What is something you wanted as a kid and bought now that you're an adult with disposable income?

Corroded@leminal.space to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 175 points –

I really wanted a modded Xbox 360 when I was younger because I thought being able to play 'backed up' games and having a custom dashboard was really neat.

I ended up buying one last year to fulfill that childhood wish.

183

When I was like 19 or something, I went into a restaurant, got seated, asked to see a dessert menu. I ordered dessert. Then I asked for an appetizer menu. And I ordered an appetizer. Then I paid, and left.

This. When I first started working, I ordered soup before my meal in a fancy restaurant.

Isn't it normal to get soup before the main course?

Yes, but I think they were referring to either a:) the ability to afford to eat out or b:) the ability to be able to afford more than one course.

I never have in my 25 years on this planet. A little salad or some roasted peppers or something like that if anything at all

Not for me, the few times I'd be fed from a fancy place was always a shared single item.

Only if you can afford it. Like ordering a drink instead of water.

When I was a kid, I was really into driving games, started off with Mario Kart and Stunt Race FX on the SNES, later moved onto F1 World Grand Prix on the N64, for which I had one of these bad boys.

You put your legs either side of the wheel to hold it in place. It wasn't very good at all if I'm being honest. Even at the time, 9 year old me thought it wasn't great.

So during covid, I saw that V3 pictured above being sold on facebook marketplace for 20chf (swissbux), and thought I could do better. Started off with a Logitech G29 and ended up with this:

Yes, cable management is not great, but I'm in a relatively small apartment, so gotta wedge it in a corner, but it's my corner, the Corner of Speed

I also loved racing games as a kid and my first purchase after I moved out was a g29 lmao.

I'd love to have a simrig and could probably afford one nowadays, but space is really big issue when living in an apartment. I don't really have a free corner to put it in like you.

2 tv's side-by-side with 2 consoles for local multi-player. Dream achieved with a bonus wife to play with.

When I built my new pc my wife inherited my old one which fortunately is still good enough to play most games (not well but they run), so we now have a two desk set up for co-op games, it's great.

I always loved construction equipment as a kid. I had a full set of die-cast Cat construction machines and would play with them in a sandbox my dad built.

Three months ago I bought a Kubota U27-4 mini-excavator. Needless to say, my inner 8 year old is thrilled.

A pinball machine

Fucking awesome! What table?

25 year old back to the future machine ๐Ÿค™

I know the one. I am definitely envious but super happy for you. That's a good table.

At this point it's back to the past. The guy went from the past to the past and then back to past-eerrrrrr

๐Ÿ˜‚ disposable income! ๐Ÿ’€๐Ÿ˜

A real video game set up. I have 17 consoles in the house and over 450 games.

I even have the old CRT TV with an AV switcher hooked up so I can switch between consoles quickly without having to mess with any wires.

17 consoles? Wow! Any rarities?

Eh not really. I have the yellow Pikachu Gameboy color. But I'm a big Halo fan (hence the username) so I've focused on collecting all the Halo special edition Xboxs. Only missing 5 and Infinite. 5 is relatively cheap I just haven't got it yet and the Infinite Series X is jacked up in price since there were so few made and it was released during the pandemic when sclapers were doing their thing.

Other than than mostly Xbox and Nintendo systems going back to SNES.

If I were you, I'd skip the 5 xbox just as an insult to that game's writing.

I sold a bunch of 70โ€™s and 80โ€™s tabletop roleplaying stuff when I went to college. A few years ago, I reacquired many of those titles at collectorโ€™s prices. Not my most brilliant financial move.

I bought a house, and then the vacant lot next to the house, and hopefully someday before prices go nuts the vacant lot on the other side of the house. Urban farm, baybee!

I don't think there are any desires I carried over from childhood that I finally fulfilled later. Most things I wanted in the past I simply stopped wanting as I changed with age.

I have, however, on numerous occasions in my adult life, looked at something that probably would've made my kid self go into orbit with excitement and thought, "Man, if only I could get an adult to buy me this..." only to blink a couple times, see the lightbulb turn on, and go, "HEY, WAIT A MINUTE..!"

A pair of rollerblades.

I remember sitting with my wife, waiting to get the train back home, holding the bag in my hands. That's when it hit me. I started to cry, loudly.

Cute. Did you take the wife roller blading?

Oh. For sure ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

She bought a pair of roller skates herself.

