What is something worth buying as a teen? please explain.

QuietStorm@lemm.ee to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 51 points –

sense most online business are having black friday is it worth buying something or should i pass and try to save my money. im a teen i have around 200$ but i would like to limit myself to 100$ or less. im probably posting this in the wrong place but im not sure, i just want to make a smart choice when it comes to money.

also i will not be investing in stocks or crypto so please dont suggest it.

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Unless you have something in mind that you want, that you know you can get a good deal on, I think you would be better off saving your money than buying something you don't want/need just for the sake of a black Friday deal.

This whole black Friday thing gets hyped so much that you start to think "I better get in on these bargain prices," but the truth is that some retailers actually raise their prices on some things in October and then lower them back to regular 40% markup and call it a "SIZZILIN SALE PRICE!!!"

So in conclusion, if there's something you want, check different sources and compare prices. Otherwise, don't get scammed into thinking you're missing out, you are not. Source: I am 55 years old, have worked in retail.

This. Black Friday skus are made specifically for Black Friday. They are made cheaper specifically to sell on black Friday, they aren't magical deals, they're low cost crap.

Have more experiences as a teen. Take your friends out to a movie or a dinner, buy some snacks and stay up all night with them playing videogames. That will be more fun than a TV that breaks after 6 months

Personally when I was younger, I lost many account credentials and important files when my laptop got stolen at school so an external hard drive is worth it or even a subscription to a cloud based storage provider if you prefer that.

Edit: personally I'd go with an external drive (40ish usd for a tb)

Surprised nobody suggested condoms.

It's going to expire! Chicks are hard to get in teens.

Well, the question was "What is something worth buying as a teen?"

Condoms only cost a couple dollars, but can save you the much greater cost of dealing with an unwanted pregnancy or an STD. If the time for the seks comes unexpectedly, and you have a condom around, you'll be REALLY glad you have one. Plus, they're always a fun topic of conversation: "woah, what's that?" "well, you know how I am, heh heh..." "oh yeah then why's it almost expired?" etc.

They expire after 3-5 years. Then you can open them and inflate them and use them for a prank or art installation or something, and go get some more.

A great rule of thumb I have adopted as an adult to save money, is anytime I wanna impulse buy something I write it it down.

Then I come back to it 2 weeks later and if I still really want it then, I buy it.

But so often after 2 weeks the novelty has warn off and I look at the list and go "ehhh, meh, nevermind I dont want it that bad actually"

If you can't answer this question for yourself, then you don't have any burning need to spend the money. Just keep it for when you find you actually have a need.

If you're not willing to invest it, and you don't already have something in mind you want to buy, then I say just save it.

Aside from that it depends on your hobbies. If it were me as a teenager it might be nice to get a decent fishing rod or multitool - something that you will use for a long time into adulthood.

Saving up to travel is also something you probably won't regret, and will create lifetime memories that define you.

This might not be the most fun advice, but it's the right advice.

The earlier you start saving the more money you'll have when you truly need it.

Unless you have something specific you want, I'd advise not to spend money just for the sake of it, even for perceived savings from deals. That's part of the trick with Black Friday deals - marking things down to get people to buy things they wouldn't even think to get in the first place.

Some wisdom I remember reading a while ago: if you're looking at something that is 75% off, just remember you can save 100% by not buying it.

Avoid Black Friday unless you really do your research on the category of products beforehand. If you want to find great deals on stuff, buying used items is usually a good idea.

The answer might be vastly different depending on where you live, what things interest you, and so on. If you have a hobby already, get something related to your hobby.

Do you like tinkering with tech? Maybe buy a raspberry pi (or clone) to mess with, which can be awesome both for learning and for doing useful things for so many purposes.

Do you want to get in better shape? Maybe a resistance band, running shoes, or some weights.

Do you have an interest in art? Maybe a watercolor kit might be a good idea...

Basically it needs to be related to your goals and interests.

An electric toothbrush.

As someone in their 30's who didn't take care of my teeth for a while, I'm going to have to second this recommendation. It will save you a lot of grief down the road.

Just because it's cheaper doesn't mean that you suddenly need it when you didn't need it before.

And just because they tell you it's cheaper doesn't mean that it is cheaper.

So go price something you want now, so that when the price theoretically falls you know whether it should be bought at all.

Don't spend your money because it's a " good deal". In theory your guardian(s) are covering the expenses the rest of as as adults just accept. Therefore take advantage and spend your money on what brings you joy.

Great advice. This way they’ll never learn how to handle money!

It's $100. In 2023 that does not even cover groceries for a middle class household of four for a week.

If you want to advocate absolute austerity to someone who has no expenses yet - go for it. Me? The world is shitty enough as is - of something's going to make you happy, and you have no other expenses, go for it.

