What’s something you bought as an adult because you weren’t allowed to have it as a child?

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What’s something you bought as an adult because you weren’t allowed to have it as a child?

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  1. nopdk Avatar
  2. kittenchrissy001 Avatar

    Sooo much where do I begin….. A gaming console, a workout bench, a laptop, several books and dvds etc.

  3. kayyyjayyy1414 Avatar

    Expensive clothes

  4. alsgirl2002 Avatar

    The answer is what do I buy my children that I wasn’t able to have as a child?

    Unlimited music lessons.
    Paid driving lessons
    Money to hang out with friends
    Clothes that I wasn’t able to have
    Etc.
    Whatever they want gaming
    Music instruments like a drum set, a bass and a guitar, an electric piano.

  5. Mysterious-Ad4253 Avatar

    A puppy. And then 1.5 years later, another puppy.

  6. Buttchunkblather Avatar

    Pop tarts, fried cheese, captain crunch.

  7. SDF5-0 Avatar

    Candy. Lots of it. An unhealthy amount.

  8. Jolly_Summer_7399 Avatar
  9. love2go Avatar

    Swimming pool and we use it constantly

  10. BeaconToTheAngels Avatar

    Sugary cereals. 😂 We were allowed Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but that was it.

  11. chubbybunnybean Avatar

    Gushers and video games.

  12. monochromeorc Avatar

    a lego pirate ship. not that i wasnt allowed, but we couldnt afford

  13. taylorlmt Avatar

    Cosmic brownies and pizza. I grew up with a disordered parent.

  14. TrespianRomance Avatar

    Birthday and Christmas presents for my loved ones

  15. Alluring_Vixen Avatar

    A gumball machine.

  16. Cthulhu_Knits Avatar
  17. headlessworm Avatar

    Tickets to a Marilyn Manson concert

  18. kalyknits Avatar

    Band-Aids with cartoons on them.

  19. unclemikey0 Avatar

    Fireworks on 4th of July

  20. Maggie_cat Avatar

    Food.
    Snacks of my choosing.

  21. ChrissTosius Avatar

    One of the first things I bought as an adult was a Bible and a Koran.

    I was raised free of religion and was supposed to make up my own mind as a person, which I did. Why these two books of God in particular? Because these two religions were the most common in my home country at the time.

  22. nrg117 Avatar

    I shocked my hrothers when they visited because my kids had so many sweets to choose from.

    So many that they had little interest in them. 

    When I was little I got a few little treats once a week because I spent my allowance on comics.  Nature AND nurture

  23. Mediocre-Bee-9262 Avatar

    Name brand stuff, don’t get me wrong, love a good deal. But 5 star notebooks are so much better than the 50 cent ones from Walmart

  24. PuzzleheadedItem1914 Avatar

    What haven’t I bought? I have adult money now 😆

  25. godoftwine Avatar

    Full fat oreos

  26. TaoKlarjeti Avatar

    A bunch of games from the early 2010’s, like right around the end of the Xbox 360 / PS3 era. I missed out on a lot of that, but I recognize the titles from when they were still in mode.

    It was really fun to go back to them, and they’re often so cheap – I can go to the local bookstore and pick up old 360 games for like $5. The real steal is when I find something that has real, in-person split-screen.

  27. anope4u Avatar

    Nice, current, super comfortable athletic shoes.

  28. Mijollnir70 Avatar

    A samurai sword. I know I am lame. 🙂

  29. CaitVi587 Avatar

    Lots and lots of chocolate, we’d only have it rarely

  30. BoozeIsTherapyRight Avatar

    Creamy peanut butter with sugar in it. I was only allowed natural crunchy peanut butter as a child but now I gleefully make my sandwiches with Jif Creamy. That shit’s fucking delicious. 

  31. tacodippedtaco Avatar

    Magic the gathering cards

  32. 85MonteCarloSS Avatar

    I buy my kids a lot of play-doh, and other messy things that my parents wouldn’t buy me because the house always had to be presentable in case the Queen was coming over.

  33. Sys32768 Avatar

    Dinosaur bed sheets and pillow cases

  34. hockeynoticehockey Avatar

    A dog. Best decision ever.

  35. jjkkmmuutt Avatar

    I own a arcade game, it’s a 1up that i modded myself. My 12 year old self would have killed for one. Final fight, golden axe, whenever I want.

  36. invaderzoom Avatar

    Castle Greyskull

  37. closeup2024 Avatar

    style of clothes I really wanna wear & black coffee

  38. AnnualLychee1 Avatar

    Shoes from someplace other than Payless.

  39. Deerdance21 Avatar

    Certain snacks. Like the milano cookies. Or fresh cherries, because even back then, they were expensive.

