Want to save time and money, and feel more organized? Using the KonMari method by Marie Kondo can give your lifestyle and finances a refreshing makeover.
If you've ever been curious about what Sam's wife Sydney is like, well you're about to get a peek into her, oops I mean my, personality and – gasp! – my drawers thanks to KonMari.
I'm a lighthearted, patient (most days), happy homebody who has to know where everything is in the house and on my computer. But staying organized can be really hard, especially with a toddler in the house, and if you're going at it wrong.
The KonMari method is an exciting and refreshing new way to organize that can get quite addicting. I'm sure some of you have heard about it or are already hooked on it like me.
Since I'm also a personal finance fan, I'm going to share why it's beneficial to KonMari your lifestyle and finances.
The Six Rules Of The KonMari Method
Before I reveal my own recent adventure in organizing, I'll give you the rundown on KonMari.
What is it? KonMari is a method of organization created by Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing consultant and author who has a new hit show on Netflix, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.
I stopped watching reality TV shows seven years ago, but had to make an exception for this show. It's addicting in a good way and has inspired me to make some refreshing changes.
The organizer in me that's been away on leave ever since we had a baby has re-emerged thanks to this show. I had so much fun watching all of season 1 that I admittedly started watching it over again.
I also really enjoy Marie's personality and mannerisms. I've traveled to Japan over a dozen times or so to visit family and friends, and the aura Marie gives off reminds me of my second “home.”
The way she speaks Japanese is very eloquent, polite, and respectful – something we could use more of in American language and culture imo.
KonMari isn't just about tidying up one's house either. It's a lifestyle improvement technique built upon six key KonMari rules.
Rule 1: Commit yourself to tidying up. Without a sincere commitment to getting organized, you’ll either never get started, quit too soon, or only stay organized temporarily. Identify why you want to get organized and hold yourself accountable.
Some example reasons from the show include a couple moving into a new home together for the first time, a family wanting to get their house in order before committing to having a third child, and a widow looking to start a new chapter after her spouse passed away.
Rule 2: Imagine your ideal lifestyle. A clear vision of the results you want is a crucial motivator. I love how Marie takes a few minutes to greet each home she visits. She encourages each family to sit with her and silently talk to their house, as if in prayer.
Have you ever taken a few minutes to thank your house for protecting you and for all the memories you've had there? Envision the changes you want and take a moment to give thanks.
Sam and I spend so much time in our house every day working and as full-time parents with our son. We owe so much to our home – thank you dear house!
Rule 3: Finish discarding first. The meaning of this rule is to move forward with purpose. If you clean up your house’s visible areas by just stuffing everything into closets or storage, that isn't truly effective.
Why? Without going through your items one by one and only keeping the things that you truly want in your future, it's highly unlikely you'll be able to stay organized. Things will inevitably get chaotic again.
Discard items first, then work on properly arranging and storing the remaining things you wish to keep.
Rule 4: Tidy by category, not by location. Traditional organizing is typically done room by room, one closet at a time, one drawer at a time. I’ve always decluttered and organized this way.
The KonMari method, however, is all about tidying by category (ex. clothes, books). The benefit of this approach is seeing just how much you have of each category all at once. Gather each category from all the nooks and crannies in your house and put everything in one big pile.
This shock factor can be quite a big wake up call, especially if you've developed a habit of scattering things around. If you love clothes, you might have a dresser and closet full in your bedroom, the guest bedroom, the basement, garage, etc. Making one big mountain of clothes shocks you to how much you actually have and probably don't need.
The downside of decluttering by category is things will get super messy before they get better. Call it temporary increased chaos, but it’s worth it.
Rule 5: Follow the right order. Marie recommends tackling your tidiness goals in a specific order: clothes, books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items) and lastly, sentimental items.
Clothes tend to be the easiest to go through for most people, sentimental items the hardest. Tackling categories from least to most emotional creates momentum and a higher chance of completion.
Rule 6: Ask yourself if it sparks joy. This is my favorite rule. It’s made a huge difference in my ability to let go of things, clothes especially.
How do you know if something sparks joy? Sift through your pile of clothes and find something that you love. Hold it or put it on and capture how it makes you feel. Chances are it makes you smile and feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Next, find something you don't want to keep and compare the difference in your emotional response. If you get stuck, you can always come back to an item later or have a maybe pile.
