Things you bought for yourself as an adult that you couldn't get as a kid

[ZLoth]

From Buzzfeed (compiled from Reddit):

Millennials Are Sharing Things They Bought For Themselves As Adults They Couldn't Get As Kids, And My Inner Child Is Soooo Happy

Admittedly, adulthood isn't everything millennials thought it'd be when we were kids. We've got to go to work, make our own doctor's appointments, and sometimes even talk on the phone. However, there's one thing that makes it all worth it: being able to spend your adult money on whatever toy or silly thing you've always dreamed of — without anyone telling you "no," "not right now," or "we have that at home."

In a Reddit thread from u/Alarming-Offer8030, millennials were asked, "What did you buy from your childhood you couldn't have back then?" and based on the responses, we are all out here having a true childhood Renaissance. Let your inner child have a little fun and see for yourself.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

I can relate to this since I had German parents who were quite "frugal".

[formulanone]

We had kids, so we sort of lived a little vicariously through them.

For example: my wife liked Hello Kitty things, so she bought a lot of those kinds of items and my daughter liked it. And then she turned 10-11, and it all went in a box for donations. My wife saved most of it, and surprise...Now she enjoys it again as she's getting nostalgic.

For my son, a lot of Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars. Usually I'd pick those which I was interested in as gifts, but also let him chose what he likes. (He's outgrown them...for now) Sometimes I'll see one in a store that catches my fancy, but that's like one a year. Unlike fanatics, none of them are in original packaging. He was also big on Lego for a while, but that's cooled.

I'm not big on buying myself stuff for the sake of it, but suddenly I have more income to buy all those old manual Canon FD lenses that were way out of my reach 30-35 years ago, but have not yet pulled that trigger.

[epzik8]

Tons of NASCAR diecasts, although I got a few of those as cereal box prizes as a kid.

[Max Rockatansky]

Rear wheel drive vehicles.

[Mr. Matté]

Booze

[Dirt Roads]

Rear wheel drive vehicles.

Manual transmission. 

[noelbotevera]

I own far more video games that I've wanted now than I did when I was half my age (10).

[Max Rockatansky]

Rear wheel drive vehicles.

Manual transmission. 

Those were on the table in high school.  The thought was that manual transmissions taught instilled better driving abilities. 

My mom had this prevailing theory that FWD was safer in the snow than RWD.  While not inaccurate I can't say that personal safety was ever really my bag.  That's how I ended up with a lame ass Sunbird when I was fifteen.  The eventual loophole was buying a truck which had 4WD.

[Max Rockatansky]

I own far more video games that I've wanted now than I did when I was half my age (10).

Can't really say that I had much of a notion to buy games I didn't own as a kid.  The primary reason would be the late 1990s proliferation of 8 bit and 16 bit console emulators took off right as I was entering high school.  Why pay for obsolete console software when it was free on the high school library hard drive?

[Rothman]

Just spent $20 at Funspot in Laconia, NH.  Beyond my wildest dreams to spend that much at an arcade when I was a young kid.

[Bruce]

Lots and lots of books. Most saved from thrift stores and library sales.

[formulanone]

Just spent $20 at Funspot in Laconia, NH.  Beyond my wildest dreams to spend that much at an arcade when I was a young kid.

I have no problem dropping more money at arcades for the kids but there's so many more redemption games compared to "skilled" video games (no points/tickets) that I find it harder to want to waste my money. Though I'm still a sucker for Skeeball-type games and the classic coin-ops from the 1980s-90s.

Lots and lots of books. Most saved from thrift stores and library sales.

Went on a eBay spree a few decades back to collect old Autocourses I was missing. I used to ask for them as birthday gifts every year but went back to fill old gaps from the 1980s and recent times. Stopped that after I realized I wasn't reading the new ones much, and the much earlier editions were hitting triple digits in auction.

[Rothman]

Just spent $20 at Funspot in Laconia, NH.  Beyond my wildest dreams to spend that much at an arcade when I was a young kid.

I have no problem dropping more money at arcades for the kids but there's so many more redemption games compared to "skilled" video games (no points/tickets) that I find it harder to want to waste my money. Though I'm still a sucker for Skeeball-type games and the classic coin-ops from the 1980s-90s.

Pfft.  I'm not giving my kids $20 for the arcade.  They make their own money now.

[Big John]

Just spent $20 at Funspot in Laconia, NH.  Beyond my wildest dreams to spend that much at an arcade when I was a young kid.

I have no problem dropping more money at arcades for the kids but there's so many more redemption games compared to "skilled" video games (no points/tickets) that I find it harder to want to waste my money. Though I'm still a sucker for Skeeball-type games and the classic coin-ops from the 1980s-90s.

Pfft.  I'm not giving my kids $20 for the arcade.  They make their own money now.

US Mint or Bureau of Engraving and Printing? 

[formulanone]

Just spent $20 at Funspot in Laconia, NH.  Beyond my wildest dreams to spend that much at an arcade when I was a young kid.