  40. EclecticEvergreen Avatar

    A fancy swivel chair

  41. PsychologicalOkra260 Avatar

    A picture with sea lions at the county fair 🥲 to this day it’s my favorite photo 

  42. Born_Tomorrow_4953 Avatar

    I bought a box of cocoa puffs. once. they were disgusting

  43. tracyvu89 Avatar

    Reading all the comments and I realized that I had a pretty good childhood,my mom was definitely trying her best to provide me anything I wanted. I remember I asked her to “gift” me an older brother,she couldn’t lol

  44. vlad88sv Avatar

    A ridiculously large speaker (JBL Ultimate) that shakes my house and the neighborhood for no reason.

    I only used it once.

  45. bobert_the_wise Avatar

    All the good snacks.

  46. KeratinK Avatar

    Lunchables — not that I wasn’t allowed but I was a school lunch kid so my parents never bought them

  47. bongo1100 Avatar

    Advent calendar. My mom said she never got me one cuz she knew I’d eat it all in one day. She was right, even in my 30s.

  48. CO_PC_Parts Avatar

    Air jordan 11s in concord colorway.

    My mom did a great job raising me and my great grandparents spoiled me but I never asked for Jordan’s because they were just so expensive.

    The 11s came out when I was sophomore in high school and I think I finally bought a pair around the age 32. I’ve owned multiple since then.

  49. mGreeneLantern Avatar

    A lightsaber.

    Which has now become many lightsabers.

  50. kingSlet Avatar

    Games , trading cards , console , phone

  51. Omnitographer Avatar

    An entire can of chocolate frosting, to just eat. The regret set in a while later on the toilet.

  52. Jennyelf Avatar

    The classic Pet Rock. I was about 12 when they came out and REALLY wanted one, but my Dad said it was an utterly stupid waste of money, so I bought one last year. And I love it, even though he was right, $30 for a rock in a cardboard box is pretty silly.

    https://www.amazon.com/Pet-Rock-Authentic-Approved-Original/dp/B07KN9FK4B/

  53. hotbutlovingmess Avatar

    Legit the Barbie’s I wanted as a kid I bought for my kids. Ruffles Sour Cream and Cheddar Potato Chips. Shampoo and conditioner that I saw on commercials (such as Herbal Essences and Pantene Pro-V—for hair so healthy it shines).

  54. Aikia_aiks Avatar

    DIY Craft Kits

  55. GrannyB1970 Avatar

    Video games. Parents would never get me an Atari.

  56. CatLuver4Ever Avatar

    First-hand clothes. Clothes that are not from a thrift store, real, off-the-shelf, name-brand clothes. Not that the name brand matters, but it’s the principle.

  57. Admirable_Leather195 Avatar

    Good body wash, razors, electric toothbrush, perfume

  58. spaceballstheprofile Avatar

    Lucky Charms.

    Also I bought tons of underwear. I was allowed to have it as a child of course, but I always felt like I never had enough.

  59. M3msm Avatar

    Nutritious food

  60. jtrisn1 Avatar

    Stuffed animals and video games; but only because we were so fucking poor that it was deemed as unnecessary purchases

  61. mcdonaldsfrenchfri Avatar

    ngl I bought myself the deluxe webkinz membership as a 23 year old. we couldn’t afford it when I was a kid and I sometimes like to escape to a simpler time

  62. PuddingOld8221 Avatar

    Was extremely poor as a child so I don’t really look at prices when I’m buying quality food or alcohol. Still dress like a bumb though.

  63. AthenaCabin127 Avatar

    Dessert for after every dinner. Candy. That’s all really

  64. E2Bonky Avatar

    My first week of college I realized that I could eat an entire loaf of garlic bread for dinner and not get in trouble.

    I later learned why my mom didn’t allow me to eat an entire loaf of garlic bread for dinner.

  65. ICantUseThereRight Avatar

    Coca cola. My mom and sister had type 1 diabetes so the only soda purchased was diet coke. I would occasionally get regular coke at restaurants and my grandparents and I always thought it was so much better.

    Of course now I’m all in on diet Dr pepper.

  66. katkriss Avatar

    Food I actually wanted to eat

  67. Informal-Dimension45 Avatar

    Sugar cereal.

    I got over it.

  68. ratrodder49 Avatar

    Nice toilet paper.

  69. MickeyBear Avatar

    Souvenirs at theme parks, food at the zoo, stuff like that.

  70. phantommoose Avatar

    Haagen dazs ice cream. It was one of the few years my mom refused to share with us. She said it was too good for children. Now that I buy my own ice cream, I agree with her!

  71. ThatTeacherM Avatar

    Garbage pail kids card packs.

