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@Scrawnto Congrats, man! I'd probably get that coffee maker first, as that would be the easiest to get done first, then a TV and couch. Violin afterwards, then a PS3 after that for the Blu-Ray/Gaming combo. That would probably be enough time for the Vita to build up its library to get one. Lemme know when you're back in California to catch up!

I would get the couch first. Hold off on some of the other stuff expensive items and buy them around Black Friday/ Christmas time when a lot of those things get discounted.

Violin

Get a couch they are pretty essential, and most importantly will last you longer than any of that other shit. A nice couch is a great investment in comfort.

Burr grinder sounds pretty nice too but that me projecting my own fantasy buys onto you.

Instead of a couch you should Sumo lounge that shit up

http://www.sumolounge.com/

@TyCobb: Of course. That's why I specifically was asking about how I should prioritize my purchasing. All of these things will be mine eventually. I didn't think you were telling me to blow it all. I was just commenting on how strange it was to have money at all.

@nintendoeats said:

Go to your local Salvation Army for the couch and coffee grinder (just a normal one will do ), buy a cheap TV on Kijiji, and then spend the real money on a violin. That is the only thing on your list that you can't get for virtually nothing and won't be cheaper in the future.

Eh, I don't like to cheap out on things since I know I'm just going to upgrade later if I do, making the first purchase feel wasted to me. It makes sense to compromise on stuff like PC components and TVs since those go obsolete quickly, but a nice coffee grinder will last. There won't be a new coffee grinder that comes out next year that makes me go, "Aw man, I should have waited!" Same goes for furniture, really.

@GenocidalKitten: I have not yet had company, but that might be in part because I don't have any where for someone else to sit. Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy, you know?

@Butano: Thanks! I've saved up around 9 days of vacation, since I have yet to take a day off. I'll probably take a week or so in December and fly out to CA. I'll let you know if I have some time to bum around.

@TheVeteran13: I shit you not, a Sumo lounge very nearly went on that list.

@Scrawnto said:

@nintendoeats said:

Go to your local Salvation Army for the couch and coffee grinder (just a normal one will do ), buy a cheap TV on Kijiji, and then spend the real money on a violin. That is the only thing on your list that you can't get for virtually nothing and won't be cheaper in the future.

Eh, I don't like to cheap out on things since I know I'm just going to upgrade later if I do, making the first purchase feel wasted to me. It makes sense to compromise on stuff like PC components and TVs since those go obsolete quickly, but a nice coffee grinder will last. There won't be a new coffee grinder that comes out next year that makes me go, "Aw man, I should have waited!" Same goes for furniture, really.

Totally a fair way of looking at things. I'm just trying to think of ways to let you get as much of what you want as possible within a reasonable timeframe. I mean, if you went this long without a couch it seems like it's not a high priority thing.

Let me put this to you in the way that I've mathed it out in my life:

I currently have an older top-of-the-line Sony TV. I paid 400 bucks for it at an auction about 6 months ago, in general it goes for over 800 plus shipping (so your looking at around 900 bucks). Prior to that I've had a series of rather awful TVs which I bought for very little and sold for only slightly less than I paid. The net result is that I've spent a total of 600 dollars on TVs over the last several years. I've wound up with considerable value for money simply because I held myself over with something worse until a good deal came along. If you buy a 20 dollar couch now, and wait until a really good deal comes along for a nice one, you'll be saving yourself a lot of money that COULD go to something that doesn't depreciate like a Violin (or in my case, a guitar).

Of course there are other ways of handling this type of purchase that are totally valid, this is just how I approach it.

I was living with basically no furniture for a while too, so I can easily say "couch." You forget how much you like not sitting on the floor after a while, and guests will definitely appreciate it. I'd say skip the tech, especially with the next round of consoles supposedly coming out next year.

@spilledmilkfactory: The thing is, without any tech, there's really no reason for me to spend any time in my living room anyway, couch or no. I spend pretty much all of my time at home in bed or at my computer, so it's not like I spend any time sitting on the floor.

Look for a couch and chair on craigslist. People dump them cheap when they are moving, also try going to a garage sale for them. Bring a certain amount of cash and offer them that, if they don't want it then walk. I think you should make a nice living area. So look for a cheaper tv, like a 32-37" 720p TV and a PS3.

I would recommend a new TV since you can get one pretty cheap, nice ones too. Also a PS3 doubles as a blu-ray so I recommend that. You probably should wait on the violin unless your high school one is broken. I have been using the same tuba since freshman year at high school but tubas are built to last plus I will probably never need a new one.

