Today I am sharing - KOMONO: Kitchen - Eating
If you are new to my blog, Welcome! In case you missed it, be sure to read my Introduction and Getting Started post, so you know what the KonMari Method is all about and the reasons why I am doing it.
Also in this series:
Komono: Skincare products, Make-up & Accessories
Komono: Valuables & Electronics
Komono: Household Equipment: Stationery
Komono: Household Equipment: Craft Supplies
Komono: Household Supplies
In a nutshell, Marie Kondo has four rules she recommends people follow when doing the KonMari Method:Komono: Valuables & Electronics
Komono: Household Equipment: Stationery
Komono: Household Equipment: Craft Supplies
Komono: Household Supplies
1. Tidy in one shot, as quickly and completely as possible.
2. Sort by category, not by location
3. Selection Criterion: Does it 'spark joy?'
4. Order of tidying: Clothes, Books, Documents (Paper), Miscellaneous items (Komono), and Momentos (Sentimental)
As suggested in the book, I will start doing the KonMari Method with my own 'stuff' first, then I will work though the kids items, because I am too sentimental and would find it hard to part with their things right off the bat. I also need to get my head around this new process of de-cluttering, tidying and organising, so hopefully when it comes to purging my kids stuff, it will be a lot easier (well, let's hope so).
*******
The fourth category of the KonMari Method is KOMONO (Miscellaneous). Now for me, this category is probably bigger than the Paper category. Do you remember in my Introduction post, I mentioned I felt overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I had stored in containers sitting in my office, well majority of them fit into this category. I have containers of miscellaneous items - that I haven't really touched for the past 3 years and includes stuff I have kept for over 10! This category may take some time, however I will be following Marie Kondo's recommended order (see below) and will hopefully (fingers crossed) find a new home for everything and only "keep things because I love them, not 'just because'" (Marie Kondo) - which is totally why I always rebound, and why I NEED the KonMari Method in my life.
Over the next couple of weeks or however long it takes me, I will be tackling Komono (miscellaneous items 1) which includes:
- CDs, DVDs
- Skincare products
- Make-Up
- Accessories
- Valuables (passports, credit cards, etc)
- Electrical equipment and appliances (digital cameras, electric cords, anything that seems vaguely 'electric')
- Household Equipment: Stationery & Crafts
- Household supplies (expendables like medicine, detergents, tissues, etc)
- Kitchen goods/food supplies <------YOU ARE HERE
- Other
As always I will be keeping these three rules in mind when doing my purge:
1. Tidy in one shot, as quickly and completely as possible.
2. Sort by category, not by location
3. Selection Criterion: Does it 'spark joy?'
Today I am sharing - KOMONO: Kitchen - Eating
In the book 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying', Marie Kondo doesn't really go into much detail when talking about the Komono (miscellaneous) in the kitchen. It is an area of the home, I believe, that needs to be broken down into sections, otherwise it could be very overwhelming to do it all at once. I am glad I purchased Marie's second book 'SPARK JOY' because she does split this sub-category into three sections and really breaks it down.
The three sub-categories for the Kitchen Komono are:
Cups & Glasses - BEFORE
Cups and Glasses - AFTER
So much better, don't you think! Look at all that space!
Cups & Classes - Purge
Cutlery - AFTER
Extra Cutlery - BEFORE
Extra Cutlery - AFTER
Plates & Bowls - BEFORE
I didn't need to do much to our plates & bowls drawer, because we have kept it pretty simple since buying the new dinner set. I have moved my son's plates into our plastics drawer, where we keep the rest of his plates & bowls. (There was nothing that need to be purged in that area).
Plates & Bowls - AFTER
1. Tidy in one shot, as quickly and completely as possible.
2. Sort by category, not by location
3. Selection Criterion: Does it 'spark joy?'
*******
In the book 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying', Marie Kondo doesn't really go into much detail when talking about the Komono (miscellaneous) in the kitchen. It is an area of the home, I believe, that needs to be broken down into sections, otherwise it could be very overwhelming to do it all at once. I am glad I purchased Marie's second book 'SPARK JOY' because she does split this sub-category into three sections and really breaks it down.
The three sub-categories for the Kitchen Komono are:
- EATING - e.g. Cups, Glassware, Crockery (Plates & Bowls), & Cutlery - things you use for eating
- COOKING TOOLS - e.g. Utensils, Vessels, Appliances, and Baking Supplies
- FOOD - e.g. Food supplies, Storage containers (including plastics)
When we moved into our new home (August 2015), I wanted a fresh start and that meant getting rid of all of our old plates and cups (minus a couple of our favourite mugs and a few glasses). I bought a new dinner set which included 6 plates, 6 side plates, 6 bowls, 6 glasses, 6 cups and a set of cutlery - everything we needed for our family of four, plus a couple of extras.
As you can see, our cup/glasses drawer was in need of a clean out and a bit of re-organisation. So I pulled everything out and grouped like things together and returned the cups/glasses that 'sparked joy' or I was happy to keep. Well it ended up being all of them but 4. It wasn't much of a purge, however our cup drawer is looking MUCH better now, I have organised it. It sparks joy every time I open the drawer.
