So I was thinking. When you got your first job, what was the first thing you bought? My first job was a paper route. I was 10 (1984). Paper routes were like gold to kids in my neighborhood so I had to start out small. I actually got a route of 13 papers about a mile from my house. The kid that had the local route wouldn’t give it up. Back then we charged $.35 daily, $1 on Sundays. A week was $1.95 delivered (discounted for weekly). I think I paid $1.35 for a weekly subscriber. And then the tip. The tip was a big part of my income. And that depended on service. We were not allowed to throw papers, we had to place them in the door. Even if that door was on the third story of a triple decker in Dorchester. My mom used to save the bags from Shaws so I could wrap my papers when it was raining. This helped with the tip. I got all my papers out by 8 AM, even on Sundays when they were huge and I had to make multiple trips back to my stop to load up. But my customers loved it. My Christmas tips were through the roof because I was on time. When I finally took over the local route (about 65 papers) I could clear $300 plus on Christmas week. Me and my Schwin with the paper bag on the front. On Saturdays when we rolled to the comic book store and the packie for a Coke I always had cash. Good money for a 14 year old. I gave up the route right before I turned 15 as I was playing high school ball and was looking at my drivers license.

So as I was saying, I remember my mom taking us to K Mart and I spent $4 of my hard earned money to buy the 45 theme song record of the Greatest American Hero…a great way to spend $4….

Beer

My first "paycheck" was for filming a commercial when I was a kid. I bought an OG Gameboy. I still have it, and it still works.

22LR ammo & pepperoni sticks (14 years old, first W-2 Income)

I put it in the Bank.

My first real job (job I paid taxes for), I paid my dad the money it would cost for my car insurance. I was 17. Then I joined the service and all of my $752.70 was spent on car, rent and drinks.

I had worked for dads friends as a construction helper, but I had no car and he picked me up and I did what I was told...

Mowed the yard and was a household slave before that- but that’s life.

quote:

Originally posted by bobtheelf:
My first "paycheck" was for filming a commercial when I was a kid. I bought an OG Gameboy. I still have it, and it still works.

Well, this simply raises more questions. You must have a copy of the commercial (or we can find it).

I spent one summer mowing grass, painted a chainlink fence around an acre lot for my grandparents neighbor.
I wanted a BMX bike.
I ended up with a 1994 Mongoose Villian. I believe I paid $585 on sale when the 95s came out.


But for a job with a real paycheck my first job was as a Caddy at the local Country Club when I was 14.
I bought a futon.
Used it all through college. It still resides in my Mom’s basement 15 year after graduating college.

Remington 597. Literally the worst .22 ever made, I still feel cheated

I started working for my Dad, a plumber at 12. I was just the go-fer kid but I got a quarter an hour. At the end of summer, my parents made me buy my own school clothes with what I had saved.

That sucked, and most likely ruined my saving instinct. It made me be a made for the moment kind of guy, sad to say. My now wife, 50+ years later still gets after me for it. Although she is no better than me.

In 1967 when I was 14, I got a job on a milk truck. Glass bottles, a lot of 3rd floor delivery with no elevators. I made $12 a day. After working the first summer I bought a 17" RCA black and white TV for my bedroom that I shared with my brother . I kept that job for 3 years until we moved.

A three tray Plano tackle box to replace my rusty old single tray box and a bunch of sundry fishing supplies

... 8 years old, delivering newspapers on the bicycle, before the dawn.

First paycheck, gave it all to mom.
Never thought differently.

Gas and a Case pocket knife was one of my first checks.

A 35mm camera. A Pentax ME with a Pentax 50mm f1.7 lens.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/w.../Pentax_ME_M50mm.jpg

Probably .22 shells and/or car magazines. It was 1963 I got paid $5 a DAY to paint a barn, I was twelve.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
I spent one summer mowing grass, painted a chainlink fence around an acre lot for my grandparents neighbor.
I wanted a BMX bike.
I ended up with a 1994 Mongoose Villian. I believe I paid $585 on sale when the 95s came out.


But for a job with a real paycheck my first job was as a Caddy at the local Country Club when I was 14.
I bought a futon.
Used it all through college. It still resides in my Mom’s basement 15 year after graduating college.

So funny, I bought a GT pro performer. Loved that bike.

In my best jhe888: Hookers and blow.


My first job was cutting lawns in my neighborhood. The first thing I remember buying of any value was a Sears adjustable weight bench with a built-in leg curl/leg extension station and uprights that adjusted to allow squats along with bench movements. I picked it up from Sears, went straight home and put it together. I was working to add size for football and totally stoked at having this great new piece of hardware.



.

quote:

Originally posted by cjevans:
... 8 years old, delivering newspapers on the bicycle, before the dawn.

First paycheck, gave it all to mom.
Never thought differently.

This hits me because my dad passed when I was 10 and I remember my uncle telling me I was the man of the family now...a part of my weekly paper route money went to my mom for her and my sister. I felt like I needed to contribute. Dam.

Forgot to add the first thing that I wanted to buy with my first paychecks. A bright green Raleigh Chopper bike, I thought I was cool as sh*t on that damn thing!!

Tried to invent extended forks with 3/4" copper tubing, what a disappointment, did a wheelie and when I came down the extended forks broke and I went cartwheeling.