project purge

It's spring and everyone in blog land is writing about organization and cleaning out and purging.  Sprucing up and spacing out (literally and figuratively).  Mark and I have been discussing ways in which we can spruce up our petite maison and, at the same time, get rid of so much of the things we don't use.  I read an ariticle in The New York Times about the negative mental effects that clutter, hoarding and boredom spending can have on us.  We don't spend money frivolously but i'm sure that, when taken to task, there are a lot of ways that we can save and spend more efficiently.  I purge our closets regularly but I think it's time I took a good hard look at the house as a whole.  The toys are on their way OUT!  My kids are truly blessed to have family and friends that like to gift them with toys.  We have a lot of "stuff" (junk). They like this stuff for about a day and then it gets picked up out of the toy bin and placed on the floor.  Never played with, just re-placed.  I want my children to see the value of having toys.  They are very destructive with things and it bothers me.   Their attitudes need to change.   
We donate toys to the local Children's Home which makes me feel good.  I also give most of our clothes to the same home now.  Giving to Goodwill didn't have the same satisfaction as giving to the Children's Home.  Starting this weekend, we are going to purge as much of our belongings as humanly possible.  I want to enjoy my things and I think that focusing on only bringing valued (not high dollar) items into the house will help.  So many times I buy something before I really take the time to consider if I really like it.  If I need a lamp, i'll buy one.  Then find one that I would have preferred but can't afford because I already purchased/settled for something else.  
We are also gearing up to start our garden.  This has me rethinking our grocery lists and looking for more creative ways to feed my growing boys.  They are eating A LOT these days.  I don't want to see boxes of "rice in a bag" sit in my pantry for months on end. I'm not even sure how they got there.  Maybe I just need to slow down and refocus and be present when it comes to what is going on in the house.  
I guess i'm officially jumping on the bandwagon with this one.  I would love to hear your organization stories and suggestions for better food buying, etc.