[jims69camaro]

that's just it, man. if you spend the money you will no longer have it to save for a later date. sure, CDs keep you from spending the money, and once you do a rollover as opposed to a payout, you will forget that the money is even there. it's a representation of money at that point - which is a good thing for a young guy. besides, you'll impress the hell out of your parents.

the other side of the coin, pun intended, is that saving money makes more money. sure, it's not that much to start out, but it has a habit of growing. you don't need a high risk to see a decent return. ask at your local banks about their money market accounts. that gives you the best of all worlds, really, in that you get a decent return and liquidity when you need it.

sure, saving money is boring, but when you decide you want a house or a brand new car, and you can pay cash (for the car, downpayment on the house) it's not so boring anymore. think about the future, not like this is the last summer blah blah blah. there will be other summers.