What to do with a small house filled with antiques that our children do not want. We love all our treasures that we have collected throughout our marriage and are not ready to give them up. I know the modern consensus is to clear out your junk so your kids don’t have to deal with it after you’re gone, but our house is our comfort and it holds so many memories. My husband is 80 years old and we recently picked up an antique 1850’s piano that gives him great joy to play every day. Unfortunately, it has made our already crowded living room, much tighter.

We are living on social security and have a reverse mortgage, so we cannot remodel or improve our small 1970’s 1500 sq ft house. We are here for the long haul. I feel a little selfish for not whittling down our possessions, but my husband is starting to lose his memory and is very set in his ways and this home brings him such joy.

Here’s my game plan....I was thinking of finding an antique dealer to go through the house first and gather all truly sellable antiques and collectibles, and then having an estate sale company hold a open house sale for the balance of the contents. Of course, I would make these arrangements along with our children but they wouldn’t have to do any work except for calling the appropriate people.

I am asking the Houzz community if they have any ideas on how we can handle this without causing hardship on our kids. Any suggestions?