It’s always a big deal when you’re young and you work hard and save money to buy something that you’ve been wanting for a long time.
I remember when I bought my first really nice, flat-screen TV that I’d been saving up for. It was great!
And I still have it…I think it might be time for an upgrade…
Do you remember the first thing you worked hard for to save money to buy?
Here’s how folks on AskReddit responded.
1. Gotta have it!
“A TV for my bedroom.
I wanted one when I was 13, and my parents said that was fine as long as I paid for it myself, so I got a job picking strawberries at a local farm.
Yes, I got my TV, but I was so sick of the sight and smell of strawberries that it was at least a year before I could even think about eating them again.”
2. Sounds cool.
“This huge animal encyclopedia. My mother was very poor but she still let me earn a bit of money by doing extra chores around the house. There was this big animal encyclopedia at a local book store.
It was $150, way too much for even a present so I saved up all my chore money for a very long time. I believe around a year. I still came up short. (I would still buy candy here and there) in the end my mom paid the rest of it.
I spent days reading that thing. I kept it for years in the end I gave it to my younger brother. I don’t know where it’s at now.”
3. You should be proud.
“My first car. I’ve been working since I was 17, minimum wage, and I just bought mine at 19 years old. It cost me $5000, and I was able to pay for it all at once.
I was super happy and proud of myself. It’s a 2012 Ford Focus Sel Hatchback, and I love it a lot.”
4. A great accomplishment.
“My education.
I worked CRAZY hours (60+ hrs/wk, 6 days a week) every Summer while I was in college to cover housing and food while I studied.
It was effort well-spent.”
5. Freedom!
“70 years old here …
A $25 J.C.Higgins 24-inch bike.
It was the embodiment of freedom.”
6. A night to remember.
“My prom dress.
I got a part time job as a sign spinner in the the weekends in high school to pay for my homecoming and prom dresses because I knew my mom couldn’t afford them.”
7. You do you.
“Breast augmentation.
I was pancake flat chested, and was bullied as a child and young adult. I was even made fun of by my own mother, frequently. That really messes with a kids head. So in my 20’s, I left my home state and moved 500 miles away.
I worked 2 jobs for 6 months straight, with 1 day off in 6 months. I scrimped and saved up enough money for surgery, and a week off for recovery.
My self esteem has improved so much, that I am literally a different person That was 25 years ago, and I haven’t regretted it for one moment”
8. Wow.
“My dad told me to earn $3k for my first car and he would match it.
I did. He got me a $6,000 car and told me to keep the money.
He just wanted to see me earn and save it.”
9. All yours.
“A pair of Doc Martens.
My Indo-Canadian parents would never have bought their daughter a pair of combat-esque boots so I saved up from my tutoring job and bought my own.
No regrets!”
10. That’s cool.
“Our French class in high school was going on a field trip to Quebec, It was about $800 or so. I didn’t wanna do any of the fund raising and was 17 at the time delivering pizzas after school.
So every day I’d come in with my previous night’s worth of tips which was about $30-$70 dollars and gave it to my French teacher until I had enough.”
11. A wicked axe.
“In 1998, I bought a B.C. Rich Warlock from a pawn shop on layaway.
I’ll never get rid of it for this reason alone.”
12. A good life lesson.
“A 700 dollar camera. I cleaned and organized garages and sheds for months and months. Totally worth it.
Iwas about 13 or so and I’m very proud I achieved that. I will carry that mindset for the rest of my life.”
13. Sounds amazing.
“A trip to space camp. I saw a commercial for it, copied the address, wrote to them to ask for a brochure.
Told the mailman to hold it for me until I came home from school and to not let my parents see it. Got a job at 14 and worked as many hours as they would let me. Opened a passbook savings account and saved my paychecks, my allowance from chores, my babysitting money, birthday and Christmas money for an entire year.
I even had a jar of change that I had found on the sidewalk. I saved over $1,000 and then asked my parents if I could go. They said no, it was too expensive. I handed them the passbook that said I had more than enough. They couldn’t say no and I went to space camp!
My grandmother even chipped in an extra $200 for spending money. Best 10 days of my young life! I am SUCH a nerd! “
How about you?
Do you remember the first thing you worked really hard to be able to buy?
Tell us your stories in the comments. Thanks!