Additional guidelines. Marie recommends saying thank you to each item we choose to dispose. How sweet! This brings a sense of peace and gratitude to the process.
After you've finished discarding items in a category, store them so your items are more easily visible. This is best done using boxes of various sizes and improved folding techniques.
For example, most of us who take the time to put folded clothes in drawers do so horizontally, ie one item on top of another in a stack. But, Marie Kondo folds most items vertically! Pick up a stack of shirts and turn it 90 degrees. Voila – vertical!
To help items fit best, Marie typically recommends folding in thirds instead of in half. You can see an example of my t-shirt drawer before and after below.
Lifestyle Benefits of KonMari
Completing the KonMari process takes a lot of time, but I think it's worth the effort. The more I practice and progress, the more I appreciate KonMari as a lifestyle improvement. Here are some of the benefits.
- Have a renewed appreciation for your home
- Realize how much you've accumulated over the years
- Feel more gratitude towards your belongings
- Learn to let go of items that can better serve someone else
- Create more useable and open space
- Less stress and frustration
- Find things faster
Ways KonMari Can Help Your Finances
The KonMari method of organizing has a lot of principles that can be applied to your finances. Here's my financial spin on the six rules.
Rule 1: Commit yourself to financial independence. Growing wealth doesn't happen by itself. You have to be proactive if you want to become and stay financially responsible.
Rule 2: Imagine your ideal retirement. Retirement planning is too underrated in our country. Visualize what you want your retirement to look like, don't fall for retirement myths, and make a detailed roadmap that will lead you there.
Rule 3: Get out of debt. The sooner you can get out of debt and earn more than you spend, the better. So many more opportunities open up when you're debt free. Sam's slogan says it perfectly: Financial Freedom, Sooner Rather Than Later.
Rule 4: Don't forget to zoom out. Regularly look at your overall financial health using a bird's eye view to avoid missing things. It's fine to use multiple accounts for different purposes if you actively monitor all your assets. Keep your overall portfolio allocation in line with your risk tolerance.
Rule 5: Earn, save, then enjoy. Order matters if you want to avoid debt and financial stress. Earn your money, save/invest part of what you earn after expenses, and enjoy some or all of the rest.
Rule 6: Identify positive reasons for growing your wealth. Identify specific reasons why money matters to you and how you want to spend it in the future. The clearer your visions and goals, the more motivated you'll feel.
More finance benefits. The KonMari method can also help you save money by curtailing unnecessary spending. Think about exactly where you would put something before you buy it. No space? Don't buy it. Your drawers and closet space become a lot more valuable after you've gone through the work to get them organized.
You'll also avoid accidentally buying something you already have. Here are two silly examples. I bought twice as much maple syrup and olive oil because I thought we were running low. The bottles I'd already purchased were buried behind a bunch of stuff.
Sam recently made a dupe goof too. He bought a new basketball last month because he thought he didn't have one.
Low and behold when we were cleaning out the garage he found one he'd barely used collecting dust in an old laundry basket buried below some bags and our son's old car seat.
Organizing Is Addicting
I've always been know as the obsessively organized one amongst my closest friends and colleagues. But when full-time parenting took over my life, my ability to stay organized went out the window.
I frequently felt frazzled and frustrated. Our house also looked like it had been turned upside down most of the time, which often drove Sam and me crazy.
But this year, I finally feel like I'm back. Our son is starting to play more independently giving me more breathing room, I've been able to do more part-time work late at night, and I feel happy and more balanced. Bit by bit our house is returning to order.
Prepare For Big Changes With KonMari
I'm also highly motivated to give our house a complete KonMari makeover because we're expecting big changes on the horizon. As many of you know, we might move to a bigger house this year or relocate to Hawaii.
Even though a bigger house could easily accommodate everything we have, packing up any size house is a royal PITA and the less we have to bring, the better.
I'm also amazed at how quickly our son outgrows things especially his clothes. Since we're keeping all of his things for a few more years just in case we have another baby, our storage space is continually diminishing.
Clearing out space is so satisfying. I highly recommend you give it a try!
