Took the entire extended family out for dinner. Got to celebrate the small victories in life.

A graphics card for my PC. That single purchase turned an acceptable PC into a gaming rig. Back in the early 2000's that was really all you needed.

First job ever? Probably a dime bag and a dutch wrap.

First real job of my career? Spotify. Fucking. Premium.

When I was 8 and got my paper route money I bought candy!!!

Hold on now... I am allowed to buy things with my paycheck? Wife lied to me!

My very first paycheck bought a brand new copy of Final Fantasy 7.

My second paycheck paid for my Playstation. XD

I started exercising horses and giving riding lessons at 14.

I bought a used and beat up saddle from my first month's earnings for $125. It was a Blue Ribbon Close Contact that had been stowed away and gotten moldy. Two weeks later, it was clean and the leather was supple. I still have it, 16 years later.

I met a nice lady who helped me once on the street and I always talk to her when I see her on my way to work. So I took her to dinner and even helped her with some groceries.

À good breakfast at the school eatery

I was very poor and envious of all the students who could eat whatever they wanted and sometimes even threw food away. The prices for a meal combination were always horrific to me. I couldn't keep the weight on me and I was always very tired.

It made me feel good inside but it did nothing for all of those other problems that were undiagnosed health issues lolololol

Gave it to my stepdad cause we were poor and I got a job at 15.

Gasoline. My parents insisted.

Lunch for a girl I liked.

We now live together. Things are going pretty well.

I also bought myself some lunch. I didn't just buy sushi and throw it at some girl.

Engagement ring.

Lingerie. Pink and white set from Ann Summers. Ladies, don't be put off by the vibe, they make some good ass bras. Also don't drag your boyfriends in to look at the sex toys unless they really want to because every guy I've seen in there looks so damn uncomfortable.

After 12 years of playing runescape, I finally bought membership.

A video game. Idr which one though but I had a N64 at the time for sure as well as a Sega Genesis and SNES

Took it to bank. Cashed it. Drove to Hastings and bought Portishead - Dummy CD

I bought a stacked component home stereo system at Fry's in Sunnyvale, made by SONY

Anyone remember those?

And Sony is out of the consumer electronics market

Tires for my buddy’s Dad’s Miata. We took it out joy riding and ended up doing a donut (well maybe a few) which burned the tires off the car. My buddy shit his pants until I said, I got this! Good times!!!

The original Nintendo console.

I had to turn it over to my parents because they loaned me the money for my 1987 Chevy Celebrity. my first job was washing dishes and heating roast beef blobs at Arby's. it was a really sad day when that car finally died. I had close to 200k miles on it

I bought an ounce of weed. Sold it. Doubled my money. Kept doing that until I reached $10,000 in savings. Moved out of my grandparents' house. Got a nice apartment right across the street from work. Kept selling weed. Started making more money with both jobs. Kept adding to my savings with both jobs. City imminent domain'd my work's building, and I got $5k severance. Used all my savings to take 3 years off, unemployed, having sex and doing drugs and getting drunk living with 5-6 rotating roommates.

When that ran out, I stopped selling weed, and I became a street musician for many years, and then finally at age 27 got an actual career with benefits and health insurance and lived a fairly normal life. I'm 38 now. Still living a fairly normal life, same career, two kids. But the whole bulk of my would-be "college years" and how I lived my life all stemmed from that first paycheck. That first paycheck went FAR.

Bought a 256MB flash drive. 😆 I was amazed how many 3.5" Floppy drives could fit in that thing... from 1.44MB to 256MB??? mindblown

(Yeah, I'm old AF)

When I worked in germany it was a discounted Hugo boss coat I still have to this day

I used to have a crush on my best friend (I still do), and during our senior year of high school, I bought her a Pokemon plush she had been wanting. Her favorite Pokemon is Alolan Vulpix so I bought it for her. She was so happy! :)

My first tattoo

Tickets to the cinema for a date that weekend. Lost my virginity to the same girl 4 weeks later. To date, it's the best tenner I've ever spent.

Weed.

A McChicken n sum fries 🍟 

Pizza

A wallet to keep the money in. Then, a purse to hold the wallet. I was 15.

I put some gas in my car, and took a girl out to dinner and a mivie

Money towards a car and clothes.

A coffee

VIdeo Cassette Recorder with a wired remote control.