By the time you can afford it, the car ain't important..

replace car with games

!because no more friends to play with!<

Mostly computer parts. Growing up, my father bought the family a computer (an 8088 Turbo XT. See my awesome 4Mhz power!) and in what can only be described as clinical insanity, he let me loose on it. Of course I discovered computer games and was hooked ever since. It also led me to a life working on computers, so that part of his plan worked. Thanks to that computer, I now have a comfortable income. And while my computer isn't on the bleeding edge of performance, I do keep it fairly modern. Last year I was having frame rate issues in some games and upgraded to a RTX 3080. Just recently, my wife's computer was having low frames so we bought her an RTX 4070 Super. The games have come a long way from Starflight on that old 8088, but the kid inside of me who fell in love with video games is still happy to play them.

Starlight was such a great game. My friends Grandpa made hand drawn maps for it.

A whole bunch fo NERF guns. Rival, Elite, Vortex, I got a fair few over the years.

Do I need them? Of course not.

Did 15y old.me always want a dozen or so? Definitely!

Do you have a favorite? Or any fun facts about the world of NERF?

Iโ€™m building my way up to a helicopter.

Does a hot wife that pole dances count? But yeah, I built an arcade machine and have a problem with building emulator consoles

Do you just like making them? Or do you keep trying out new designs and setups?

Both. I make them as gifts, or just to try out a new box or sbc.

We're still talking about the arcade machine though right?

Oh youuuu. ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜

A really nice electric guitar, amp, and pedal. Money was tight as a kid for a lot of reasons, my dad did the best he could. However, this meant playing with some equipment that didnโ€™t sound quite right.

Now I have what I always wanted, but have trouble finding the time and energy to play.

Now I have what I always wanted, but have trouble finding the time and energy to play.

I feel like that's the story for a lot of people here. I definitely feel that way with video games on occasion.

A Nintendo 3DS because I didn't have a console (like ever) and it was cheaper than a switch.

I've only had time to play it a handful of times

Consider putting custom firmware on the 3DS - opens up lots of possibilities and gives you access to pretty much any game you could ever want

That's like the first thing I did. It's a Japanese 3DS so I needed to change the region on it. I still have all the original firmware files if I need to change it back

Awesome! Is it a special edition 3DS or is there a different reason for getting it from Japan?

They were a bit cheaper than the US ones. The seller was based in the US.

Hentai figure XD

My own drill (and an assortment of other power tools). Part of me still feels like I shouldn't be allowed to use a drill even as an adult, but I get more joy than is reasonable from hanging stuff on my walls. Such an efficient use of vertical space!

Obligatory load up the battery like a magazine

click

bzz bzz

I never used to be a tool guy, but then I finally was able to buy a house. The joy I get doing yardwork and fixing things, especially when I have the right tool for the job, gives me so much joy. I genuinely love going to hardware stores now.

You guys get disposable income?

On a serious note, here it's very hard to get to a point to get any disposable income, unless you stay living with your parent's all your life and never get married, ...

This is the main reason why I'm now able to actually afford a used ps4, physical manga and be able to finally buy games, especially indie one's without the guilt of pirating them.

NOTE: I'm 20 and have been working since I was 18 seasonal work since that's mostly all you can find here, even if you finish university/college so I just skipped that part.

Man you're still just 20. It gets easier. I didn't really have any serious disposable income until I was around 26. Now I can basically buy what I want.

Obviously it's different for everyone, but if you save money and develop good spending habits, it should get a little easier over time.

Here it's the kind of living space where at 40 with 20 years of working years you get barelly any disposable income.

Here it's the fact that the difference between income of somebody who just starts and somebody who has been working at the same company is so small you could think it's a rounding error.

EDIT: Example being on my last summer job I was getting higher wage than a person who was working there for 27 years.

youre incredibly short sighted, and missing the larger picture of the economy. youve only been working for 2 years, and you didnt start til you were 18, and it was seasonal.

in the last 3 years minimum wages have skyrocketed across the board, leaving all kinds of new people with higher wages than existent staff. it is a problem, but it will eventually work itself out.

..but youre complaining about your job efficacy and agency at 20. wait til you actually get some experience in the job market, and maybe actually pursue a career over the next 5-10 years.

the only kids with disposable income before 25 were the rich kids whose parents paid for most of their shit already anyway.

Seasonal work is the kind of work 90% of the population in the country bere does, it's literally the only thing available here. That's why 95% of my friends and people my agre group left the country to search for careers. Because here to get started with a carrer you either need to have cosmic level of luck of habe somebody who will get you in.

I plan on leaving the country myself to be able to actually pursue a career but because of some circumstances I'm not able to atm.

What the heck country are you in where literally everyone works seasonal? Surely there must be people with normal jobs that work year-round. There aren't any teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, bureaucrats, etc.?