Before And After Examples Of KonMari
The worst room in our house has always been the kitchen. As one of the center spaces in our house, a messy kitchen is frustrating. The three of us spend so much time in and out of the kitchen throughout the entire day, 7 days a week.
It's the last place we want to be chaotic, yet it's constantly getting bombarded with stuff: papers, toys, cough drops, food, delivery boxes, our son’s clothes, and other random stuff. The good news is KonMari is helping!
Here's a before and after pic of our countertops.
The countertops went from disarray and cluttered to manageable and orderly.
Next is an after shot of one of our kitchen drawers. I forgot to take a before pic, but you can trust me that it was a disaster. I repurposed some empty iPhone boxes.
And here's a before and after pic of my t-shirt drawer.
Even though I folded my shirts in the before pic, the difference is night and day. I like the KonMari folding technique so much better.
2021 Update: It's been over two years since I first started using the KonMari method. The hardest part is keeping the kitchen neat and tidy because we always have so much stuff coming in and out. But, I've kept up with the folding techniques and can't fold my clothes any other way now.
I'm also addicted to finding small boxes for keeping drawers and cabinets organized throughout the house. There are lots of organizing bins for sales at places like Amazon, but I try and reuse boxes to save money and be more green. Now if only they will come out with a season 2 of Marie Kondo's organization show on Netflix already!
A Few More Tips On KonMari
- Get your family on board. You'll need each other's support.
- Don't expect to finish in a week. It's time-consuming but worth it.
- Bend the rules a little if you need to. I won't tell anyone.
- You don't have to become a minimalist, unless you want to.
- Anticipate and push through setbacks. Everyone has them.
- Stay committed for the long term so your hard work isn't wasted.
- Reuse take-out containers, shoe box lids, jewelry boxes, etc for storing items neatly in drawers.
- Dislike folding? Put on spa music and approach it like meditation.
- Organizing and folding are great skills for kids. Our son now eagerly asks me to help fold his socks and he's not even 2 years old yet!
- Call ahead and check for overcapacity before dropping off donations. KonMari is popular now and people are donating like crazy.
- Don't forget to grab a tax receipt when you drop off donations.
- Take pictures of your before and after progress!
If you want to learn more about the KonMari method, Marie Kondo wrote these two books all about it:
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up (The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up)
Regards,
Sydney
Readers, what's the messiest room in your house? Have you tried to KonMari your lifestyle and finances?
Great post Sydney!
I have been reading Sam’s posts for years and this post is very different, very refreshing, yet still ties back to personal finance, plus I think KonMari is a show that my wife and I can watch together, an added bonus.
I look forward to reading more of your post in the future.
I just purchased a LED light bulb that is WiFi connected to my phone. I installed this on my front porch, and it will save me fumbling in the dark to find my keys. That is a joy and the solution to frustration I have felt for years. Now I need to find such motivation to do the opposite. My wife is much worse, as I am fairly good at cleaning up and being neat. My wife and I are the opposite of the stereotypes. I also have a lot of things in my home that are old. I buy few things, but keep them forever, so they tend to accumulate. I think it’s time to get my wife and I to watch that show.
I was surprised to see the KonMari method on Financial Samurai since it seems that females tend to be more interested with keeping things tidy. Glad to see that FS is always striving to be a well rounded website. I liked the twist on how the method could be applied to personal finance. I tried the KonMari method last January since my book club was reading her book. It was fun sharing with other members about our progress and helped to keep us accountable. I found the biggest help was Marie’s tip for having a designated place for every single thing I owned since it saves time for searching for the needed item and keeps the house clutter free. I also loved her tip for only keeping things that spark joy which I’ve also used when purchasing things. It’s so nice to instantly smile when I pull something out of the closet or a favorite piece of art catches my eye.
Glad this post was a nice surprise read and even happier to hear you’re a KonMari fan! I love those things about it too :)
Sydney! What a great guest post! I recently became an empty nester (!) so I took that opportunity to declutter the house AND my finances. Very freeing!
Thanks! And that’s wonderful to hear JB, well done!
Well, well, well!!
What a joy to hear from “Mrs. Financial Samurai”
Your writing style “sparked joy” for me! Thanks for sharing these thoughts today! I have been on a journey to neaten up, discard unnecessary things and simplify my life as well. I want to add a suggestion for you and your readers that has set me years ahead on this journey-“the Minimalists” they have a documentary and a website and a wonderful podcast. The young men who are behind this have a really unique way of distilling down into the “ why” for our desires to gather stuff-and have helped me to have clearer thoughts and a to be able to clear out the clutter!!
