This is something I've written about before, at least indirectly, but I believe not owning much at all has deep therapeutical value. Until recently, I was in a very similar situation to the author, I sold and gave away nearly all of my stuff (an apartment full of it) years ago, to only be left with a backpack and a suitcase worth of stuff. It was extremely liberating, I didn't have things to look at making me wonder whether I used them enough or unfolding years of history associated to it that would burden my mind. By the time I'd gotten accustomed to this lifestyle, the only thing that mattered to me was my passport, and only because I wanted to keep travelling. The rest of my stuff could have been stolen and I would have shrugged at it. After a while, that made me realize that the problem wasn't so much with the belongings themselves, but rather the attachment we develop towards things, sometimes to unhealthy degrees.

My finger in the air theory is, we teach kids to value the things they have, because as adults we work to pay for most things and we know what it's like to not be able to afford something, particularly when it comes to providing for your close ones. Children's concept of money is rather simplistic (or even non-existent), so I believe the value is more emotionally based (there have been studies showing that children ascribe human emotions to inanimate things, among other things). I think this emotional bond with objects remains, to a certain extent, as we grow older, which would also emphasize the idea of owning as a social signal (i.e. "that person has many [friends|things]"). The idea that we should be thankful for the things we have, not the things we might get, is great in theory, but explaining to a small child that they should be thankful for their very life is a bit brutal to say the least.

Not completely sure where I'm going with this. I suppose attachment is something for which you have to both program and de-program yourself to appreciate without being dependent. But even that is made more complicated as soon as another person enters the picture (partner, child, etc.). The way I try to make it work is to offer people tangible signs of affection, such as cooking a nice meal, playing some music, help out with a problem and so on, things that can be valued in and of themselves, but that carry little or no baggage. Likewise, I tend to ask close ones to give me something from themselves, rather than buy things. As the giver, you get to do something you're passionate about and share it with the person you care for. As the receiver, you value the sentiment more profoundly and you learn a little bit more about the other. Anywho, it works for me, YMMV :)