What Can Stop the Desire for More?

I have often wondered what can stop my desire for more things. It seems like whenever I buy some special new thing (that should make me happier or make my life easier) I end up having to by more special new things...

I know each thing I buy owns a "little piece" of me. The more things I have, the less of me there is for me. Here is another way for me to say it:

Let's say I have a lot of things, and that each of those things has a claim on a little piece of me (because they require my time or money or attention...). It is very easy for me to have so many things that I am no longer able to appropriately concentrate on the care and feeding of myself, because I am occupied with the care and feeding of all those things.

A requirement of volunteering for the Peace Corps is that I have no debt, or prove how my debt will be taken care of while I am in the Peace Corps. Because of this requirement, I will have to sell my house, car, and most of my belongings. I know that in a year I will have very few things. The thought of being un-thing-ed has had an unexpected affect on my desire for more things...It has reduced that desire to a level I have not know for a long time. This is surprisingly comforting.