Aw thanks Anne, so sweet of you to say. And good tips on digging into the “why.”
Hello Sydney, nice to finally hear from you!
Haha I just “Marie Kondoed” my garage yesterday. It was a bit hard getting rid of some of the stuff, not physically but sentimentally since a lot of my boys old toys and sports gear reminded me of the good ole days.
Thanks and yay, good for you! Yes the garage can be tough, especially going through sentimental items. I bet it looks so much better now. I smile every time I walk through our garage now because it is so much cleaner. I used to feel a weight on my shoulders before we cleaned it out. So glad it’s in better shape now and yours is too.
LOL
“Sydney? Who’s Sydney???” was my first thought when I saw the post author’s name. I then assumed it was some other personal finance blogger doing a quest post. Imagine my excitement when I discovered Sydney was Sam’s wife!!!
Nice to read something from you Sydney! I’ve always wanted to thank you for helping motivate Sam to take that long, early morning bus ride into the city that resulted in his first Finance job. You two make a good team!
:) Thanks Kathy! Appreciate your kind words and glad you enjoyed the post.
Great job tidying up your home! However, I’m not a big fan of Marie Kondo. A little clutter is comfortable for me. Alas, we are moving next month so we have to clean out some stuff. I just donated 50% of my clothes and shoes. Now, I have to go through my books and CDs. Moving gives me the motivation to get rid of stuff.
I’ll have to check out the thrift store after we’re done with the move…
Thanks! No problem, to each his own. If you have a system that works for you that’s good. Yes, decluttering before moving is one of the best times to do it.
That was brave sharing a picture of your counters! Wow, that is a lot of stuff! I watched a few episodes of Marie Kondo and I thought she had some good tips for organization. It is a little depressing to see how much crap some people have in their houses that is a waste of space and money. But it is also is great to see people getting more organizing and cleaning up.
Haha, yeah there was a lot of stuff on the counters. Now we’re better utilizing our cabinets and are better about not using the counters as a dumping ground for all kinds of misc things. Yeah it’s kinda nuts how much we all tend to accumulate. Being more mindful of purchases and having a designated place for everything really helps cut down on clutter.
Fun post! You’re brave to show a before shot of your kitchen Not that it was that bad, actually. :-)
I can definitely relate to the toddler factor. A toddler makes it way more challenging to tidy up.
And your comment about the rush of donations to thrift stores got me thinking… Maybe it’s time to stop by my local thrift store, browse the shelves, and see what sparks joy!
Thanks! And yes thrift stores are hopping lately. I saw a video the other day about how many places have had to turn away donations lately because of an influx in supply from people giving their houses KonMari makeovers. The positive for shoppers like yourself is there’s really good inventory right now.
Hi Sydney
It’s nice to finally meet the muscle behind Financial Samurai! I really enjoyed this post. I go through decluttering cycles every couple of months, although I haven’t tried this specific method.
I suffer from sentimental attachment (I had “one day I’ll fit into these clothes” that I can’t bear to part with but luckily I’ve lost some weight and am using them so I am down to about 3 pants left in the bag), FOMO (buying because I don’t want to run out of stuff or there’s a sale I don’t want to miss) and lastly holding on to items because someday I will need to use it.
I started seriously decluttering a few years ago and am finally at a stage where I’ve got at least 2 empty cupboards and 2 half empty drawers. May not sound like much but coming from overflowing cupboards that wouldn’t close, it’s better but then there’s always room for improvement. I only recently realised I have too much accessories and makeup. :( I have a mini plastic cabinet full of unopened makeup but on the bright side I did get rid of one mini-plastic container of accessories.
I’ve followed rules 1-3 and 6 for years but rule 5 is new to me.
Rule 4 came to me a few months ago when I’d let the ironing pile up. After spending a good 8 hours slogging (ironing) through 3 ice cream cone baskets (technically one was a very large bin) of clothes and beddings, it was amazingly easy to let go of clothes because I just didn’t want to iron any more.
