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| Martin Lopez, 37, of L.A. "The reason we didn't get as many toys as other kids was that my mother was helping so many people." |
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NEW YORK (MONEY Magazine) - "My mother taught me you don't need to be rich to share your wealth."
"She came to the U.S. from Havana in 1961 and worked odd jobs -- as a seamstress, a tarot card reader -- but she always managed to send at least $50 and sometimes $300 a month to the family back in Cuba.
"I sometimes wondered why my sister and I weren't always getting new toys and clothes like other kids. I realized later it was because my mother was helping so many people.
"I took over the tradition in 1998, two years before my mom died. I make a good living -- $104,000 as a director of human resources for a retail company -- and I max out my 401(k). But I happily drive a 2000 Volkswagen with 100,000 miles on it.
"It doesn't make sense to buy a $200 shirt when that same $200 can feed a family of four for 12 weeks. So I get the $40 shirt and mail a case of Pepto-Bismol instead.
"I've made four trips to Cuba, and every time I've arrived loaded with shoes and candies and bags from the 99¢ store and returned with nothing but the shirt on my back and a few cigars.
"My 84-year-old aunt loves American apples, and when I bring them she hides them like a little girl until everyone's asleep, then savors each bite all alone. If that's not reason enough to skip my morning cup of Starbucks, I don't know what is."
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