Fetalvero: Wealth is perspective

OUR attitude toward how we spend and how we enjoy living within our means is parallel to what makes us happy even with the meager income that we earn.

I remember the times when I could not afford the plane fare or the train ride to go places outside of Los Angeles, California. I would watch TV magazine programs that featured places abroad. Then on my days off, I would drive to Ventura Ave. in San Fernando Valley where both sides of that long stretch of road are restaurants offering different kinds of cuisine. Mexican, Cuban, Mediterranean, Chinese, Greek. Name it, your palate will have a feast and a taste of the food around the world.

While savoring the chosen food for that particular night, I would recall what I had seen on TV... the place in which the food originated, the pride of that country. My enjoyment was priceless.

Value of money actually depends on your perspective and the enjoyment that you get out of it. Some people spend their free time at the mall, which is not a good idea since we are tempted to buy unnecessary things. Why not drive to a nearby park and jog your way around the park and burn some calories to keep fit and healthy?

Comparison can sometimes teach us how to view things differently. I would frown at the sight of adults sitting on a coach and spending hours chatting in the internet. For me it is a waste of time. A more eco-friendly way of spending the day is to tend to your plants in your backyard. That way you get some fresh air.

Just recently, I donated dozens of fruit tree seedlings to the Department of Agriculture. The seedlings came from the seeds of fruits I had consumed as part of my “fruit first diet.” According to the DA personnel, some public schools visit them to ask for some seedlings as part of their tree planting project. I must have made quite a contribution so that the technician out of gratitude gave me a couple of herbs like dill, mint and basil.

While women, housewives in particular, used to stay at home, they were more reluctant to spend the money earned by the husbands. Now that they have joined the workforce, women feel they can have that freedom to buy what they want. It is prudent to know the difference between pleasure and luxury.

I consider an activity or undertaking a pleasure if there is no financial pressure. Luxury is when I enjoy something that is beyond my expectation and yet I am not obliged to change my budgeting for a certain period.