I try the “dispose of 3 items when bringing in 1 item into the house” rule but am only marginally successful.
I think I have grocery cupboard organising down to an art. My cupboard is military style neat and organised and I feel pride when I look at it :) But I’ve been struggling with quantities and expiry dates when out shopping and come across a sale. (My memory is marginally better than a goldfish and my attention span worse than a retriever’s.)
When I got a smartphone in November last year, I searched and found a simple app called Expiry Sync to track what I have and when it will expire. It’s really helps when you’re a bulk buyer and you’re out shopping but can’t remember if you have items in the cupboard and the expiry dates on them.
I’ve even extended it to my makeup cupboard. Several times now I’ve unexpectedly come across sales and by having my grocery and makeup cupboard contents with me, I’ve made snap decisions on whether to buy an item or not and it’s saved me money by buying or not during a sale.
I hope this is the first of many blogs for you! And remember the more stuff you take with you when you move, the greater your shipping charges will be!
All the best!
QK
P.S. the link under website is my universal book link to a novella I published last year and not spam.
Thanks for your long and thoughtful comment! I know how hard it can be to part with some items. Miscellaneous items and papers are hard for me, clothes are easier. I held onto a lot of pre-pregnancy clothes in hopes I would fit back into them. I finally made peace with my new post-baby self and accepted that my hips just aren’t going to shrink back. ;) Saying thank you to my clothes that I loved but no longer fit and thinking about someone else enjoying them really helped me let go. And now I don’t feel frustrated when I open my drawers because I can fit into the items I have left.
Good for you for losing weight and getting back into the clothes you saved! That’s wonderful news. Nice work on all your other organizing efforts too. Doesn’t it feel fantastic?! :)
I’m so proud of you for following my organizational lead after all these years! :p
It is so fun to purge and organize, I agree. It is also very gratifying to clean up since you see immediate results. Is it strange I like to use Pine-Sol and clean our toilets? The Dyson vacuum is the bomb. What a joy to use!
I still remember the time when you gifted me a broom for Christmas. We took the funny picture and I wondered what was wrapped inside.
A small house is great for organization and cleanliness. Still not 100% sure whether we should up size. As solution is to just get out of the house more.
Glad we at least have options.
Thanks for writing!
Hahaha your organizational lead huh? Mmm hmm. I do credit you for helping out a lot around the house because you are awesome at wiping down the countertops, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms and helping with the dishes – thank you!
Yeah, our house does feel more wonderful the more we declutter and organize. :)
You two are a great couple. Thanks for the excellent article. I realize that while I may have implemented some tenets of Marie Kondo, I have missed a few. With the next move, I will be sure to correct. Well done, and excellently written and communicated. I hope the corpulent, waiguoren leftist tattooed hags do not come out and troll this article like they are doing to Marie on the Interwebs…
Thank you, that’s so nice of you to say. :) Glad you are a KonMari fan as well!
Yeah it’s too bad there are are always bad apples out there who choose to take their own issues and unhappiness in life out on other people to try and make themselves feel better.
LOL well hello Bob. I don’t think you read the first sentence of my post. Since you missed it, I am Sam’s dear wife and mother of his son. You must have been in a quite a hurry this morning. If you KonMari your lifestyle you won’t feel so rushed :)
Welcome to my regular world!
Remember, you must write in a way to leave no reader behind!
I think I want to experiment with publishing posts that are just 1 to 5 paragraphs long. Could be good. Will save me time.
Bob – are you the star of that movie, Minions?
What a great recap. I kept hearing about this but honestly never explored what it was all about.
I think the big thing is having all family members on board. I don’t think it will work for me just yet as I have a teenage girl in the house and I have honestly given up trying to keep things organized the way I like it (and before I had her, I foolishly thought girls were neat and it was the boys that were messy).
Love the tie in with finances as well. That part is much easier for me to do as it is more of an individual effort in my household.
You and Sam make an amazing duo and hopefully you start writing more on the blog as well.
Yes, having the whole family on board makes a big difference in the makeover process and especially the maintenance.
Thanks for your kind words and yes I hope to write more too!
Thank you for the post Mrs. Samurai! Great to see your name on a byline.
You’re quite welcome Eric and thank you!
Nice to see your post, Sydney!