I'm no economist but I'm pretty sure if 90% of a country's workforce only works for a couple months a year, that country will economically collapse.

Croatia, the number prob is too high but most people I know and see only work seasonal work here, tricky part here is that thay season work can be anywhere from 3 months to 10 months, depending on the job.

And on the note of teachers, doctors, ... we are severelly lackijg then because people leave the country since the pay is so small that it pays of more to work a seasonal job than being any of them.

Ironic.

So do you just sit on your ass for those other months? Because you could try doing freelance work on the internet or something. I just find it so hard to believe that an entire country is functioning off of people only working a few months a year.

Not at all, also most my seasonal work is for 7- 10 months, so my income downtime isn't that high but I still take time to make money in that downtime and make sure I have some income and apply for full time jobs.

I make something close to 35-50 job applications a month when I'm not working and last month of the season work, but barelly anyone will hire here when there isn't a tourist season.

On the note of feeelancing I tried, but don't really jave the skills to do it since I mostly like to do manual work, I'm not a fun of sitting at a computer to make money.

Mostly like this last month I have been painting the walls and assembling furniture for my grandmother that recently bought a new kitchen. Of course not for free, she wouldnt be able to bare it to not pay me for that work.

Well in that case I'll refer you to my initial comment. It gets easier. Be smart with the money you do make, keep trying, and before long you will have disposable income. Like I and others have said, it's totally normal to not have a lot of money when you're just 20. Most people don't start experiencing any kind of financial security until they're closer to 30

I mean... you haven't given any details, but it sounds to me like you should explore a different line of work. When you said you only do "seasonal" work, does that mean you're just straight up not working for most of the year? Because in that case I'd say there's a pretty simple way you could improve your income situation.

When I say seasonal work I mean there are only open jobs here for the tourist season, which is seasonal.

I tried getting into all time jobs here but they are very very rare and super picky about getting only people who have some connections.

Being married can make things cheaper. 2 incomes, and most expenses are not doubled, like rent or utility costs. That is until you have a kid, then things can be as expensive as you let them get.

In most cases here, the woman doesn't work because it's very hard for them to get a job here. So they are in most cases just literally housewive with no income.

As a child I always wanted original Converse Chucks. I was not allowed because the brand is so expensive.

I now have around 50 pairs original Converse Chucks, most of them rainbow, all hi-top. It completely escalated. I buy around 4 pairs a year.

When I was 12-15 I really wanted a moped, but my parents wouldn't let me get one.

Now, I bought myself a full fledged motorcycle. It's currently the best anti-depressant in my life. I love riding around on it, exploring unknown country roads and riding spiritedly through the twisties.

My next goals are to upgrade to a faster motorcycle and do some track days.

Strange things, motorcycles. They can cure depression, but they're also suicidal.

I'm doing my best to prevent the suicidal part. I follow the ATGATT principle and stick to the speed limits on streets with lots of unknown variables (cars, pedestrians, etc.)

Ha so stinking to limits is actually a thing for special roads. No wonder there's bad rep. Next thing you'll tell me it's one of those that are extra noisy just for the sake of waking Grandmas wherever you go past 10pm

Huh? I don't have a loud motorcycle. The exhaust is stock. I ride safely (I'm not riding in the nighttime) and respectfully. And what even is stinking to limits?

We had computers at home when I was little. Vic-20, C64, PCs.

But, of course I wanted a NES like all the other kids. Or a Megadrive/Genesis. But, no, computers are for work. We don't do video games.

So, I've had to make up for that by having a collection of all the consoles I never had. I've had a good run doing software development the last two decades, so I'm financially comfortable. I've recently taken the plunge into becoming an indie game developer. So, I guess the joke's on both me and my parents.

My gaming collection currently has a VIC-20, C64, plus/4, A600, A1200, NES, master system, genesis, WiiU, switch, Gameboy, GBA SP, DS, 3DS and PS Vita. And a miyoo mini, retroid pocket 3+ and a gpi case for emulation.

My gaming collection currently has a VIC-20, C64, plus/4, A600, A1200, NES, master system, genesis, WiiU, switch, Gameboy, GBA SP, DS, 3DS and PS Vita. And a miyoo mini, retroid pocket 3+ and a gpi case for emulation.

Do you have a favorite or a recent go-to device?

I probably spend the most time with the C64. Mostly for watching or coding demos, so I know it quite intimately at this point.

The NES is the most recent. The miyoo gets a lot of playtime on the toilet.

Well if you happen to remake Mail Order Monsters, I'll buy it!

