I grew up with parents who highly valued appearances, but did not value the basic building blocks of life. That includes things like food and shelter. My parents would eat the cheapest food available, insist on ordering off the early-bird menu even if it made everyone at the table feel awful--and then spend thousands on new furniture to "keep up with the Joneses." I learned from watching them that pleasure is valuable. I learned that the objects you have in your life are important, because they are a reflection of who you are at the time, but their only role is to please you personally. These items cannot win you friends and they cannot get you attention or love or friendship. The best way to spend money is to pretend no one is watching.