The process of clearing out a family home is way more expensive and demands more effort than we thought. Kids finished school and moved to the city place while I/we are still trying to transition and have completely filled two giant dumpsters and there is still a house full of stuff, most of it will go to people we know who can use upgrades but most of it was put away ages ago never to be seen again. Not hoarders, just shocked how much can be neatly collected in blue bins and tucked into crawl spaces, closets, cabinets etc. like ancient golf clubs that were scooped up by a kid as soon as they hit the curb, dust and all.
Three things I learned:
First, it seems moving triggers the same spell as the Lestrange vault because every time we remove a thing it seems like more stuff shows up behind it. So you look at, say, a cabinet and think, OK that's one thing, but no, it's not singular. That old cabinet is full of old files & junk and I am compelled to review this junk because random photos and such pop up so one cabinet is at least hour of time and a giant pail of garbage, plus a pile of things I want to keep (that will probably go into a box to be thrown out in another decade LOL kidding, not kidding)
Second, rule for first step applies to things that need to be fixed, adjusted or managed. Everywhere I look is a thing that needs attention, must be some kind of blindness that happens when you live in a place a long time, now the stress is reduced by each task being done but yikes, it's a lot.
Third, shocked how expensive dumpsters are and associated costs in general. Now I get why people have giant "Moving Sale" events because long distance prices are outrageous and enough to make me reconsider many things I never thought I'd give up because it's just such a nuisance.
Not really sure what else we will discover as we move through the process towards our age in place home, I'm sure there is a lot I don't know yet. One thing is true though, I will not get massive heavy stuff because getting rid of it is an ordeal. I can't even imagine how hard this must be for a family that needs to move abruptly or for adult children who need to clean out their parents stuff when they move into a facility of some kind, must be positively miserable.