  72. GeckGeckGeckGeck Avatar

    A cool pocket knife

  73. captaintrips_1980 Avatar

    A guitar. It wasn’t that I wasn’t forbidden from having one. We just couldn’t afford one. Music was never a priority when we were just trying to survive. So I bought my first guitar at 31 😊

  74. Dangerous_Prize_4545 Avatar

    So many Guns N’ Roses tickets. #notinthislifetime

  75. mitzislippers Avatar

    years ago when I moved out of my parents house I bought 2 vibrators (had never m worded before) and chiiiiii….19 year old me had a blast 🥴

  76. SoCalBrewnette Avatar

    Matching linens…like cute comforters that matched and decorative pillows

  77. _TeeBeeDee_ Avatar

    Books.. and more books. And hot chocolate

  78. unittwentyfive Avatar

    Mouse Trap

    The old board game where you build the wacky Rube-Goldberg style machine. I only ever got to play it like once when I was a kid and was at someone’s house who’s kid had it. I loved it and asked for that as my birthday and or christmas present pretty much every year, but never got it.

  79. Key-Wallaby-9276 Avatar

    Alt of things but I big one I end getting often is watermelon. I had it so rarely as a child. Like 4 times 

  80. sowdirect Avatar

    Food! My mom always had us on crash diets and we weren’t fat. She just controlled our food but my stepmom and dad did it also. When I got pregnant all they could say is “you are gonna get fat” no more fat free, carb free, crash diets. No more food so processed you can taste the chemicals.

  81. hyperdeeeee Avatar

    Funnily enough it was the opposite actually. As a kid i was allowed to have Yugioh cards. As an adult, my parents were hardcore religious and I wasn’t allowed to have them anymore and they were gonna burn them.

    Glad I moved out and can still buy them.

  82. AnxiousPraline1928 Avatar

    Books like The Hobbit or The Hunger Games. I wasn’t allowed to read these kinds of books as a kid and it’s just so freeing to walk into a library and be able to finally read them.

  83. HilariouslyGolden Avatar

    It’s really nice to see what people gift themselves now as an adult and allowing themselves that freedom. Growing up I always struggled with buying things for myself as I always felt guilt in that the stuff I wanted wasn’t important or that there was more important stuff I needed to spend money on (bills, education, food, etc). It was tough financial situations when I was a kid. I also feel happier buying gifts for others/making gifts for others. It has gotten slightly easier with buying myself items I want (Thank you video games and books!) but it’s a constant struggle. Enjoy it, y’all!

  84. J-O-E-Y Avatar

    Concert and sports tickets 

  85. wildhardsrosaur Avatar

    Any time I’m traveling and there’s a penny press, I use it. 7 year old me is absolutely delighted every time.

  86. HarrietAugust Avatar

    I haven’t done it yet, but you know that massive jar of maraschino cherries you can get at Costco or Sam’s Club? I really want to buy one of those. As kids we only ever got one at a time.

  87. nate-x Avatar

    Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and Down on the Upside. My parents were strict and I didn’t get to own secular music.

  88. Impossible_Tie_5578 Avatar

    a lot of hello kitty stuff

  89. Bucephalus307 Avatar

    Lego Pirate Ship

  90. No_Bandicoot8647 Avatar

    Sweetened cereal. As kids we were only allowed Cheerios, shredded wheat, grape nuts, corn flakes.

    So now I eat Cap’n Crunch, honeycomb, Frosted Flakes, whatever I want.

    The protein is basically the same since it comes from the milk. But they didn’t have nutrition labels on foods back then so my parents thought sweetened cereal was horrible for us kids. We were robbed!

  91. dammit_sara Avatar

    Not so much bought, but I painted my bedroom black. It’s amazing and shove it, ma.

  92. Silent_Insect9358 Avatar

    Cake for breakfast 😂

  93. PuzzleheadedNeat2620 Avatar

    My freedom. An apartment free of physical, mental and emotional abuse from my father and the enabling and fakeness from my out of touch mother. I thrived once I left and moved across the country.

  94. Wooden-Word-2684 Avatar

    This might sound funny, but a bed bigger than a single! I was in a single till I moved out and upgraded to a Queen. 

  95. ouch67now Avatar

    Swimming pool and a dog

  96. McKelsea Avatar
  97. rlaceface Avatar

    A tv for my bedroom

  98. Electrical-Insect679 Avatar

    My first paycheck in I got in my apartment. I bought a used copy of fallout 3. A bag of blowpops a box of fruit by the foot and a half gallon of chocolate milk. That memory means more to me than my first beer. Wasn’t allowed to ever get any of those things as a kid.

  99. e-nigmas Avatar

    Entire cakes.