I feel you. All my friends had a NES with tons of great games. Meanwhile, I had to learn DOS to fire-up Alley Cat, Paper Boy or California Games. Finally got myself a NES at 14 when I started to work as... a paperboy. All my friends had a superNES at that point, obviously.

Doritos. My dad brought home some bags from USA and instantly got hooked on that shit. Fast forward a decade and now with money and selling locally, I ate them until I got sick.

A pickup truck.

It's the first thing I remember ever wanting. I remember as a kid watching one plow snow on the yard of our apartment building and instantly falling in love. I always thought that it would just be too expensive and unpractical but few years ago I stumbled upon a perfect black used Nissan Navara King Cab for sale for a reasonable price and I just went fuck it and bought it. It's by far my favourite possession.

It's so cute how Americans think a car with a bed is a truck. Sure buddy, that's a truck.

Alas, I'll never be able to afford Airwolf!

I used to play the demo for Star Trek Bridge Commander so much and always wanted the full game - several years ago I bought a copy off Amazon (now it's available on Gog). Fun game, but it shows its age now.

Isn't there a kind of VR version of that now? Or is the game I'm talking about totally different?

Maybe you're thinking of Pulsar: Lost Colony? It has some similarities (in that someone can captain a ship and look around the bridge) but the gameplay is pretty different. ST:BC was from the early 2000s so there's definitely not a VR version of it in particular.

Independence from my parents. Mainly financial independence. Never needing anything from them ever again so they can no longer hold it over my head and be douchebags about how they had to raise me and pay for things.

I have a bunch of those retro mini consoles on a cheap projector on an unprepared white painted wall (cheap projector and unprepped wall mimics crt blur very nicely)

As a kid I wanted a Neo Geo arcade cabinet... now I have Metal Slug, Samurai Showdown and Fatal Fury on a 100+ inch "screen" (Not to mention the other consoles and switch)

Fountain pens. Such a simple and enjoyable process/hobby, and one that made real sense to me long before the entire world didโ€ฆ

Iโ€™m not where I want to be today, but I managed to find a few bucks and grab a Kaweco Lilliput in brass for my bday. Cheap af but legit makes me happy - even if Iโ€™m just doodling or trying to.

Course, that means I also need to spend money on good paper, but thatโ€™s a small expense relative to cost of pens and inks, and the feeling of laying down ink from a good pen, on straight up amazing paper, is nirvana.

Bought myself a kaweco sport and a travellers notebook for work notes. Iโ€™ve found that going pen/paper for notes is a breath of fresh air compared to text editors. I find myself referring back to them more often, making bullet to-dos, and Iโ€™ve worked hard to improve my hand writing.

It's not even necessarily the income for some things. Tons of things it just never occurred to me a person could get.

A great example is my Beast Wars Tigatron toy that I broke almost immediately after getting. One of the knees snapped. Mum glued it back together a few times, but he couldn't really transform like that and it always broke again. Then last year I was just like "Fuck it. Somebody's gotta be selling their own broken Tigatron on eBay with a good leg." At long last I finally have a proper OG Tigatron.

Totally get you. I bought some Lego Alpha Team sets and a Bionicle couple years ago because I realized sites like BrickLink work

A sodastream machine.

Turns out I don't like most of their syrups though, so I mainly drink fizzed tap water and the occasional lemon squash.

SodaStream is cool and all but I've found Sparkel to be better

Basically the same thing but you provide the Citrix acid and baking soda to make the carbonation right in the machine so it's wayyyyyyy cheaper to run.

Also doesn't void warranty to use alcohol in it, shits great for everything from recarbonsting flat soda to giving alcoholic mixed drinks some fizz

Someone on Amazon reviews even carbonated their milk like a madman

A really nice joystick, throttle, and pedals + additional button boxes for flight simulators and space simulators.

Growing up I had the cheapest little joystick and always wanted something more, but it was nixed by my parents. Now Iโ€™ve got it!

Brass knuckles. I got 100% brass USA-made knuckles. They live on my desk (WFH) and I give them a good polish from time to time. They still bring a smile to my inner child.

Sounds like me with my cane sword

I guess it's time to go find that knife that's shaped like a dragon

I didn't exactly buy this but I quit Catholic church and grew out my bangs, and bought my first pairs of bikini underwear, all of which was verboten for me as a youth.

Why weren't you allowed to have hair on your forehead as a conservative Catholic child?

I wasn't really conservative, my mom is just a narcissist and how I looked was a reflection of her, and she wanted me to have bangs.

I wasn't exactly a kid (I was in my 20s), but I'm now buying equipment for my home gym. For years I only had a barbell, plates, and two saw horses that I used as squat stands. I also worked out outside on my back patio. Now I have a garage, two benches (one adjustable), squat stands, and just bought a GHR/nordic combo bench.

