Not the most exciting or important post, but I just made my first purchase on Amazon. The remarkable thing about this is that I have never used my own money online. Previously, if I wanted something, I'd have to ask my parents and my dad would order it. The problem with this is that all items would have to be validated by them, and that I didn't have control over any of my own funds.

Subway

The earliest incident I can remember of me spending any money without explicit approval from my parents is in 8th grade. During that school year, I had to commute to school on a bike. In the 2025 new year, I received a 100 dollar bill from my dad. He'd probably expected me to save it, but around March or April, there was a lot of rain during the commutes home, so one day, instead of biking straight home, I went to the village square where all the stores were.

I pedaled over to Subway, the sandwich shop franchise. They had a small building in the village square, and I locked my bike to a street lamp. Walking inside, I approached the counter and for the first time ever, ordered a sandwich without anyone else. That sounds mundane, but it felt rebellious at the time.

When she finally built my meatball sub, it was time to pay, so I pulled out my wallet and then realized that I only had the hundred dollar bill. It was an awkward time trying to figure out how to get like 90 dollars of change, but I eventually emerged from the shop with the sandwich.

Amazon

Just happened today, I was hired to help someone with their common app and personal statement essays. I don't know why they hired me, but I worked for about 2 hours and got paid 60 dollars. He gave me $30 in an Amazon gift card and the rest would be given in cash. The reason that I had to ask for an Amazon gift card was that I'm 14 and I don't have my own payment accounts, so Amazon gift cards transferred to my account would allow me to order stuff and pick it up at the lockers.

With the 30 dollar balance on the card, I surfed Amazon for a bit, deciding what to get with my newfound financial freedom. I decided on getting some quality stationery: a Leuchtturm1917 notebook. Its price was $19.26 USD but with shipping and taxes, it rose to $28.70, so I basically couldn't buy anything else on the card.

Might not have been the wisest of financial decisions, but this was a pretty sizeable purchase for me. I've heard the saying "Everything's better when it's free", but honestly, this purchase felt really good because my parents weren't watching and I earned that money from providing high value work.

That's about it. Until next time, I am out.