How Do You Purge When No Clutter is Left?

 I've been trying really hard to find things to sell or give away out of what I have left from my life. I have about 1/4 of what I had 3 years ago, when I first had to leave my home. I feel like now I'm down to the bare minimum of things I simply can't let go of. I've going through boxes, and it's so hard to let anything else go.

For example, I have plant care magazines and books from the 1970's. They are mostly for house plants, since I lived in an apartment in SC at the time, and had no yard. Plus, I just wasn't interested in growing outdoor plants much. I don't know what to do with them. I have carried them around with me for 40 years now. I know I should give them away, but it's hard for some reason, like I'm giving away part of myself.

A man I loved like a father gave me a lot of his old Organic Gardening magazines before he died. I simply can't bring myself to part with them, even though I never look through them anymore. A friend suggested I look through all the magazines, choose a few that I really love, and let the rest go. But go where? Who would appreciate these magazines?

Then there are the thing that belonged to my sons; toys, collectibles, children's books. I was saving them for my grandkids, but one son has decided not to have children and the other is almost 30 and shows no signs of wanting to get married and have children, so why am I saving them? They have both told me that I can do whatever I want with them, but again, it's hard.

I have lost so much over the past few years, I find myself clinging to things that are truly unimportant that I will never use again. I am suffering from the "just in case," syndrome. I've gotten rid of most things that have monetary value, and thought I would miss them a lot, but I don't miss most of them. I know it would be the same for all this stuff, but I keep finding excuses.

I'd truly like to be able to move into a cute little 400sf studio with just the bare essentials. It's just so hard to figure out what those bare essentials are after collecting 40 years of memories. Could I really get rid of everything useful I have collected over the years and start completely over? Of course, some things are non-negotiable, like cookware and dishes, and I gave away an entire set of dishes when I left Gainesville. I still have more, though, one set of everyday plastic stuff, and one set of Golden Wheat, a sentimental favorite from my childhood (which has been packed up for 20 years -- unused since I bought it).

I keep saying I'm just going to keep what I truly need, but defining "need" seems to be the problem. There is physical need (a bed, dishes, pots and pans) and there is emotional need. It's the emotional need items I'm having trouble with. How do you give away your heart?