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BEWARE: Underwear

I mentioned that I was reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo.

My life is not magically changed, but I have not yet piled every article of clothing I own on top of my bed and then handled each piece to feel a spark of joy (keep) or not (get rid of).  I haven't done that with my books or my papers or the miscellaneous stuff around my house.  I might someday.  Then I will let you know about any magical changes that take place.

But--

Here's a confession: My underwear drawer looks like hers and has since a time before Marie Kondo was even born.  And that is why I get a little testy.  She makes millions teaching people to tidy their underwear drawers but I already knew that and just wasn't smart enough to cash in on it.



The summer after my freshman year at college, I worked at a small restaurant in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  Two guys owned it and lived upstairs.  There was another girl and I who worked there that summer and shared a bedroom upstairs as well.  We cleaned rooms at a nearby motel in the mornings.  I worked in the kitchen and my room mate waitressed with another woman who lived in town.  It was kind of a strange set up, but the strangest part to me was when one of the owners asked which one of us had the incredibly neat underwear drawer.  I mean he had to have been snooping, but he asked without any embarrassment at all.

Years later, when my daughter was probably six or seven, she came home from a friends house.  "Mom, do you realize that not everyone keeps underwear the way you do?"  She had witnessed her friends mom open a dresser drawer and toss in a jumble of panties, completely unfolded!!  Honestly, the things you can't protect your young children from having to see too early in life!

Still--

I have to confess that I did learn something from that book and it is going to make my life easier.  I had aha! moments over the notion of tidying once and then finding a home for the things that you keep when I reading the following bits:


  • The point in deciding specific places to keep things is to designate a spot for every thing.  p.131
  • ...pursue ultimate simplicity in storage so you can tell at a glance what have.  p.137
  • ...store all items of the same type in the same place and don't scatter storage space. p.138
I realized that I am tidy, but not organized.  I put things away and then can't remember where I put them so I waste time looking for something or I waste money buying something I don't need.  I think: well that was not a good place to store that so I rearrange storage space and then I forget where even more things are because I am putting things into deep storage so I don't see them at a glance.

There are some things I need to tweak in my tidying routine.  One of them is not dealing with my underwear though.
And my socks are not to bad either:
Although the pantyhose still in the packages is a KonMari no-no.

Comments

  1. Dang. Your drawers are amazing. You did miss out on making a fortune! I think if you get three good ideas from a book then you've got your money's worth.

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  2. Well, my pantie drawer is almost as neat as yours, almost. The rest of the clothing drawers are OK if not jaw dropping. I really, really, really need to throw out stuff. I did that with clothing and jewelry when I moved down here, but I have been here ten years and the time is now come to do that again.

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  3. I learned early, at my mother's side, the importance of being neat and organized. Unfortunately, I married a man who is a total opposite, and it's so frustrating!

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  4. You and my daughter! I guess my messy underwear drawer must have scarred her when she was young! Then there is her closet which is beyond organized!

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  5. Wow, your drawer is amazing. Mine is called packed clutter. Some rainy day, I may try your method.

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  6. I am the mother of your daughter's friend!!! But I am organized!!! I read somewhere that folding underwear is a waste of time.... just shove it in the drawer, and that's just what I've been doing for many years.... Oh I know...TMI

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  7. I tend to be organized where my jewelry is concerned. I store green jewelry in a sandwich bag separate from the gold jewelry in another sandwich bag, etc. My rings are all stored together in one bag, too. All of these bags are then stored in a drawer in my dresser.

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  8. There are some lessons for me to learn as well, because I have a bad habit of purchasing things (replacement mop head springs to mind because I went to the store just this morning) and then I'm not able to find them when I need them. It mostly happens with items that are rarely used.

    My dresser drawers are a disaster, I clean them with the intention of keeping them tidy and organized and it never happens. I'm envious of your mad underwear skills! As for the former landlord, ewwww!

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  9. You've inspired me. My underwear drawer is a mess!
    I am good at throwing out and repurposing Books, and toys and when something breaks it is outta here fast. our small home made me a good PITCHER outer. But My drawers drawer is in sore need of help . Thanks

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  10. Fortunately my wife puts my underwear away, if it was me it would be a jumble. Nice drawers.

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  11. I love this post! I try to keep my underwear folded and neat too, but not like that. I like your method much better. I'm going to go fix mine right now. Thanks a bunch!

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    Replies
    1. Yae! I just fixed my underwear drawer and I LOVE it! I'm going to post about it too with a link to your post. I did Art's drawer also and OH MY GOSH! It freed up so much space! Thank you so much!

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  12. This is fun. I love being disorganized!

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  13. What a fun read. I am familiar with the book but have. It read it. I am not tidy but I a organized. I am good at outgoing things and to so a few times a year. Still, things accumulate.

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  14. Great post, Olga. I'm here with my mouth open at your organized drawers. I thought I was good, but you have me beat!

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  15. You're so funny! I am not tidy. Hubby is a neat freak. Not a good combo.
    I am organized, in that things have places and spaces. Things have been so busy with appointments, though.

    ReplyDelete

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