Post 12 / Household Harmony
Photo of the Komono Cateogory, All Gathers, taken by Tori Klotz
2024, Example of what gets gathered after identifying your “first cut” items for daily peace and seeing what you have to tackle ahead — the biggest subcategories in Komono: Household.
“Everything you own wants to be of use to you. Even if you throw it away or burn it, it will only leave behind the energy of wanting to be of service. Free from its physical form, it will move around your world as energy…”
— Marie Kondo
The calculation
Days tidying: 13
items tossing: 15 + 3 boxes of trash
items donating: 207 + 8boxes of donations
items selling: 69 (house added zero to this overall category)
items kept: 1214 (House added 170 to this overall category)
Total items tidied: 1214
Total $ from sold tidied goods:
$449.12 [no change from last week, third week in a row. Hoping for some fresh sales soon on poshmark with electronics getting listed next week]
My tidying cost equation:
(sold tidied items) - (tidying supplies cost) = net cost:
$449.12 - $653.74 = (-$204.62) [No change from last week, third week in a row]
The confidence I can complete this project:
Down to 70% this week. With the kitchen done and Thanksgiving a success, household supplies and consumables are next—heavy lifting ahead. My confidence is waning with Christmas travel coming up, and I know the sentimental items and our custom “Outdoor Gear” category will be the toughest and most time-consuming yet.
What is the Household Category Exactly?
Household: Equipment vs. Supplies
Household items fall into two subcategories: Equipment and Supplies. Equipment, for me, felt more clearly labeled as non-consumable "gear" that makes your home functional and cozy—think furniture, toolboxes, blankets, grocery baskets, containers, and sewing kits. Supplies, on the other hand, are your consumables: cleaning products, toiletries, writing materials, and detergents. These are the items we use up regularly, which can quickly pile up.
This category is often the first where you’ll notice just how much clutter accumulates—there’s a lot of trash hiding here. As I started tackling my household supplies and equipment this week (just days after Thanksgiving!), I uncovered old batteries, paint, and unused plastic spray bottles, all bound for proper chemical disposal. To streamline your tidying, I recommend identifying your local waste disposal site ahead of time so you can drop off these items while running errands.
As I dove into this phase of tidying, I quickly realized just how much I’d be evaluating for joy—items large and small, each taking up unique space and character in the home. Unlike the uniformity of clothing, jewelry, or papers, this category felt vast and varied. In these moments, Marie Kondo’s sentiment resonated deeply:
"Everything you own wants to be of use to you. Even when discarded, its energy remains in your world—free to support you in new ways."
You may find yourself tackling specific groupings of items as you dive into household tidying. For me, my toolbox took up an entire afternoon. As someone who’s no stranger to late-night DIY projects, my toolbox reflected that—let’s just say I started with way too many measuring tapes and ended up keeping only four.
Another grouping was holiday decorations. While some might leave these for the sentimental category, I saw my felt ornaments as a representation of my overspending need to feel like I have the holiday essentials rather than sentimentality. In the end, I pared it down to one tree skirt, two garlands, 17 ornaments, three paper Christmas trees, one string of lights, and one felt wreath. Everything fits neatly into one large arts-and-crafts Tupperware, stored in the basement for the off-season—no more excess holiday clutter.
One surprise was the sheer amount of packaging tied to household items. Even after tossing three boxes of trash, I wasn’t shocked. Over a year ago, I began transitioning away from plastic containers for daily consumables like shampoo, conditioner, and kitchen cleaning supplies. It took six months and a chunk of our maintenance budget, but the effort was worth it. If you’re inspired to try, give yourself time and budget space, and look for local “zero waste” or “reuse” stores. Having one open in Duluth made the process so much easier—and the reduced visual clutter from branded packaging is a huge bonus! But, fair warning, I had this (expensive) glass bottle and jar system in place before I tidied the Household category. Don’t be surprised if you’ve got significantly more trash than me.
As you tackle Household this week, remind yourself you’re getting through the bulky heart of our work. Even just after these first few boxes of household, I was feeling the house transform before my eyes. It’s worth it, so keep going and I’ll see you next week for Electronics.
