Spring Refreshing... Minimalist

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My living room :)

There has been something lurking on the edge of my mind about minimalism and getting rid of things that I couldn't put my finger on until recently.

I want to make a real effort to only purchase things that will last generations.

I realize that that is a huge statement and a huge feat to accomplish. Especially in this day and age where cheap quality items are cheaply priced and overly available.
But I see the advantages, having a well made and durable item that will last and serve you well. Investments that won't need to be replaced often, and less garbage going in the landfill.
So when something wears out or I am really sure I need it I am going to try to look up the best option to buy even if it ends up costing a little more up front.

I also want to make sure I'm sticking to the  "use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" rule, especially as I've been spring refreshing! It's that time of year I suppose, I want everything to be finished in the house before summer and gardening season come. So closets, nooks, crannies and surfaces of all sorts have been under my scrutiny and I've decided to do another big purge!!
Woohoo!
I'm really excited about the big pile of stuff I have to get rid of AGAIN! And again slightly embarrassed to still have as much stuff as I do after 2 years of purging. Argh! (pictures will come!)
I am thinking about maybe going the community yardsale route this year at a larger venue in our city so I can just make a day of it and have lots of traffic and donate the rest like I always do.

As I'm going about my spring refreshing I am shuffling around my dressers, bookshelfs etc to re-organize the systems that aren't serving me as efficiently as they should be. Because really, it doesn't make sense to purchase things to organize your stuff when you're trying to get rid of as much as possible! So instead of buying more things I just take a look around the house and storage areas and see if there's anything I can move or re-purpose to do the job I want and in almost every case I find a perfect match. If it doesn't quite fit the things you are wanting to fit you could always make it a mini-challenge and only keep the items that fit! And it's kind of like shopping in your basement ;)

Another option I've been weighing is making your own organizational items, this is a great way to use up some of your recycling items! You can find awesome diy tutorials for pretty much everything. Like woven newspaper containers, diy mailbox shelves, etc. If you do a little googling you can pretty near always find a way to use what you have to make something new or to even use it in a new way. And it makes you feel so good to find creative ways to use things! Also feel free to check out my pinterest board for TONS of organizing inspiration.

So maybe I'm some sort of hybrid voluntary simplicity/minimalist :) But I am having so much fun on my minimalist journey!