Most of the "stuff everyone should buy" is stuff you really don't need as a teenager, like cast-iron cookware or a stand mixer. If you have hobbies you want to pursue, you should find a specific group around that hobby and ask them. A lot of black Friday "deals" aren't really deals, though - some companies will actually produce lower quality product lines specifically for black Friday sales, so if you end up buying something big like a TV or something like that make sure you do a little research.

If you want general financial advice, I wouldn't put it in a retirement account like the other guy said. You have plenty of time for that, and you probably have milestones coming up that you'll want money for - buying a car, graduation celebrations, going to college, getting your own place, whatever. So saving it for that kind of stuff is never a bad idea.

If you already have a hobby, invest in that. Otherwise try something new.

Or don’t participate in Black Friday and save it.

Neither. Save your money.

As a counterargument: spend your money. 200 dollars means a lot more to a teenager than a college student (with an on-campus part time job), then when you find yourself at your first full time job you may sometimes be spending 200 dollars like pocket change.

As a result, you will most likely cherish what you buy now for 200 USD way more than what you can buy down the line. That console you need to save up 6 months for right now? It becomes a lot less sentimental when you can afford it every other month. So spend your money on something that you'd like right now. 200 dollars won't change your life in college much, but it can change your life significantly right now.

It won’t change your life, but the mentality of not spending just because you can will

I'm not advocating that teenagers should save no money. I'm just saying you don't have to save "all" of it.

Good financial planning isn't just not spending every cent when you can, it's also figuring out how to get the most out of your money. There is plenty of expensive stuff that I've spent thousands of hours with, which makes them totally worth the investment. There's no way a teenager would be able to figure that out without some trial and error.

I'd say it's better to get that out of the way now than later. If you make a bad purchase decision as a teenager, at most you're short 200 dollars. Maybe that startup idea isn't exactly what you imagined it to be, but at least you figured that out now than after sinking 20k into MLMs.

If you really want to buy something invest in a hobby of yours. Buy an instrument, used camera lens, whatever you need to do something you like. Stuff like this may last you a long time if you stick with the hobby.

That's a good question. It's hard to go back to my teen years but I'd suggest:

  • buy a musical instrument and learn to play it, really doesn't mater which one. Especially during college years everyone who could play anything was suddenly a superstar
  • buy some book to learn some skill, again doesn't matter that much what you learn. I don't know, like mixing cocktails? Sounds fun. For example by accident I learned "reading of hands". I quickly learned that it's bullshit but boy, was it an interresting thing to perform during parties in college
  • Nothing really comes to my mind regarding of profesional development. Really at your level most of the stuff you can learn is free online and you don't need anything expensive

I wish I was a teen with $200 to burn again.

I have no idea what you should buy in particular but just have fun, you won't be a kid for long.

My kids say a gaming system or games, computer hardware.

But only ever makes sense to buy something you already want. Price out the things you want today, at today's prices, so you can tell if there even IS a discount on black Friday. Spending on something just because it's cheap makes no sense.

Good shoes are priceless as a teenager. As an adult shoes don't seem to be half the problem they were as a teenager.

For example, applying for jobs is insane as a teenager because a lot of people are extremely judgy on mere whiffs of superficial appearances. Not cool enough, or too cool can sway some HR people. Don't expect to be vetted by rocket scientists!

Argh! Nightmare memories. I tried to pull off some casual looks that backfired horribly with various employers and interviewers.

Probably a book reading device, then you can pirate books and stuff to save money.

Could also use your phone for that. E-ink is nice, but pricey, and almost exclusively single purpose.

100 isn't enough to really be worth anything too serious. The smart thing to do is either save it for something bigger or just have fun with it. Best way I spent 100 as a kid was on pizza and shit for me and my friends. A Minecraft server and some pizza is like 30 bucks, provides hours of fun

Concert tickets or a bicycle.

A bike is a super reasonable recommendation, actually.

I got a lot of use out of my bike as a teen. Even got a job at a bike store for a while.

Of course OP may already have one, or may live somewhere that's not so bike friendly.

If you haven’t already, get a guitar and give it a go.

I’d it sticks (and lights you up), you’ll have a lifetime journey and millions of fellow musicians to share it with.

  • Safety razor (e.g Merkur 34c)
  • Wahl haircut clippers
  • Redwings leather boots
  • Top grain leather wallet

Any of this things cost less than $100 and easily can last a life time.

Could also get a fatip for around 20 - 35ish USD depending on comb type. Chrome/nickle plated machined brass will last for years

I like Fatip. A Gentile is probably my next razor purchase. The standard ones are a tad more aggressive than what I typically like.

Where can i get the redwings for $100?

Hair clippers and if your hairstyle is one you can cut yourself, you'll be saving even more!

Invest in yourself. You may be able to follow an online course in your interest that your school doesn't offer. Like water color or audio mixing, guitar, video editing, coding etc.