I have no problem dropping more money at arcades for the kids but there's so many more redemption games compared to "skilled" video games (no points/tickets) that I find it harder to want to waste my money. Though I'm still a sucker for Skeeball-type games and the classic coin-ops from the 1980s-90s.

Pfft.  I'm not giving my kids $20 for the arcade.  They make their own money now.

Mine are in the teenage years. One with a job and other not old enough to join the workforce. Arcades are now 2-3 times a year, at most. They're all out of the Birthday Party Circuit at this point.

[ZLoth]

I own far more video games that I've wanted now than I did when I was half my age (10).

With shame, I have a tremendous backlog of unplayed Steam games. And, it's for the same reason why I haven't purchased a home console.

Just spent $20 at Funspot in Laconia, NH.  Beyond my wildest dreams to spend that much at an arcade when I was a young kid.

I've been in North Dallas for 5½ years now, and I still haven't been to the retro arcades here. Of couse, if you know where to look, you can find the ROMs for those old arcade games to play on your computer.

[Max Rockatansky]

Fair chance I dumped $20 into Street Fighter II machine a handful of times before the SNES version came out.  That game had a really competitive scene at the arcade in Danbury, CT in the early 1990s. If you wanted to get good then you had to pay to learn how not to suck.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

A real drumset.

[JayhawkCO]

A Kirby Puckett jersey (I got a baby blue throwback)

I bought the little mini-NES that was for sale a few years ago. I really wanted an NES as a kid, but my parents got me a Sega Genesis instead which was also awesome.

[ZLoth]

Plastic storage containers. One of the things I wanted to avoid when I moved into my own place was that inevitable box of mixed cables, plus other things. Initially, it was using el-cheapo tool boxes from Fry's Electronics and Harbor Freight to store the different types of power cables, DisplayPort cables and adapters, HDMI cables and adapters, and USB power bricks that I keep accumulating. Five years ago, I had obtained this twenty-drawer rolling cart with the left side having ethernet cables and the right side having USB cables, but it didn't work out too well and the drawers kept falling off the rails, so I replaced it with two of these 10 drawer rolling carts that were more expensive but are better built. I also got two of these carts with wheels to store stuff. I've also been hitting Wal-Mart for the Sterilite Latch boxes and using those to store items. (The 2.5 quart container lists for $8.31 online, but is less than $2 at the store.) I also saved some Altoids cans and re-using them to store small items.

Of course, everything is labeled, and I have a DYMO Letratag 100H Handheld Label Maker that either sits unused for several months or is constantly used for a day or so. It's a slight pain to use, but the labels are so clear.

Why do I mention this? Because my mother would say in the past that "I'm wasting my money" and would those these items in a junk box that inevitably end up in the garage. She would rather use a garbage bag to store the holiday wreaths instead of a wreath container that would better protect the wreaths and make them easier to carry. Also, plastic containers to better store the ornaments. Sure, it's a little more expensive short term, but cheaper in the long term. Some of the Christmas bulbs are so old, the coloring is flaking off.

[SectorZ]

Just spent $20 at Funspot in Laconia, NH.  Beyond my wildest dreams to spend that much at an arcade when I was a young kid.

$20 lasts a whole day there depending on how you spend it.

[noelbotevera]

Can't really say that I had much of a notion to buy games I didn't own as a kid.  The primary reason would be the late 1990s proliferation of 8 bit and 16 bit console emulators took off right as I was entering high school.  Why pay for obsolete console software when it was free on the high school library hard drive?

That's an entire generation before me, but the same question could be asked now (why pay for consoles + console games when you can pirate?). I think some classic games are better on a controller than on PC; something like Sonic 2 or Sonic 3. These days, in the era of USB controllers, playing on a console is moot (though the Switch is famous for having a ton of exclusives) when it's easy to reconfigure controllers and remap buttons.

With shame, I have a tremendous backlog of unplayed Steam games. And, it's for the same reason why I haven't purchased a home console.

Man, I used to be a huge homer for the PC. Then I bought a good controller for the Nintendo Switch, and amassed a library of JRPGs that are fun to play on a controller. I can't imagine playing something like Elden Ring on a PC; tried it, and it is cumbersome at best. To be fair to PC gaming, are RTS games like Halo Wars 2 better on PC than a controller? Obviously, yes.

[Max Rockatansky]

I got pretty adept at playing platform games using typing position.  I used the directional keys for movement but my NES emulator set up was:

Select:  A
Start:  S
B:  D
A:  F

[Rothman]

Just spent $20 at Funspot in Laconia, NH.  Beyond my wildest dreams to spend that much at an arcade when I was a young kid.

$20 lasts a whole day there depending on how you spend it.

Lasted me 3 hours.

[GCrites]

A 1/5th scale R/C HPI 5B buggy. Except I wasn't a kid when I wanted one -- I was 30. I bought it when I was 44. I was preparing to start a business at the time and $1000+ for an R/C car wasn't in the budget.