May I ask what it is you do for a living?

@InfiniteGeass said:

May I ask what it is you do for a living?

He's a male stripper. A really good one too.

I'd agree with everyone else and say skip the Vita and get a PS3. You'll have access to all of the HD collections Sony put out, plus all of the PSOne classics not to mention a ton of great exclusive games for the PS3. I wouldn't invest in a Vita for at least another year. At the rate it is selling I wouldn't be surprised if Sony dropped support for it within a year. At the very least they are going to have to cut the price and put out some fantastic bundles, which would be the perfect time to buy one. Personally I'm holding out until they release a model with built in Flash memory. I'm not dropping hundreds of dollars on a machine only to need to spend another $100 to store my games.

As for the other stuff on your list, a couch seems to be a requirement if you are planning on getting a nice big HDTV. You can get one that is 40+ inches for well under $750 these days and you can get a full on 60+ inch for under $2000. I'm a bit of a videophile so I'd suggest coughing up the extra money to get a Sony or Samsung. They are more pricey than most other makes (especially Sony) but in my opinion they have a much higher quality picture, and Samsung TV's also tend to look pretty cool with their interesting designs and colors. Panasonic also makes some okay TV's but I'd stick to Sony or Samsung if I were you. The other stuff I have no opinion on really. If you play Violin a lot then it might be wise to upgrade, but that is easily the most expensive thing on your list. Oh, and sound systems are nice too. I just game with headphones even on my HDTV. I have a extension cord that I plug into the TV and I can use headphones anywhere in the room.

@Scrawnto said:

I've been a part of the labor force for about 10 months now, and I just received my first raise earlier this week. It was a pretty significant one. Now after the chunk I'm putting into savings and taking care of rent and the necessities, I've got a bit more disposable income than before. Suddenly, a number of things on my wishlist are within reach, but I'm not sure what to prioritize.

The options I've come up with are:

• Television- I still don't have a television, five years after graduating from high school and going off to college, which means I don't have a good way of getting cable or a dedicated screen for my Xbox. However this might not be the best option until I've taken care of this next one.
• Couch- I've been living on my own without any roommates for a couple of months, but I haven't gotten around to getting a couch yet. Having somewhere to sit if I have company might be nice.
• Speakers for my PC- I also have never gotten a pair of proper speakers for my computer. I'm always using headphones. That's fine when I'm within six feet of my desk, but if I want to lie in bed and listen to music, or play Dance Central I don't really have any good options. I've had my eye on the B&W MM-1s for a while. Maybe now is the time.
• Nicer violin - I've been fiddling around with the same high-school-student-level violin (~$300) for about eight years now and I've played since I was in fourth grade. I'm more than ready for an upgrade. A decent violin would probably run me around $2000.
• PS VITA - I have never owned any PlayStation product, so a Vita would allow me to play a number of games I never could before, not the least of which are the Persona games. I also really want to play Sound Shapes.
• Burr grinder for coffee - Will Smith swears by them, and freshly ground coffee would be a nice luxury on early mornings.
• A Blu-Ray player and some Blu-Rays - Because not everything is on Netflix.

Obviously these options have wildly different price tags. Some of them will take a month or two of saving before I'm comfortable dropping that sort of change. Something like the burr grinder I could order most any time, though it would delay the other things on the list a bit. Any thoughts? If you had some disposable income, what would you spend it on?

Don't buy a PS Vita, or a Blu-Ray player. Just get a PS3.

But first you need a TV.

Take it to Vegas and double it!

@InfiniteGeass: I'm a software developer.

Well if you don't have much money.... save it. Honestly, that's the best thing you can do. Save it up for a rainy day or to make sure you don't go into debt. If you have debts, use the money to reduce or get rid of them.

If you don't have debts and have enough savings to be comfortable, I'd buy a nice violin. That's something you can keep for a while, and if you like playing, then an instrument is like a life-long friend, so be sure you get a good one. TVs? They come and go. New ones are always being made, older models are always coming down in price and to be very honest, there is not much good on Cable TV these days. If you have a bed, a couch is not a priority.

A Vita? I have one and I barely touch the damn thing. Very nice hardware. Very poor software. Don't buy it, unless you enjoy seeing it accumulate a healthy layer of dust.

Speakers are a good option if you like music. Given that you play an instrument, I'm guessing that you do.