My wife and I lived in Japan, so we’ve long been familiar with Marie Kondo. But just last weekend, we were suddenly inspired to donate half our clothes and reorganize the house. Life feels more under control when you open a drawer and everything is perfectly neat. Keeping it that way is the hard part, though!
Thanks Nate! That’s wonderful to hear you two lived in Japan. It’s such an amazing country. I haven’t been back in over 5 years and can’t wait to take our son when he’s older. I wish we had their transportation system efficiency. I just love how when the schedule says the bus/train is coming at 8:17, it darn well is coming at exactly 8:17! Unlike the SF Muni where you’re lucky if the bus shows up at all. :)
Fantastic to hear you donated half your clothes and did a bunch of reorganizing. Yes, hard to keep it all perfectly neat, but it’s worth the extra effort.
Finally we meet the woman behind the man! Sydney you seem absolutely charming and adorable. This is a great article and I dare say you may be a better writer than Sam, which is a high praise. Hope we see and hear more from your perspective in FS. My wife has become similarly consumed by KonMari. Helpful to have it explained and illustrated so clearly.
Well of course she is. She also scored higher on the verbal portion of the SAT as well and got into UVA, while I got waitlisted.
Now my master plan is for her to write regularly so I can kick back and relax more as we surpass our 10 year Financial Samurai anniversary!
Let’s do this!
Related: https://www.financialsamurai.com/how-to-convince-your-spouse-to-work-longer-so-you-can-retire-earlier/
You’re the more talented writer but I will take credit for being better at super fast diaper changes, lol. :)
Yes, here’s to team work and proof it is possible to work with your spouse!
Oh wow thank you, you’re too kind. Sam is definitely the seasoned, expert writer amongst us especially on investing and technical topics. :)
I hope to write more as well. I don’t have Sam’s speed but I do share his love for writing.
That’s so fun to hear your wife is also into KonMari. You should try folding one drawer or putting together some things to donate to surprise her. I guarantee she will be thrilled! Sam surprised me by putting together a bunch of his clothes to donate and tackling the garage. I was ecstatic :)
We recently fell into the KonMari craze as well by watching 3 or 4 episodes. My wife and I might need to do something in the future when we finally buy our house. Luckily, we know that’s coming and have largely avoided buying anything not considered a necessity. That’s gone a long way in fighting the clutter.
We plan to go through our clothes again soon to remove anything which doesn’t bring hs joy, like the KonMari system advocates. I’m interested to see how that process goes for us but am sure it will be impactful.
We’ll be sure to share some before/after photos with you when we’re done.
It really is addicting in a good way, isn’t it? :) Good call on cutting back on shopping before your move. It really helps to think, hmm do I really need this and want more stuff to pack when we move? Nah.
Good luck on your clothes gathering and discarding! Can’t wait to see your before and after pics.
I started rolling my underwear and it saves a lot of space and I no longer pull out and unfold (by mistake) two or three pairs.
Also watch the batteries – vertical ones tend to leak.
Nice!! I shrunk my underwear drawer probably by 4x by folding and discarding ones that no longer fit lol. It’s so much easier to find things now.
Good to know on vertical battery leakage. I didn’t know that, thanks!
Aha, so that’s what the Marie Kondo craze is all about. Thanks for the overview and love your before after pics. I heard about the Netflix show but haven’t watched it. Makes sense to fold things vertically like that so it’s easier to see stuff if you have the patience. I’m guilty of never folding my laundry. I usually end up throwing clean laundry all over the place trying to find something haha.
I should go through all my clothes this weekend and find some stuff to donate. I could use some extra space. I know I at least have a bunch of tshirts that have shrunk that’d be good to give away. Finding them all will be a challenge (I’m guilty of leaving stuff in random places) but I’m a fan of moving towards “less is more.” Thanks for the motivation.
Thanks Jamie. I’ve definitely had some days when I throw clean laundry everywhere to find something too, especially during the first year of being a ft mom. Laundry feels never ending with a little in the house!
Good luck on your clothes clean out this weekend. I think you’ll be surprised at how much you can find when you start searching for it. I’ve had several “oh that’s where this went” and “oh wow I totally forgot I had this” moments going through our house and I’m not even done yet! Donating feels wonderful too, especially when you hand over all the bags and get a receipt. Satisfying!