How old were you when audio gear first caught your interest?

@wharfy 

I started smoking full time age 10; drinking beer age 13, so all my newspaper route money and recycling bottles for 2c and 5c for quart bottles, and coat hangers 1c for 2 hangers, went for beer and cigarettes. 

@vetsc5 

That sounds very cool. What was Uncle Hitch's given name?

@awboat 

all the money you had.

My senior year in high school, 1964/1965 I had a part time job, a weekly budget on payday: $6. I could get 3 Mono LPs for $2. each, or 2 Stereo LPs for $3. each. Agonizing decisions, because the Stereo decision was for the future, my crappy Magnavox with a flip down TT didn't sound a whole lot different, but I knew, from my neighbor's system that when I got something better .... I wasn't asking the evil stepfather for anything, including gloves in the winter in Burlington, VT!

@zavato 

Good thread, you can tell I'm enjoying it!

@knotscott 

1975/1976 I travelled a lot for business, and the rental car company had my car waiting, either a Cutlass or a Firebird, I loved driving them!

That was the end of the 'Greenstamps' era, I gave them to the drafting department, everyone got lawn equipment with them.