Eventually you realize you don't own your possessions they own you. Consumerism and Materialism are the worst vices of them all.
I did it once in my 30s I ditched all my worldy possessions and moved to Maui. Rented a room in the local neighborhood next to the waste water treatment sewage release but one house from a rocky but surfeable diveable beach for 300 a month and slept on a mattress on the floor didn't even have a TV. Just went surfing kiting and diving everyday. But then after 6 months I rented a nicer place in a better area then after another I rented a house then I bought a home then I shipped my vehicle then I purchased a boat. The old ways caught up with me and eventually I came back to the mainland. Materialism and Consumerism are not so easily defeated. And now I am stuck again I have too much stuff I can't just leave it and I have a son I share custody there is no more running away I am trapped just like you.
It's only natural to want to enjoy the comforts in life. That's fine when you can afford them. Where people get in trouble is when they accumulate more possessions than they can afford and end up underwater....thanks to the ease of buying stuff on credit. While there were some lean times when my wife and I were in our twenties, we eventually got our act together and have always lived within our means. That in itself is comforting.
Just a few minutes ago I saved myself several thousand dollars by opting out of installing a skylight while the house is being reroofed as I'd planned. Unfortunately it became a hassle, what with engineering (they would have had to cut one of the rafters in a vaulted ceiling) and wiring issues. I've lived here for 23 years without one in that location and it's not been a problem....so no big deal.
