver knows what they're getting aka you get to fully check what you want to get rid of.
Laundry...the never ending pile ....but I have 8 healthy people ...I have a washer...I have lots of sunshine to dry the clothes...I have girls to help fold and hang them out...I have a laundry room ...I have soap...I do laundry everyday...3 loads at least ...that way it's not sitting stincky... find what works for you...we all have more time than we think
Thank you for this video! Too much focus on minimalism, and not enough content on what shouldn't be decluttered, this was helpful for me!
Laundry tip: don't get big oversized towels. Use small towels with better absorbancy - less laundry 😉
I have hated laundry for as long as I can remember but finally have a system down that works for us. I have two toddlers.
Mon: wash the boys clothes
Tues: my clothes
Wed:Towels, wash cloths,etc
Thurs: Sheets and any blankets that need to be washed
Friday: my husbands clothes
My oldest son has favorite pants so I usually throw them in a random load every other day lol this system usually gives me the weekends where I don’t have to worry about washing or folding.
The thing that really changed laundry was to stop washing everyone’s laundry together. Instead of sorting by color I gave each person their own basket and so that eliminated having to figure out who the socks belong to. I just take the basket to that room and fold and put away. No sorting needed.
This other idea is the total opposite. The other thing that I have done was when we were moving we stayed in a very small apartment for a month. Most of our clothing was in storage and every night i would take what was in the hamper (everyones clothing) and wash it, dry it and fold it. It was so easy because I washed all the laundry every night and our clothes were ready for the next day.
Great reflections, easy to identify with! Thanks 😊
I have three kids under five and they mostly wear the same clothes daily. I decided to downsize what they have and they each have five outfits and every night there clothes go right into the wash along with whatever else needs to be washed for the day. I start it before I go to bed and in the morning put it in the dryer and then right into their drawers. Sometimes they put those clothes right but on or put them away themselves because it's very easy for them to do. I found this to be the most useful method for us.
Lovedddd this video!! SO helpful to see the losses because I am one that would toss before thinking through it 😂 Especially all my winter clothes 😆
Laundry: I have 1 basket at the first floor at our bedroom. There goes everything in it. On the second floor next to the washingmachine I have 4 baskets. I sort the laundry in categories, dark clothes, light clothes, dark towels etc, light towels etc. When a basket is almost full, I do laundry :) i have this system a few years now and it works perfectly!! The basket next to our bedroom i sort first in the baskets on the 2nd floor :)
Oh no! Hate that about the money! I used to have anxiety about decluttering thinking I would always regret it, but realized that if I was not using it in this season of my life, then maybe I was meant only to have it for a short time so that I could pass it on to someone else who needed it (even if selling it, they still got it at a discount!) Also, it might not even work at this point (trust me - I try to come up with all the excuses it was a good decision to get rid of it 😂) It certainly makes you think of needs vs wants when purchasing again! I do laundry every other day, one load - my husband's and mine together then two days later, my two kids together, one load. Towels and sheets on the weekend. I used to have my kids throw their clothes in the washer when done with them for the day, but my son is a 17-year-old slob and so placing a laundry basket in the corner of his room saves me so much frustration and pickup! ha! I think life is all about learning as you go - it may take some trail and error and some things work better in certain seasons, but mostly for me I have come to realize that I don't have to take some things so seriously that I miss out on the small joys! Have a great weekend!
We’re a family of 5 and I find doing a load a day works best for us! I never feel behind on laundry that way. My boys are responsible for putting their clothes away. Even the toddler (no its not perfect in their drawers). When it comes to folding laundry try to make the task enjoyable like watching a youtube video or listening to a podcast.
love all your videos! So helpful, inspiring & motivational plus your humor makes me laugh and smile so so often. Just love your channel!
That's why I do not do decluttering by numbers, because you tend to declutter for decluttering sake in the momentum.
Beennthere myself 😬.
I try to ask the right questions instead and use a quarantine box.
I did sell a lot of furniture and regret only a pair of armchairs... But now thinking back it would not be good to my vibes so eventually I learned not to think about it.