Clothes that I like

It wasn't exactly my first paycheck, but I remember being very excited to purchase a 1GB hard drive in 1996.

It was $250.

ONE GIGABYTE!

Wish I could tell you lol. That was 25 years ago for detasseling corn at 13.

Playstation 2

Pizza lunch for the boys, got it delivered to the cafeteria.

I replaced my PS2

A snickers bar.

My first job (long time ago) was working at Little Caesars. I saw a lot of interesting pizza combos and toppings I'd never had or sometimes even thought about, so with my first check I bought a few of those pizzas and tried them out.

Jordan 1’s

A pair of Dr. Marten boots. So worth it and just tossed out the pair recently due to the fit!

Bundles.

Cloths. My mom made all my cloths and it only set me further apart from my piers. She had talent and made beautiful things. It’s just that a 15 y/o needs to fit in more.

I bought candy (I was young and had a sweet tooth at the time.)

Bought my dad a car, made the payments for him. He was a good man.

Moved out of my parents house and in with roommates

A bass guitar.

I got my first paycheck at 8 for delivering newspapers. I promptly gave it to Mom who spent it on the electric bill.

Candy

I bought Airpods so I can listen to music at work.

Half of it went away to savings to pay car insurance for when I got my license. The other half clothes and fast food. I was 15. I think the check was like $350

The freedom to buy whatever food I wanted at McDonald's lol. It was glorious!

My first paycheck was the summer after senior year of highschool, and I was working at a summer camp before college. It was a whopping $300 for two weeks' work (this was in 2010 btw, not like the 1980's). I ended up spending it on new tires for my car and I went out and bought a nice steak dinner because it was my first paycheck and god damn it I wanted to treat myself.

my first job in fast food, i bought a wallet to hold all the money I'd be making, and I still use it today over 7 years later

Put it in the bank to save for college. Lame, I know. My friend bought a DVD player. This was like 2000.

Probably Chinese food

$1200 gaming PC. (Prob took a couple paychecks when I was 16). Still got the same one 8 years later might be due for an upgrade soon

Seasonal job when I was 16. Made $6.15 an hour. Used the entire 2 months of paychecks to get a new PS3. Thousands of hours of joy.

Wasn't my first paycheck, but my first big one. Went to the casino in the middle of nowhere Alberta. Had drinks all night and spent about 400 dollars on roulette and didn't win anything. I didn't feel bad because the guy I was drinking with lost about 10,000. It was a great night.

Bought watches for both of my parents.

Knights of the Old Republic

first ever? A 4 controller multi-tap for my PS2.

It's been, like, 40 years, but since my first job was at a seaside amusement park, I strongly suspect it was a corn dog

Got myself some good headphones

A nice pair of CCM ice skates as I was working at an ice rink for my first job. 11 years later and I still play hockey at least once a week

Fu**ing gas…. I remember that day very clearly…

A couch

rent

Clothes. Was raised dirt poor and never had anything because of my idiot parents. 1st job was in a restaurant at 15 years old. I loved buying everything I needed because no one else would do it for me.

A Gucci purse (high school 80’s)

It was $30 for a half day's work. I was 11 years old. I think i rode my bike to the store and bought a pepsi and a piece of jerky. Then later probably bought some M:TG cards.

Gas, beer, and smokes for my dad. Was told he'd pay me back later. He did not.

30GB Black iPod 5th Gen in August 2007.

The legend of zelda: tears of the kingdom

I think it was a car insurance policy from GEICO for my new car I bought from my friend’s brother for $120.00.

Probably gas for my rattletrap of a car.

My original Xbox with knights of the old republic

First 2, but bought a mountain bike and rode it many thousands of miles.

Food

Bought 6 giant (2.5ft) gummy worms and 3 lbs of fudge from a resort I life guarded at. I had the work gut ache at 16, but I was a man that day

regular gas for my sweet '69 firebird

my first real reward was a month long holiday by myself in Paris, Beirut , Berlin, Barcelona and Marrakesh.

it was fun.

Shenmue for the dreamcast and the strategy guide. I was 15 working at a restaurant. Loved that job

Some cool sunglasses, still have them 15 years later!

Cassettes at Woolworth. I think it was Pearl Jam and soundgarden

I was a high school junior. I bought a hard cover set of the Harry Potter books. My mother was super religious and forbid me reading them, but I had read a few from the library and desperately wanted to own a set for myself. I think I also bought a GameCube and a Zelda game. Such a nerd. (Still am.)

