'Things' don't matter a hell of a lot ... I should know, I have a lot of them (all paid for with cash). But, I didn't start out to get 'things' ... I started out by trying to build a life.

It's what I write about on my blog (figuring out your life, then finding the money to make it happen):

For some people, building a life means surfing all day (you can live on, say, idyllic Byron Beach in Australia for virtually nothing) or meditating in an ashram. Money and possessions are virtually irrelevent for them.

Unfortunately for me, my dream was for a life filled with phyical, spritual, emotional, and intellectual travel ... I costed that at $250k a year (do the sums, that means $5M - $10M in the bank). Again, it's not the 'things' but the free time and the free cash required that drove me to achieve my goals.

Most people's goals are likely to fall somewhere between the two ... just make sure that 'things' aren't a part of that goal.