I've learned to surround myself with new items that bring freshness to my life.
Ok, I had to share something with you I recently did that was extremely costly.
We purchased a cow during the summer. As he unloaded the cases of meat with my son, he did not put the tailgate down. I did not look and check the bed of the truck to make sure none was left back there. I was smelling this horrible smell and i couldn't figure out what it was. 6 days later I h eeeeewww ard the voice say step up on the bumper and look in the bed of the truck. Well, he left 2 boxes of meat in the bed of his truck. Hundreds of dollars of rotting meat. It was disgusting and we too shed some tears. I always check to make sure we unloaded everything and I beat myself up over it for months. I can tell you one thing I learned, I will double check next time. He learned to unload with the tailgate down because had it been down we would have seen the boxes.
It probably was pretty close to your $600 loss.
We must forgive ourselves and give ourselves grace.
Blessings. 🙏
For another possible laundry system you may want to check out ‘The Minimal Mom’ ( 4 kids) she has a few videos on laundry.
Games I'm never getting rid of. That and my Blu Rays.
I regret getting rid of my zentangle art books. I didn't use them but now I am starting to do art so...I just bought some new art books so I feel a little better 😂 .
ooh we all do stupid things, all of us. I lost some money for shopping because i stuffed it in my sock and it fell out oooops. I have let go of so much and i felt as if i was eliminating my life, i have had to learn so much and its hard for me to treat myself and everytime i do i think i have to justify it, it is hard to balance it all out sometimes and there are seasons for plenty and seasons for less. Do we ever get it all right, i doubt it, God bless you and your family xxx
If you own your home and have the extra cash laying around you could always make built in laundry bins. I have 5 box openings that reach up to almost the ceiling in my laundry room. Laundry stays in one place, just an idea.
Laundry = not minimalist but the process is the best, but each person gets their own basket. When it’s full throw the whole thing in the wash, and now you don’t have to sort laundry! That whole wash goes right back to the person’s closet. Even better is if you only wash on one day. Sundays are wash day here. Then you’re not stressing about laundry everyday.
My laundry suggestion would be buy quality stuff you can wash together without ruining. Making a mental note of the least amount of loads as possible and pick a day for it. I would drive myself crazy with multiple little loads of stuff I honestly didn't care for much that would fall apart after 2 washes cause it was on sale. Just made me not want to wash the stuff right away. Boom. Mess sitting out. With quality and schedule I don't have that stress in the back of my mind.
For some, minimalism is a religion, and Marie Kondo is their founding saint. The white and beige and greys and black are the new habit worn by Minimalism's converts, projected onto homes (turning them into monastic cells)
For others, it's merely a reminder to live more in the Here & Now, a tap on the noggin to rebalance to the extent that works in the present time.
I'm a hoarder; it's genetic, like alcoholism is for many alcoholics, and ceasing to drink does not make you not an alcoholic. I see the hoarding throughout my female lineage, I see the accompanying neuroses and perfectionism and control-issues and OCD and asthma and possible ADHD. But now that I'm retired, have a more stable life, have a sufficient fixed income, and some age-related limitations, (plus I no longer care what other people think), I am finally paring down my 'inventory' and simplifying my life. I've been de-hoarding.
Will I keep duplicates/triplicates/more of some items? If it's practical to do so, yeah.
I keep misplacing my reading glasses, so I buy them in lots at discount and leave them everywhere, 'enriching' my environment at home and where I am when I'm out & about, so I don't find myself without such an essential item.
Do I keep clothing 'just in case' an event comes around that requires it? Yeah.
I have no social life, I don't attend expensive 'do's', I live a very laid-back casual life. But I don't need extra stress if there's a court case or a funeral or if I will be central to some public honoring, so I keep a simple Little Black Dress, a dress coat, choice of pantyhose, and basic shoes; it's a 'uniform' of sorts that covers a broad use, because I'm not a savage.
Photos? Journals/diaries? Yearbooks?
