I remember the first thing I really saved up money to buy.
I used the money I made mowing lawns in my neighborhood to buy a pair of Air Jordans when I was in eighth grade.
Man, they were cool! And I felt like THE MAN wearing them around school knowing that I bought those kicks!
AskReddit users talked about the first thing that they worked hard for and saved up to buy.
Let’s check out their stories!
1. Awesome!
“In 1984, age 14, I worked 5-9pm Monday-Friday in our local video shop for a year to buy a Sony Walkman WM-22.
I still have it.”
2. A special moment.
“My very first car.
It was in 1998, I was 19 years old when I bought it. A 1987 Chevy Camaro. It needed some work, it looked like sh*t, but I loved that car.
My friends liked it as well. My sister’s friends all told me it was garbage, but their parents bought them newer cars that they didn’t appreciate.”
3. A big deal.
“A mountain bike in high school.
It was a Gary Fisher full suspension bike, back when full suspensions were fairly new.
It was kind of a big deal for me.”
4. A beauty!
“A 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar.
I paid $400 for it in 1987 and sold it for $500 a few years later after I bought a fender which was more my style.
Wish I never sold it. It would be worth over $3,500 today, easy.”
5. Sam the hamster.
“A hamster. Not just the hamster as those costed like $7, but the cage, the plastic hamster ball thing, the bedding, the treats- the works!
I named him Sam. He lived to be almost 5 years old and he was the best. My mom helped me figure out how much money food costs and I made sure I had enough money saved at the time of buying him, to be able to get him food for at least a whole year.
My mom didn’t think he’d stay alive longer than that.”
6. A big trip.
“Worked two jobs and sold plasma while in college a few years ago to take my then-girlfriend and myself to Europe.
Neither of us had ever really traveled before, and she was always worried she’d get stuck and never get a chance to see the world. Thought bringing her along was a huge waste of money for the longest time after we broke up, but she died recently and I found out she kept a box of mementos from our trip.
In hindsight I think that was probably the best money I ever spent.”
7. Beyond happy.
“The whole Beatles Rockband set.
With the drums, mic, and guitar.
Only had that job for three weeks but got enough to buy it and was beyond happy.”
8. Nice duds.
“Clothes.
I grew up poor often going to school with jeans that I grew out of a year ago. They would be tight and would get like high waters while everyone else had well fitting or baggy jeans. I stood out and I got teased and bullied because of it.
When I got to high school I got a part time job and started buying some decent clothes. Jeans that fit. Decent shoes that sort of thing.
My first major purchase that actually required saving was a nice leather jacket was about $400 roughly 30 years ago which was several weeks pay.”
9. Street legal.
“Drivers Ed.
My father refused to pay for it and wouldn’t allow me to take it till I had saved enough money to pay for it myself.”
10. Didn’t work out so well.
“An Alienware laptop computer.
Absolute sh*t. No customer service. $3,000 laptop lasted about 6 months in total before it completely died. This was about 15 years ago, but I will never trust them or buy from them again.
My entire paycheck from a summer camp job went to this. The only reason I took this job was so that I could afford it.”
11. Classic!
“When I was a kid, I saved up all my birthday money and Christmas money (never got an allowance) to buy myself the original NES (Nintendo Entertainment System).
But no one in my family thought I could do it because I’d have to save for a few years and not spend it on anything else. My mom refused to buy me a video gaming system because she didn’t want me to spend all day playing video games and said if I wanted one I’d have to buy it with my own money. I think she thought she found a loophole in telling me I had to buy it for myself.
But I did it. She kept her word though. I bought it and did play that thing forever and all day.”
12. Old school.
“13-inch color TV with a built-in VCR.
Had to get in a lot of babysitting hours for that bad boy.”
13. Snoopy.
“My dog.
When I was about 10 years old my parents and I were in our backyard clearing out a ton of weeds that had gotten out of hand. I had trouble focusing because our next door neighbor had this really adorable puppy and all I wanted to do was play with him.
We found out that they were actually going to take him to an animal shelter because their son was not taking care of him like he promised. I decided to ask my parents if maybe we could get him instead. I was an only child and never really have anyone to play with unless a friend would come over and the thought of having a puppy to play with whenever I wanted to was great.
My parents agreed and our neighbors offered to sell him to us for $20, which is really cheap for a dog when you think about it, but a lot of money for a kid. I had that saved up and immediately agreed and promised I care for him and love him forever. So, he became my puppy and like a brother. After a few days of debating I named him Snoopy.
Snoopy became my closest friend. He made me laugh, played with me, and would just hang out and watch TV with me. He was always there for me, especially through some tough times in my life where I was extremely self-destructive. He saved me from myself.
He was there at my side through tough breakups where all I ever wanted to do was lay in bed. He was an amazing friend. He was there to see me graduate 8th grade, high school, and college. I hoped he would be there on the day I got married and maybe be around for when I had kids, but unfortunately as much as we wish for things, sometimes they don’t happen.”
Now it’s your turn!
In the comments, tell us about the first thing that you saved up money to buy.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
