Dear Chase,
My husband and I are a happily married couple of only four months.
Things started out great, but when we started moving in together it turned out that my husband has a lot of “stuff.”
He has stacks of books (none of which he ever reads,) tons of old newspapers, empty CD cases and boxes of action figures and toys from when he was a child.
I didn’t realize how much stuff he had until we began unpacking and it has now seemed to take over our house.
I don’t mind him having stuff, but a lot of it is useless and doesn’t seem to have any worth.
I’m worried that he may become a hoarder!  How can I address this and save our house?
Nervous Newlywed

Dear Nervous Newlywed,
First and foremost, congratulations on your marriage!  Now, have you ever heard the old saying, “What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine?”  Well, this somewhat applies to your situation.
You need to encourage your husband (along with your help as well) to sort through some of the old items and find specific places to put SOME of them.
For example, if you have several books, and he has several books then try putting them together on a bookshelf.
As for the books that he doesn’t read, try talking him into donating them to a library or school, selling them online or selling them to a local book store.
You have to keep in mind, however, that you can’t expect him to get rid of everything.
You must compromise.  I’m sure YOU have a lot of stuff that he probably sees as worthless, yet you see them as extremely valuable; whether emotional or money value, it doesn’t matter.
You have to look at his items from your perspective.
As for the empty CD cases, why does he keep them?  And no, that’s not rhetorical.  You need to ask him this.
Are the CD’s in a case in his car or somewhere else? If so, then maybe you can convince him to put them in a box and place them in storage so that they are not cluttering the house.
Now let’s address the “action figures.”  Many people tend to cling to their old childhood toys, no matter the worth.
They often have more sentimental value than anything, and that can be a stronger hold than money value.
I’m sure every woman that reads this article has that special doll or stuffed animal that she has had since she was little; well, his action figures are exactly the same.
However, too many may cause a problem.
Work together in order to sort through them, get rid of any that are broken and try to convince him to sell a few of them.
He may not even be aware, but a lot of old action figures can actually bring a decent amount of money, if in mint condition and sold to the right buyer/collector.
Check e-bay or other online websites for some ideas.
Research some of the action figures and toys that he has and you may find that his box of “stuff” may actually be a box of “money.”
Allow your husband to set up a few of his action figures in different places throughout the house; this will give him comfort and a sense of familiarity of home and his childhood.
I can guarantee that over time he will probably be able to part much easier with his toys.
The one thing you don’t want to do is to force him or demand that he gets rid of his things.
Work together, compromise and pace yourself.
You’re newlyweds; you’ve got your whole life ahead of you to worry about his “stuff.”
        Good luck!