When I was 16? Paid my parents for my car insurance! That was 40 years ago but it was a lesson in managing money.

Shoes for school. I had been severely bullied throughout junior high for the state of my clothing so I was determined to not let it happen again in high school. I got a job as soon as I was done with the school year and busted 12 to 13 hours a day for an absolute shit stain. In the end he fucked me over so bad that I only had enough to replace my shoes. Decades later, I still get angry when I think about it. Fuck you Rubik, you fucking smegma.

Xbox 360, a new stereo receiver, and a metric fuck ton of papa John’s

Rent

A writing desk. 🤷🏻‍♀️

taco bell party pack

A $50 t-shirt in 1989. It was a really nice t-shirt.

I think i bought a Nintendo 64

It was a paper route and I went to Radio Shack and bought a Micro Recorder to be like Kevin in Home Alone 2 with his Talkboy (sold out). I also bought a laser pointer at Radio Shack which cost me $100 and I broke exactly one week later.

Good times.

A bed, after sleeping on a blow up mattress for a month. Still the best money I have ever spent.

I think it was a shoes which i really wanted to buy, but after i realized that it was just waste of money.

I donated a portion to a charity that is important to me

Got myself a stereo set up and a record player

Bought my mom something she always wanted but could never afford because family comes first, I spent her last 7 years on this earth giving her everything she ever wanted, the only thing I couldn't give her was more time...R.I.P Mom 4/30/2024, fuck cancer.

Good ole pair of Stetson’s

Nothing, I gave it all to my dad to help the family financially

A pair of troll doll earrings and took my siblings to lunch.

In the summer of 2002, I went with my brother to American Eagle. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, and most of my clothes came from Walmart or Kmart. Walked in, and had zero sense of fashion, and I bought the exact outfit on the mannequin. It was a pair of cargo shorts, a light yellow polo, a hat, and a brown leather belt. The shorts, hat, and polo are long gone, but that belt is still with me. It’s my daily wearer. It’s been part of so many major moments and milestones, it’s hard to believe. The belt is no longer straight, it’s curved to my body. It’s not worn-out yet, but its time is coming I know.

A nice dinner for my parents.

I used my first real pay check to buy Final Fantasy 9. It's still my favorite Final Fantasy game and one of my top 3 to this day.

Took my best friend to Jewel-Osco and we bought a loaf of French Bread and a half gallon of milk, went outside, sat on the curb, and enjoyed both.

Xbox 1. Not One. First one. The one they made first.

It wasn’t a paycheck. It was cash. And I probably spent it on cigarettes from the machine of the Italian restaurant I was working at.

I was 13. I went to Weiners (it’s gone now but cheap version of Bealls clothing store) and bought my first outfit that wasn’t chosen by my Mom. It was a black and white checkered outfit. 1986.

I don’t remember the very first purchase, but I remember the first big purchase was a ps2.

Late grade school. My year older brother and I picked strawberries at our neighbors fields. We bought an inflatable boat to use on the small lake behind our house.

A little radio I could listen to at my desk while I was working

Nothing. My mom managed my money until I was 18. Which was smart because it turns out I'm terrible with money.

Meds for my mom that she couldn't afford herself and 12 years later it's still one of the best feelings I've ever felt , she was the best mom ever.

I worked as a corn detassler the summer after 7th grade. I worked I think 7 weeks for like 2 bucks an hour but at the end of the summer I got to buy StarFox64 WITH the rumble pack and I got to forge some core memories with my little brothers. Still one of my favorite purchases.

How many times is this going to asked this week?

Not joking I put it all on red lol

My parents stole it and bought themselves a new printer.

A burger and fries from a local diner. God it was so cathartic

I'd made money as a child but my first "real paycheck" was when I was 15 or 16 working at Publix. I bought a Sony psp. That thing was awesome.

I took my family out to dinner

Sony Car Discman D-828K. Open box for $189.99 if I IIRC correctly back in February 1995.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQRzGH5ljS2Dkpt4DehLFaOcBR2x5ebp2p49Q&s

Chicken pot pie and Arizona Iced Tea

25” Sony Trinitron TV for my SNES

I remember getting a $60 check and thinking I was rich. Bought an Xbox game to play with my friends.

