--- --- # 14 Purchases You Should Make in Your 20s by [Mike Ndelman, Kathleen Elkins / Business Insider](https://time.com/author/business-insider/) ## Mike Ndelman, Kathleen Elkins / Business Insider Aug 7, 2015 6:28 PM UTC by [Mike Ndelman, Kathleen Elkins / Business Insider](https://time.com/author/business-insider/) ## Mike Ndelman, Kathleen Elkins / Business Insider Aug 7, 2015 6:28 PM UTC In your 20s, just starting out in your career, it can be hard to part with your cash. Sometimes, however, it’s the smart move. “I was a great saver in my 20s,” Kate White, former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan and author of “[I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This](http://www.amazon.com/Shouldnt-Telling-You-This-Promotion/dp/006212210X?tag=bisafetynet-20)” [told Business Insider](http://www.businessinsider.com/what-ceos-wish-they-knew-about-money-2014-9?op=1). **“**But what I didn’t know and wish I had is that it’s so much smarter to buy a few great quality items — in terms of clothes, furniture, accessories — rather than a bunch of cheaper stuff.” With the help of Michael Egan, certified financial planner and partner at [Egan, Berger & Weiner, LLC](http://www.ebwllc.com/pages/homenew.asp?SPID=115361&OrgID=2541), we compiled a list of the smartest things to buy in your 20s. Keep in mind that everyone has different needs and priorities, and while this list is far from comprehensive or universal, it’s a good starting point for young people who are unsure of where their spending money should go:  Mike Nudelman—Business Insider _This_ [_article_](http://www.businessinsider.com/smartest-purchases-to-make-in-your-20s-2015-8/) _originally appeared on_ [_Business Insider_](http://www.businessinsider.com/) _More from Business Insider:_ * [10 skills that are hard to learn but pay off forever](http://www.businessinsider.com/skills-that-pay-off-forever-2015-6#ixzz3csVb6lQN) * [Here’s the trick to being more productive](http://www.businessinsider.com/trick-being-more-productive-oliver-burkeman-antidote-2015-3) * [6 ways mentally strong people keep others from walking all over them](http://www.businessinsider.com/how-mentally-strong-people-keep-others-from-walking-all-over-them-2015-7) * [What 12 highly successful people eat for breakfast](http://www.businessinsider.com/what-12-highly-successful-people-eat-for-breakfast-2015-6) * [The 10 most important things in the world right now](http://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-most-important-things-in-the-world-right-now-july-28-2015-7) Advice: 14 Purchases You Should Make in Your 20s ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3989303/smart-purchases-20s/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3989303/smart-purchases-20s/"},"headline":"14 Purchases You Should Make in Your 20s","datePublished":"2015-08-07T18:28:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:42:26.272Z","description":"From insurance to a new interview suit","url":"https://time.com/3989303/smart-purchases-20s/","keywords":["Living","advice"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mike Ndelman, Kathleen Elkins / Business Insider"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3989303/smart-purchases-20s/","name":"14 Purchases You Should Make in Your 20s"}}]}] ```