Thats a good one OP. Are you now the guy bestowing golden deagles to folks in MW2 lobbies? I always thought those people were the coolest. What are you doing with it?

Oof I wish. I think the coolest guys I knew were the ones setting up chaotic CoD World at War multiplayer maps where everyone was flying across the map with rapid fire RPGs and the GTA 5 modders who would give you thousands of dollars.

What I plan to do with it is to play GTA:OG. It's a recreation of the GTA 5 online from the early days to my understanding lead by some passionate fans.

I bought a Sega game gear (handheld console of the 90s) when I got my first job.

Now in my 40s I get the things I wasn't allowed when I was younger and they're usually gadgets or food related.

I have all the cool tech I need. I have takeaway too often and it always cheers me up, I have snacks and no one yells at me for using too much ketchup.

I love being an adult.

no one yells at me for using too much ketchup.

That made me chuckle. Do you still have your Game Gear?

I do, it's in a box on the attic!

No way it still works ๐Ÿคฃ

Fair enough. I stumbled across a Game Gear community online a little while ago and I think they mentioned some common issues occurring due to age. Not sure if it was capacitor related like the original Xbox

Truthfully, I don't need it and probably never did.

I got it because of your opening question, because I suddenly could because I had money for the first time.

I want a steam deck too and yet I have absolutely no use for it and it would go unused on the side of my table just like the portable mega drive emulator I got a while back.

Sometimes my inner child wants a new toy! Sometimes I get it for them, sometimes I don't.

Unfortunately, there's nothing I could get, because circumstances.

What would you want if you could make a frivolous purchase?

If most of my needs were fulfilled, I'll spend on buying some single-board computer to learn and play around with, and music instruments like synths, effect machines and traditional folk instruments. I also like tender coconuts (with decently thicker flesh) and palmyra palm, so I'll probably spend my money on that everyday - that counts as frivolous, right?

A lot of the games I wanted to try as a kid

Some of them aren't as fun as I thought it would be, but at least I can still try them and confirm

A Zoo York skateboard with Independent trucks and Spitfire wheels.

An original Saint Seiya action figure, more specifically Aquarius Camus.

Mitsubishi 3000 GT. Found a black, beat-up, but running 1994 that I got for $900 3-4 years ago. Unfortunately, the wheel snapped off, as they're wont to do, so I only had a few months with her.

Turntables and a mixer. When I was about 10 I saw Run-DMC on TV and wanted to learn to DJ, but my mother just laughed saying I already had a record player and they didnโ€™t need to but me a second one.

That's a great hobby! I got turntables when I was 17 and it really depended my connection to music. May I recommend the book "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" by Bill Brewster. It's a great read on the history of DJing!

Yeah that book is great and I went on to DJ at many clubs and parties just to show my mother why you need two turntables.

I have a ton of different Nintendo consoles and lots of gameboy color cartridges for that reason. Good thing I collected them like 8 years ago because they are stupid expensive now

All 7 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers figures, the Dino Megazord, Dragonzord, and Titanus. Got a black Dino Megazord too.

Really i've bought everything i've wanted as a kid, as a kid.

Nowadays it's less about what I buy and more what I build. Maybe one day I will have enough for a house, but I doubt it.

Dwarven Forge. I don't use it nearly often enough to justify how much I buy but I love it the same way my grandma loves her Thomas Kinkade village.

To a lesser extent, the Steam Deck is great for gaming on the go, it really is the computer in my pocket (well, backpack) I wished I had when I was a kid, and I do travel enough to justify it.

I wanted something that was limited edition. Like the consoles.
So I have the limited edition animal crossing switch and the legend of Zelda Gameboy advance SP.
I also have numerous collectors editions of games.

Also, anime/ gaming figures. Have numerous shelves filled with them now, it's really cool to see every day in my living room.

Dungeons and Dragons miniatures and all the paints I want to paint them. When I was a kid, I couldn't afford more than just the characters I was playing.

Now I have hundreds and my wife, who has a lot of artistic talent, has taken to painting them with enthusiasm.

Not quite what you asked, but the thing I wanted most (that I remember) was a fixed gear bicycle. I still want one but understand the impracticality so have not yet bought/made one.

Big ass Star Wars Lego sets. Actually I didn't want them as a kid because they didn't exist yet, but I was really into Star Wars ever since I saw Return of the Jedi in a theater (one if my first movie memories), and I drooled over sets like the Imperial Star Destroyer as a young adult. Now I have my very own Venator!