So i went to a focus group purely to provide feedback, now i have a 75 dollar giftcard which i have to select and withdraw but im not sure what to put the money towards? my older brother also got one. Yes i live with parents so most of my living needs are already covered.

What would be the smart thing to do here? what would you suggest and why so?

  • BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    I did focus groups and surveys for money. I often would just stock up on toiletries from Amazon when I had gift cards. That shit is expensive so it lets my grocery budget breathe.

  • YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today
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    6 days ago

    They got 8 inch windows tablets with full sized USB ports. Very VERY light gaming. But definitely new Vegas and original borderlands capable.

  • aramis87@fedia.io
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    8 days ago

    Whatever you spend it on, may I make a suggestion, if you have a little extra money yourself? Spend the gift card money, yes: buy something you’ll enjoy, share that joy with the people who got it for you, let them see how happy they’ve made you.

    Then take the card that the giftcard came in, put in $75 cash, and put it in a special place. Do that every time someone gives you money or a giftcard. As I’ve gotten older, a lot of the people in my life have died, gotten ill, or moved away. Sometimes, when I’m feeling sad or depressed, I’ll go to my little drawer of cards and pull one out at random. I’ll re-read the message, and think about the person and the love that we shared at that time, and I’ll take the money and do something special for myself, to cheer myself up a bit.

    Then sometime in the next few days, I’ll get the same amount of cash from the bank, put it in the envelope, and replace it in my stash: the caring we felt for each other at that time was true (regardless of how things eventually turned out), so the cards give me a little emotional boost and the cash lets me do something for myself that I’d normally not spend money on. It helps me feel better, even if only for a little time.

    [I’ll also be honest and say that sometimes I’ve run out of money, and something will twinge and I’ll remember I have this little stash of cash, and having that has helped me get through some slightly tough times. But I always put the money back in the cards when I can afford it.]

    • fartographer@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      That is lovely and amazing life advice, but OP also stated that they received this money for participating in a focus group. I keep giggling at the thought of them going back and interrupting another focus group to show off what they bought with their $75. Then, a couple years later, trying to squeeze out an emotional response by looking at a gift card sleeve that said, “thank you for your participation.”

  • rudyharrelson
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    8 days ago

    If you (or your parents) like to cook, you could get some choice steaks (or other high-end ingredients) and make a nice meal that the whole family can enjoy.

    Could also get a nice game controller if you’re into video games. Most first-party controllers seem to cost about $70-$80 these days.

    I dunno what the “smart” thing to do with $75 would be; $75 isn’t a whole lot of money in the grand scheme of things so investing it wouldn’t exactly pay dividends any time soon. Maybe buy 1GB of DDR5 RAM and in a year it might be worth $75,000 if the market continues its current trend.

  • MuttMutt@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    In the humble words of Bender B Rodriguez, you could buy one 75.00 hookerbot or seventy-five 1.00 hookerbots.

    • Drusas@fedia.io
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      8 days ago

      To be fair, good silicone stuff basically lasts forever. BIFL butt plug time?

      • three@lemmy.zip
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        8 days ago

        Oxballs and Squarepeg Toys make some high quality silicone toys. Njoy does stainless steel, pricey but worth it. I just bought a couple of glass ones from Luscious playthings; well made with high quality glass.

  • slazer2au@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    Have ok dinner somewhere? $75 won’t get you to a good place. But it may get you into an ok one.

  • neidu3@sh.itjust.works
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    8 days ago

    Depends on your priorities and needs, but 75 dollars should cover most of the bill if visiting a nice-ish restaurant

    • kboos1@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      This makes me sad. About 15 years ago we could go out as a family of 4 to a nice-ish restaurant for just entrees for just under $50 before tip.

      • pack@sh.itjust.works
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        8 days ago

        Inflation is 88 percent since y2k. Excited for a 50k a year job out of college in the year 2000? That’s 90k now. 7.25 minimum wage from 2000? Should be at least 13 now. It isn’t, should be.

        People are alway “oh, money doesn’t go as far as it used to”, but they don’t get how dramatic it is.

        • kboos1@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          We would go to Folk’s or TGIF or O’charlys or a local tavern, as long as you weren’t ordering beer or steaks, it was do able.