On how characters live

Have you ever been to an estate sale? If you're a writer, I highly recommend it as an exercise in both setting and character development. An estate sale happens when someone has passed on and the living family members sell the contents of the home with the help of an estate company. Typically, this means that the persons who lived their were very old, having collected things throughout his or her lifetime. Secondly, if they have enough stuff left over that family members don't want, it usually means the person was affluent or had an abundance of things that will not be passed on to future generations (if they had children at all.)
I'll admit that I have a mid-century mod affliction, but searching for relics from the 1950s and 60s isn't the only reason I go to estate sales. If all I wanted were "things," I'd shop on Etsy or other mod web retailers. I go for the experience.
A garage sale only shows what people don't want. An estate sale shows you how people lived. They are people museums, providing a glimpse in time of an era gone by, with the person's energy still evident in all belongings left behind.
In my young adult manuscript I'm THISCLOSE to finishing, my character can retrieve tactile memory from things, able to see the people who have touched the items before her. Since I have no supernatural ability, I can only guess about the item's relevance in the person's life, which is half the fun. We are putting together the puzzle of a character's life, and that includes the "stuff" of life, too.
Are they messy or neat? Are they simple or complicated? What do they love? What is their routine? What makes them tick?
The other reason I recommend spending a Saturday at estate sales is for the sheer adventure. Studies show that switching up our routine adds to a more creative, well-lived life. When you're there, pay attention to the details. Flip through the books on the shelves, the old magazines. Admire the delicate china and knick knacks that have gone out of favor. Go into the closet. Try things on. It's okay. Male, female, doesn't matter. What is the texture of the material? How does it feel against your skin? You might scare off some little old ladies, but just tell them you're a writer. They may still run, but you're only a minor freak. Let your mind wander, but keep inventory of what you find. You never know when it might come in handy.
Did you find something you liked? Go ahead. It's two bucks. Why were you drawn to it? What might you do with it? At the least, it could serve as a reminder of the day you took a journey into someone's life, stepping into their shoes, walking their halls and floating your fingers over the things that once meant something to another sensate being.