Some people purge these, saying we live in the present, not the past. They toss out kids' drawings or even their own; they toss out photos of their past loves or their kids' earlier photos. These are documentation of evolution; they're personal or family HISTORY. I recall looking at a photo of my 3yr-old daughter next to 3yr-old me, and I see the commonality; not in the physical resemblances, but the spirit we expressed in our photos. Believe me, she's her own unique person, but there's a loss in annihilating documentation of what was/is. It can take decades just to develop the perspective that opens your eyes to the information contained in a photo.
"He who forgets the past is doomed to repeat it." Keeping historical documentation furthers understanding and perspective; it ADDS VALUE.
Minimalism, like every '-ism' can be carried too far. It's meant to make us contrast what we do with a different perspective, but you don't have to join the cult; you can just adopt the things that 'add value' to your present life.
'Adding value': isn't that the fundamental point of minimalism?
First thing NEVER declutter some one else's stuff
I threw a cell phone away when it was in between newspapers stacked on a table. The battery was dead, so when I called the number it never rang.
So tempting to over declutter!
my tips are :
1. Do a load of laundry everyday
2. Load the load the night before
3. part of the breakfast routine is you start the load
4. Fold laundry before you start dinner
What works for me:
Each day, I fold what's in the dryer (run it for a bit if it needs unwrinkling) and put that away, move the load that's in the washer to the dryer, and put a new load in the washer. Done. Next day - Repeat! So easy and such a good feeling to know, as the machines do their thing, laundry is done for the day.
Someone donated an old coat to goodwill in out town. Probably someone’s family member died and they donated all their clothes. The goodwill people found $35,000 in the pockets of the coat. Everyone in my town learned to check better the stuff you donate. Sorry about the $600.
I use baby wash cloths to wash my face every morning. We all know we don't really use those baby wash cloths. Lol I loaded up in the baby room. At my church thrift store when they had the bag sale. They are soft, small, can get makeup on them..who cares
What dress are you wearing for your unboxing of Brook linen? I love it!!!!
Mom of 7 here. I've tried all the systems I could find on RUclips. You have to take some things into consideration. 1. Washing your clothes with SIMILAR WEIGHT. example: t-shirts socks underwear and lighter clothing . Jeans and hoodies (the only thing my two teens wear) in another load. I don't separate colors and I've never had an issue.
2. Your wash/dryer machine. A large load for you may be a medium load for someone else. If your dryer does not dry efficiently that causes a lot of anxiety regarding laundry. These are expensive purchases and they don't make them like they use to. Taking care of your machine and not overloading with soap or clothing can make a huge difference in efficiency. Since I don't have as many kiddos at home anymore I went from 2 washer/dryers two one set of new ones. The new ones work better than the two old ones. Faster, larger capacity. Just something to think about.
3. Having a place to fold not on your bed or couch. We have a simple board going across our washer and dryer. (Its slightly raised for ventilation with smaller boards) If you have a top loader get a small plasic folding table.
Mentally, in my own mind, clothes in a heap on the bed or couch says to me "dirty or wrinkled clothes its ok to leave them there"
And when you go to bed and throw them on the floor because you didn't get to it... yeah frustrating.
My personal favorite system, two loads each day. I have one area that clothing gets sorted. The kids know at the end of the day they have to put all dirty clothes in the laundry room and sort it properly. (This is where that consistency as a parent comes in but makes life easier in the long run)
I have an ikea Kalax with 12 shelves. Each has a plastic basket that holds about 1 load in it. ( i found that large baskets fool you into thinking you have less laundry.)I have them labeled. 4 kiddos, 2 adults
2 towel, 2 sweats, 1 jean, 1 delicate, 1 dish rags and reusable napkins and cloths,
1 sheets. We do one heavy load and one light load per day. I or the kiddos load the wash the night before and turn it on first thing in the morning. I turn on my timer on my phone for both loads and I'm done before the noon burnout.