But honestly, the violin sounds like it is the best option. Music stimulates the mind, nourishes the intellect and improves your dexterity and concentration. Playing an instrument well is a skill, one that is not only good for you but makes others around you happier (unless you're one of those buskers in the street). It is something you'll take with you your whole life. Invest in it. Musical ability is a gift, one I wish I had but sadly do not.

Put it all into your savings to start your own business so as not to rely on getting raises and/or having your income derived from someone else.

@Korolev: I don't have any debts, thankfully. My parents and grandparents were just able to pay my way through college without any of us having to take out loans. I'm super lucky there. Since I started working, I've been saving about $2000 a month between my rainy day fund and IRA/401k contributions, so I'm doing pretty well on that front too. I do think I'm leaning towards violin at this point.

I am really into music, enough to buy a $350 pair of headphones. Oddly enough, the music I play is not at all like the music I listen to. I mostly listen to EDM, electro house, etc., but I mostly play Baroque and Celtic tunes on the violin.

@wordfalling: I think you overestimate my capacity as a business man. I am considering a self-funded indie game at some point in the future, but that's in no way a certainty. It depends on where all my game developer friends are in a few years. As I mentioned above, though, I am saving up money for the future, whatever that may entail.

@Scrawnto said:

@Napalm said:

@Scrawnto: What do you do for a living?

I'm a software developer. I was making pretty decent money already, but this raise was around a 19% increase to my salary! I was pretty shocked.

Were you working an entry level position? Nineteen percent is fairly substantial.

@Scrawnto I have no idea how old you are so that may inform my opinion. But I can guess given that you are posting about your first raise. You may not think you are much of an entrepreneur but when you have worked for other people for long enough you may realize that your livelihood should not be dependent on another man. If you are in your twenties, when I was your age I didn't think of myself as much of a businessman either.

Material goods are not much use when shelter and food are at stake. May be a killjoy but when I was in my early twenties and got my first major raise I blew it on useless stuff. When the economy went to hell I had enough to get by for a while but not long enough to become self-sufficient again. Glad you were taught to save but things may end up worse than you expect.

I haven't owned a TV since 2000 and do not miss it at all.

Couches are nice, that cannot be denied.

I did buy a good pair of headphones in the boom years though the cable went to hell so they are useless now.

I sold my very nice double bass to cover yet another months bills when things went tits up.

The Vita? Really?

I simply stopped drinking coffee when prices got too high. The withdrawal wasn't pleasant but I'm saving a great deal every month.

The what-ray? I guess growing up with low-res everything makes it not seem so important.

Things may be going well now, and I hope that it does. But when things get rough, they get very rough. Save, save, save.

A girlfriend.

couch, for sure. somewhere to relax, somewhere for company to sit, its a good all around purchase.

@handlas: I concur.

@Napalm: Yeah. This is my first job. I'm still the most junior person on my team.

@wordfalling: I'm 23 years old. Again, maybe when I have a few years of professional development experience I'll feel confident enough in my abilities to strike off on my own, but if I tried that now it would end in abject failure.

I'm not sure what you mean by a while, but I'm pretty sure I could live for a year off what I've saved up. I lived on a tiny food stipend all through college, and I never had spending money as a child. I can make do. I'm pretty sure that a year would be enough time for me to find employment. And by the end of the year, at the rate things are going I'll probably have enough stashed away to stay afloat for two years unemployed with some strict rationing.

The headphones I have are pretty nice, and any repairs are covered for a flat $30 or $40 fee.

If I stopped drinking coffee, I would save about $8-12 a month. Coffee beans aren't that expensive when you drink about an 8-oz cup every other day or so, like I do.

I grew up on VHS tapes until my teens, so it's not like I don't remember the low-res times. If anything, that only makes me appreciate the advances of technology more.

@gladspooky: Oh, how I wish.

Couch. Seriously. You're underestimating the awesomeness of a good couch.

If you can't decide what to spend it on, don't spend it yet.

@Grilledcheez: Obviously if I haven't chosen something the money isn't going to spend itself. I'm not going to put the decision on the roll of a die, and it won't be decided by a tally of votes based on the suggestions in this thread. I'm just curious what other people would prioritize on that list.

As an aside, that's how I ended up going two years without a hair cut. I couldn't decide how I wanted it cut, and it just kept growing until it was past my shoulders.

Psssst....shhhhhhh....marijuana

GET A TELEVISION OR A COUCH!

Meth.