Spanning the course of 30 years, a mother-and-daughter relationship is put to the test due to the mother’s eccentric, compulsive hoarding habits. Beginning in the 1980s, The Cost of Living follows Caroline Kurchowski (C.C.) as she grows from an 8-year old girl into adulthood with her single mom. Jean Kurchowski lives by the motto If it’s free, it’s for me - which explains the mile-high pile of wood chips in the driveway, the cramped basement filled with giveaway samples, the refrigerator of tupperware-filled science experiments, the boxes of garage-sale bought holiday presents, and the jalopy that will only come to a stop by crashing.