My mom passed away recently, so we're now in the process of uncluttering her house. We're getting ready to fly south for the winter, but we worked our big ole butts off for a number of weeks getting the place set so we can shut it down for the winter.
Talk about a hoarder! I used to think she was just shy of being one, but I hadn't opened any closets or cabinets. Holy crap! We've taken out anything of value (papers, jewelry, guns, pictures, etc.) and taken about 6 trips to the Salvation Army, 2 trips to the library, and untold trips to the landfill. We've got the place to a level where we don't get claustrophobic just walking in. We'll try to finish it up next summer.
It's amazing how little the things a person can accumulate mean to someone else. It's giving me incentive to get better at removing stuff of my own that I don't need. Also, since she died unexpectedly, it drives home that keeping potentially embarrassing stuff around might not be such a great idea.