  100. Juuuuuuuules21 Avatar

    Candy💀😅

    I was never allowed candy like other children and my step sister even more so – it was like a hidden delicacy and has become an uncontrollable addiction into adulthood🥲

  101. Effective-Ad9499 Avatar

    I collectors GI Joe. The EOD operator to be exact.

  102. pestyfinesty Avatar

    Super sugary cereal. I regret nothing.

  103. CrunchyCds Avatar

    Video games. At some point in late high school I was told by my parents I was too old for video games and needed to grow out of them and focus on my studies. Jokes on them, I ended up becoming a game developer, lol.

  104. moosecanswim Avatar

    Whatever I damn well please. When I was a kid my dad said “I provide you all the basics. Anything else you want you have to save up for”

  105. LittleNotice6239 Avatar

    Makeup. Clothes that weren’t from a church donation or hand me downs from neighbors. Shoes that fit, nails, tattoos, skincare. Nutritious food. Basically the self care and self expression I only dreamed about as a kid.

    My family had the money, but my mom squirrelled it all away or spent it on herself. I was bullied a lot for being poor. We went without a lot of things as a kid, I didn’t have a real coat until I was 15 when the school called my mom asking why. My kids will never have to worry or struggle through their childhoods like I did.

  106. Leslie_Ackerman Avatar

    Books. So many books. My mother always told me books were a waste of time and money. Now I have so many bookshelves FILLED with fantastic literature

  107. DisneyAddict2021 Avatar

    Technically I didn’t buy him, he just appeared, but a cat. However, he is now the most expensive freeloader ever, so I can say I bought him.

  108. Pillsbury1982 Avatar

    Air conditioning. Never had it as a kid and fans only do so much. I’m too old to suffer the discomfort and nastiness of a bedroom that is 80° (or more) in the summer anymore.

    I likes me some 65° for sleeping. 😎

  109. nomoreusernamesplz Avatar

    Two kittens. They are littermates and were going to be put down bc they were sick. My mom still gave me a lecture when she found out I was fostering them though….

  110. junctiongardenergirl Avatar

    Garlic. My mom had a severe allergy so we couldn’t have it in the house. I ate it for the first time when I was 18. I have eaten garlic every day of my adult life. I can’t believe the deliciousness I was missing.

  111. Nomailforu Avatar

    A ribeye steak. My mother would occasionally buy herself one as a special treat and get pissed if me or my sister asked for a bite. She would say, “If I had a piece of shit on a stick, you would want some, too.” As a mother of adult children, I can’t imagine ever doing this to my kids. If I buy steak, I buy enough for everyone.

  112. Shellyj4444 Avatar

    Two of those 80’s fiber optic flower lamps. My grandma had one when I was little and she never let me turn it on.

  113. Kindly_Disk_56 Avatar

    I took dance as an adult. I shared this in another comment, but when one of my older brothers was younger, he took piano and quit after a very short period of time. My dad was pissed and after that, seldomly allowed any of us to take paid lessons for anything. We’d beg, promise to stick with it, and he’d insist no. Because my brother quit piano at 6, we’d all quit whatever activity.

    So, I joined an amateur dance team in college, then saved up to take some dance lessons, and I’ve continued doing so ever since.

  114. IDontMeanToInterrupt Avatar

    Underwear with cartoon characters. My mom bought white cotton bikini briefs for me. No fun prints, colors, or anything. Now my dresser is full of little mermaid, jack skelington, my little pony, reptar and more. Picking it my underwear for the day is one of my favorite things in my morning routine.

  115. distracted_x Avatar

    Shoes. I’m not a shoe addict or anything, I only have like 4 pairs currently, but there was a point around like 14-15 where I stopped getting new clothes. I didn’t get new shoes or clothes for the new school year like everyone else and it was embarrassing. Actually the only thing that was provided for me anymore was food and shelter. I got a job at 15 and the only new things I got other than on Christmas, I had to buy myself.

    So when I could afford it over the years, I’ve bought a few pairs of shoes like Nike and Converse. “Cool” shoes that I didn’t get to have back then.

  116. neck_bangs Avatar

    An actual drink at a restaurant instead of just water. God it’s so nice.

  117. vogajones Avatar

    That peanut butter and jelly combo thing in the same jar.

    It was gross, though

  118. Cuppojoe Avatar

    Food.

    Okay, we were fed as kids, just not enough. Our servings were “sufficient” and there were no seconds. Not that we really wanted any when supper was boiled potatoes, frozen peas, and either liver or sausage.

    As an adult, food is the one thing I will NOT limit for myself. I’m not saying I overeat, I just allow myself to eat the foods I like. Sure, I spend too much money at restaurants and the grocery store, but the scars are deep so it’s non-negotiable.

  119. Paltier Avatar

    Sugary cereal! BooBerry is as fantastic as I’d always imagined.