Storage Space?

Question:My husbands mother and father died 12 years ago a month apart. Those months were very hard for him. We have a big huge basement and he has kept alot of his parents stuff, bed, drawers, blankets, pictures, puzzles... etc. We have had some financial problems lately and are downsizing into a smaller home. In the next home we won't have a big basement or attic, and the stuff isn't very pretty it's all early 20th century stuff, so I don't want to decor our house with it. We can't afford a storage container, and there is alot of stuff I don't know why he keeps, like his mothers toilet scrub. I don't want to hurt him and say it's junk, he doesn't want to throw it away, but he doesn't want to decor our house with it either. So what do I do? We wont have this big room for all this stuff in our next house! Please Help!

Answers:
My dad did something quite similar with his dad's things - he had to hang on to eeeverything. Eventually we packed it into large boxes and filled one of the bedroom closets with it. It isn't ideal, because now obviously that bedroom doesn't have a closet anymore. But, it's amazing how much fit in there! It's solid boxes to the ceiling, and these things were spread out over several rooms before they made it to their current place.

You could also try asking your husband to help or do the repacking - after 12 years, perhaps he's ready to let some of the things go.

Good luck! I can understand where you're coming from - hope it all works out.