Hope this helps
This works! It’s exactly what I do, we are 10 in my home counting dogs too and doing laundry everyday even if it’s a small load helps a lot to not get overwhelmed with having to do a bunch of loads in one day… also to help with the electric bill because dryers consume A LOT I air dry the smaller loads.
@@kathiagarrcia so funny you mention the dog. Our one dog has three beds. When he gets groomed we wash them all. Its worse than a kiddo soiling the sheets, so many parts to unstuff and restuff. Definately adds to the laundry mess, but like dirty sheets or blankets those take priority or you get full laundry pile up. Ever notice how a large pile of laundry seem so say " ahh, you can do it later"
@@jmj9063 I have 4 dogs all different sizes and they still manage to make the same amount of mess so washing sheets it’s a must in here I do it at least 3 times per week and yes definitely I get tempted in leaving the laundry for another day specially on Sundays when I don’t want to do absolutely nothing after running errands but you gotta do what you gotta do to stay sane 😂
That sounds like a great system! Where do you put the additional 2 Kalax baskets?
@@susannovak8263 lol I had to go look at it. I actually only have one towel bin and my oldest kiddo ( whos an adult) keeps her basket in her room and does her own laundry. Keeps anyone from accidentally "borrowing" clothes.
So three kiddos and my hubby and I. But there would be room on top for a couple more. The key is to lable them and put the littles bins in a reachable spot. Making them do the sorting takes care of half the battle. Giving them the clothes to fold and put away is the other half. I lay them out flat and lay them in a basket for them to finish after school. Pain in the but to keep on top of but so worth it.
Jordan page (fun cheap or free) has a great laundry-system video that you might find helpful!
Beating yourself up for a $6 laundry basket is too much.
A new stage of life with toddlers definitely needs more washcloths. I used loads when my kids were toddlers. I had a specific color for the kitchen to use Instead of wipes or paper towels, only for baby faces. No washing dishes with them!
God bless you!
love your videos, i say hi from hungary ❤
Junk T-shirts:
How often do you need them?
Seems to me better to either borrow from family/friends &/or just buy some from a thrift or yard sale.
Most instances of needing work grubbies are not immediate; you have some lead-time to prepare for the event. Just swing by a thrift and outfit yourself &/or the kids.
There really is no need to take up valuable real estate in the home for a rare-use item. And buying thrift items helps to support a thrift's good works.
Selling the Standmixer:
Again, it's a large item, takes up a lot of valuable real estate to store and effort to shlep from one residence to another. You don't mention how much care-free time passed between the sale and the need for it arose.
No; it was worth selling it and buying a newer (better-appointed) upgrade when your circumstances were ready for it.
Even solid, sturdy items degrade; wires oxidize, plastic dries out and gets brittle. You're better off getting a new one when you need it. Let that regret go.
Ok, only the $600 stinks. But that falls under rule not to declutter other people’s things. As a homeschool mom of 8, 5 & 3 yr old boys everything else can be bought at the thrift store or marketplace. I took opposite path and kept everything for someday through 7 years as newlyweds, got even more stuff to help with babies until I was drowning in my own house. I didn’t discover minimalism until my 3rd was born. You couldn’t buy back the freedom and peace you’ve had not lugging that stuff around. Or the success you’ve had sharing the joy of simple living with us. Grieve the $600 and move on. You’re an amazing wife, mom and RUclipsr. Even the $600, tell hubby you likely made that back on the video you made. 😉
Use the washing machine as a laundry basket! We have zero mom of 3!
Você é muito engraçada!!
Jesus abençoe o seu lar mais e mais! 💕🙏🏼
are you using ecos? im so confused about its toxcity some say its great and some dont --- i am using it but would like to know if you have any thoughts
Why put in phone case?
Ok the $600 was definitely not your fault 😂 who leaves that kinda cash in an old phone case?!
Can’t blame yourself though if Tate is hiding money in old phone cases! I would probably not check an old phone case for cash either 😅
he 100% told me it was in there!!! I just forgot! Hence why he was unwell, lol. Ah gosh, it still hurts.
Ohh nooo 😅🥹