So here's the deal, you can buy a bunch of little trinkets and cool things that won't affect your quality of life in the long term, or you can save up for a few big life changing things.

My suggestion would be to save up a few paychecks for a four season canvas bell tent as your first big investment. I recently moved into one as part of my offgrid prepping and wished I got one as a teen.

Its essentially your own room outside the house (provided your parents backyard is big enough for a small tent). Why? A reliable long lasting portable shelter that you can live in and or have a place for your friends to hang out/ socialize. If your parents are the loud argumentative never stops fighting kind that get on your nerves, being able to just leave the house and go to your own personal sanctuary is a godsend. If you get comfortable enough with tent living it will open up to you the possibility of saving up money for cheap land and owning your own property somewhere nice and scenic. without ever getting into financial debt.

If you are a smoker particularly of pot invest in a nice dry herb vaporizer from arizer. The smoke is a lot less harsh on the lungs, there's practically no smell (my parents HATED the smell and chewed my ass when they caught a whiff)

A lot of people in this thread are giving you weirdly specific advice about precise items to buy…

I noticed you’re considering buying a 3D printer with that budget. I think the answer depends somewhat on how often you come across money and what else you might spend it on. It’s good to be careful with your money, but part of being careful with it is doing some research to figure out when an item is too cheap to be worth it for you. There’s no one answer because it depends on what you value. In terms of the 3D printer, consider how much it will cost to run it, how much you want to use it, and what you might get out of it. I don’t know much about 3D printers, but I suspect if most people are telling you to get a $200 one instead of a $100 one it’s likely that the experience with a higher end one is noticeably better and less frustrating. If the quality of the parts is important to you and you’re not willing to put up with frustration when prints don’t work, or the printer needs maintenance, the extra money is probably well spent if you do want a 3D printer (and cheaping out might get you a 3D printer you won’t be happy with, which could be a bigger waste of money than a safer but more expensive purchase).

There are other options to consider. Libraries near you might have 3D printers you can use, and there are places to buy 3D printed models online (if you just want somebody to print them for you and are more interested in having some mini figures instead of the process of 3D printing). Buying 3D printed models from somebody else may cost less than getting a 3D printer, unless you think you’re going to make heavy use of it. It’s possible that you could also sell 3D printed stuff to recoup some costs if you do get a printer, but when making the decision I think you should assume you’ll make $0 from it and make sure you’re okay with the purchase in that case anyway.

My general rule of thumb is to wait a week or two before buying anything and then I’ll buy it if I still have the itch and am obsessing over it. There are always more sales too (and Black Friday deals will be going on all month). A 3D printer seems like a good purchase for a teen to me. There’s some cool skills you can learn that go alongside it. If you haven’t already look into some of the free software for creating models for printing (tinkercad, blender, etc). That’s a hobby you can get into with no money and might influence whether the printer would be worth it for you (can you make the things you want to make, or do you want to print models that others have made?)

Saving is great, but you should definitely reward yourself from time to time. "Retail therapy" as it's called, which can of course quickly turn into buyer's remorse.

I'd recommend a good pair of headphones priced around $50-75.

If you live somewhere wet, get a good quality waterproof coat. Like actually waterproof, not these fashion coats that really aren't. £100-200/but it'll last you at least 10 years. Assuming you're at the end of teenagerhood where you've finished growing.

Otherwise I'd save to get a hifi system of decent quality. Something like wharfedale diamond 9.1 speakers and a second hand NAD amp, 3.5mm to RCA cable. Would set you up for a long time of musical enjoyment.

As a male, Octopussy Guybrator. Never let sex dictate your decision making capacity.

Spend money on your health.

Do you play sport ? Buy stuff for that sport (shoes, ball, bat, ...)

Give us a list of a few things you feel you might need OP.

You're wise not to mess with stocks or crypto, but as soon as you have the income to contribute, consider a Roth IRA, starting as young as you can really pays out later.

oh I might be able to help you.. with a song about thrift! when you get a penny from a chum, don't just spend it on bubblegum. Put in your cap, put it in your cap

https://youtu.be/icfzrBm-vuU?si=dUz9syGoF_v9vBSL

I was always onto this mindset in all my life. If I crave something for atleast 1-2 week I probably need it. For example playing VR always pops into my mind so I definitely need a VR headset.

EDIT: There was one cheap thing that was really "useful" for me. My school had a merch shop where they sold pens with rubber onto it. With this I was able to play Hearthstone on my phone while class.

My best black Friday was spent with a good friend going around the city, getting some food and something momentous and something for my hobby.

I still have the blanket which reminds me of the day.

As others have already said, chances are there's nothing you genuinely "need" for BF if you are asking here. However, that doesn't mean a nice experience is impossible.