Please note: We do own wine/beer glasses, however that is more my partner's domain, as I don't drink. I have a set of 6 coloured-stem wine glasses in another cupboard that I bring out for special occasions for family and friends to use, the rest belong to my partner. I will give him the job of going through them and purge the ones he no longer wants or needs.
Cups and Glasses - AFTER
So much better, don't you think! Look at all that space!
Cups & Classes - Purge
Cutlery - BEFORE
I wasn't too bothered about my cutlery and only purged a few of each item - mainly ones that were mismatched (tad OCD)...Our cutlery drawer looks much better now though.
Cutlery - AFTER
Extra Cutlery - BEFORE
I had good intentions when I decided to keep the extra sets of cutlery. I thought we could use them when we had our families over for lunch/dinner or for special occasions. Well, we have had about 5-6 get togethers in the past 6 months (Christmas and birthdays) and we didn't use them once, so they are gone - ALL GONE. We buy paper/plastic plates and cutlery instead, and discard them once we are finished with them.
For me, it just seemed pointless to keep these excess items 'just in case or just because' - they were taking up space and collecting dust. I know someone else will benefit from them. The extra set of cutlery I got from the dinner set I bought are unused, so I will donating them to our PlayCentre.
Extra Cutlery - AFTER
Plates & Bowls - BEFORE
I didn't need to do much to our plates & bowls drawer, because we have kept it pretty simple since buying the new dinner set. I have moved my son's plates into our plastics drawer, where we keep the rest of his plates & bowls. (There was nothing that need to be purged in that area).
Plates & Bowls - AFTER
Clean and simple!
Well, for me, that was a good start to the Kitchen Komono. We don't actually own that much in this sub-category, so it did make the process a lot easier. If you do own a lot of cups, glasses, cutlery and plates etc, my advice would be to tackle each group separately, pull everything out of the cupboard and/or drawer and only return the things you love, or spark joy. I used to pick out and look for the things I didn't want first, and found myself feeling overwhelmed. By choosing the things you want to keep first, you are then left with the things you no longer want or need. Thus, making the purging process easier. Good luck! Let me know how you get on.
Do you own a lot of cups & glassware? Dishes?
Do you own a spare set of plates & cutlery for special occasions?
How/Where do you store them?
Next: 'My KonMari Journey' - Komono: Kitchen - Cooking Tools
This will include cooking utensils, cooking vessels (pots & pans), cooking appliances, and I will be including my Baking Supplies in this section too - anything related to cooking/baking.Please note: The Komono (Miscellaneous) category has several sub-categories, and I will be sharing a post for all of them (some will be combined, some will be split into two parts). Watch this space or Subscribe to my Blog, so you don't miss a post.
****
I am super excited about this journey and I would love for you to follow along in this process, better yet, join me - Subscribe to my Blog, so you don't miss a post and together we can tidy our homes and change our lives, once and for all. I will also be sharing my journey on my Facebook page, and Instagram, so be sure to follow me there too.
Charlene
If you would like to give the KonMari Method a go, and you don't have the book - Here is a checklist of the fourth category - KOMONO (Miscellaneous items 1) . Click the image below and Save/Print. You can also view my previous checklists HERE.
Don't Miss A Post - Subscribe Today!
How on earth do you manage with only six plates and bowls?!?!?! There's four of us, we have TWELVE of everything and we've been known to run out. (I only run the dishwasher once a day) We started out with ten of everything in our last set of dishes but gravity and boys and we got down to seven dinner plates when, after I had to eat dinner on two side plates, we got new dishes.
ReplyDeleteha! It surprised me too, having only six plates etc...but it works for us and it helped lighten the load when washing the dishes. When we had a lot of plates, there were a lot of dishes!!
DeleteWhat a great job or pairing down. I don't have a lot of dishes, but our cups and glasses are out of control and could probably use a purge. I look forward to your next post!
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you do a purge Mary! Would love to know how many you get rid of. Thanks for your ongoing support & words of encouragement.
DeleteOh wow. Your cups draw sparks joy for me too! I can see how this journey will be life changing for you. Xx
ReplyDeletehe he Thanks Shannon. It really is life-changing. I am feeling lighter already.
DeleteI really need to do this for our cups, and glasses. Otherwise most of our kitchen stuff is still in storage while we wait for the kitchen reno. xx
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see your new kitchen Nicole! No doubt it's going to be amazing!
DeleteI really need to get stuck into our kitchen. Even though we are only 2 people, we have enough plates, cups and glasses to feed an army. I've got this irrational fear that one day we might have to entertain a crowd and there won't be plates to eat off, or worse still, a wine glass to drink out of... Crazy, I know! I love the idea of paper plates and of course, plastic glasses! You did good!
ReplyDeleteCome and sort my stuff out - My kitchen ids a mess and I hate the thought of doing it. Yours looks great.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of the Konmari practice before but damn I love a good before and after. ;) xx
ReplyDeleteYou're doing so well Charlene. I still have to clear out clutter from my kitchen. School holidays doesn't seem the perfect time to do it so hopefully I can tackle it when Esther goes back to school.
ReplyDeleteEven if you don't get rid of much, knowing that you have sorted the items and only kept what you want to have will 'spark joy'. This is quite a long journey you are on, thanks for sharing it with the Blog Fair.
ReplyDelete