wow. Is the relative OK now or the same in a new place?
Unfortunately, I'm hearing it's the latter. Some people say it's genetic, which worries me.
I took a preemptive step this Christmas and gave or threw away virtually everything I own, and my stateside possessions are now down to required documents (tax records and substantiation), photos, sentimental keepsakes and some computers and related accessories. It was burning a monthly storage cost hole in my bank account, and when I looked at all my stuff jamming my storage space, I realized it was all very easily replaceable, or was going to sit uselessly there for years, gathering obsolescence, until I return to live in the US.
And I'll tell you, although it's liberating, it hurts to get rid of everything you own. You look at all the tools, hardware, house ware, kitchenware and clothes that cost good money to buy (whether bought or received as gifts) - that you never used or wore, and that you're probably never GONNA wear or use, and you realize what a monumental waste it's all been. Fortunately, I had family to give most of the good and heirloom stuff. And the other stuff ended up with people that could use it.
It's not so much the materialism driving the regret - it's just the feeling that one has been extremely wasteful in accumulating and not properly using all that extraneous stuff. You think "Well, I'll keep that and one day I'll wear/use it." But you rarely do.