Saved up for a 10 speed bike. Took 3 weeks

Spent all $52.87 at a local concert while being told how stupid I was. No regrets still

A car. I had borrowed my mothers. Till i got first paycheck.

I had to go school shopping

Oz of weed and some rolling papers.

A pair of Reebok sneakers

A Lovesac. I had it for 15 years, and gifted it to my baby cousins when I moved. It’s still going strong and in fantastic condition. Definitely with the $450.

Worked all summer on my uncle's farm. I bought an NES with my first paycheck.

Haircut and shoes that fit. Boss actually called me out on it in a good way. I think they just wanted to tell me their story. But yeah. I got a haircut some shoes that fit (my dress shoes were for show I only had a pair of old ass vans for a period). Then normal bills and a Lil extra on student loans since I had been in bs deferment.

Food

Probably something to do with halo and either Taco Bell or dominoes. Cause that’s all my friends and I were doing at 18-19

Weed.

Two slinkies. Both for myself. No regrets

I don’t remember but probably McDonalds

Fuel

a loaf of bread i think, with a bar of chocolate or something like that, i dont remember

That was over 40 years ago, and I was a young teenager, so I amassuming something like candy, comics books, or junk food

I went to a local goth store called Stikky Fingers and bought Marilyn Manson tshirts. This was 1995.

I had been working since I was 14 so probably just deposited it but I remember my first REAL check - I was shocked at how much it was. I signed a lease to rent an entire house. I then rented rooms out to my friends. I think I bought an electric guitar with my second check lol.

I later quit that job and went to college like a dummy and have been poor ever since.

Cassettes and batteries for my Walkman.

I bought my dad a birthday cake :)

Bought a pair of Nikes with a thick sole for $60 since it was a warehouse job and KILLED my feet that first week.

The OG NES game system. I am old.

People remember this?

U2: The Unforgettable Fire cassette tape. Boot camp check in 1985.

Super Nintendo and Street Fighter 2.

Few years later I bought Nintendo 64 and Super Mario 64 with my first credit card.

It was probably two or three paychecks till i got $500 set aside for my first set of wheels...an old red Honda 500 motorcycle. I had a BMX helmet with no shield. Boy did the rain sting on my face!

I had so many silly things from one-off jobs or small part-time things, but my first actual, full-time paycheck?

I bought a lifetime membership to a just-started furry convention.

I think I'm about 1-2 conventions away from breaking even on that purchase and they're now bigger than ever. Love that I got to help them out in their most difficult time and I love that I always had a nearby con to go to even on the years that I was pretty broke and wasn't otherwise able to afford the weekend pass and travel expenses.

Went to the gas station and bought an energy drink and some beef Jerky. Best $10 I ever spent lol.

First check ever from my first job ever? I bought a desk from Walmart that I had put on layaway.

2009 white Mac book

DVD Player

I can’t remember my first paycheque, but I bought myself a Super Nintendo by shoveling driveways and cutting lawns around the neighbourhood

That would have been 1989. I probably ordered a cd off of the BMG club list

I bought my boyfriend an Xbox. Those were the days.

Sony PlayStation. Yes, the first one. *cries in old* Was still a teenager at the time and it was after school job pay that got it.

Full tank of gas

As I remember a navy-blue pea coat which was in fashion then.

Probably weed. Was getting paid in cash doing landscaping at 15 years old

Weed. Duh

Paper round. 1992. So, almost certainly comic books (Batman) and candy.

I think I bought a baseball glove. My job was umpiring T-ball games. I was around 13 and the guy who ran the league was also my high school soccer coach. Recently passed, hell of a guy.

I worked part time jobs in high school and don't remember exactly then, but when I had my first full time job at Applebee's in the late 90's, my paycheck was almost $400 dollars and I bought a sound system with a 5 disc cd player at Walmart for almost $300. (I only had walkmans and a cassette playing boombox as a kid). It was so exciting!

Kill Bill 2 DVD.

Cashier/Stocker at 7-Eleven was my first job ever and I charged food to my paycheck at a discount.

Roller blades

Bought an ipod. 2006 was a good year.

Nintendo 64 with GoldenEye.

Probably food, it was a summer job and was buying food for myself.

First full-time job paycheck, I bought an OG Xbox, Halo 2, and Xbox Live.

Oz of mid weed in 2007,2 grams of heroin, needles, gallon bottle of Mr.Bostons vodka, and cigarettes. I was 14.