Perhaps its an evil plan designed by them to ruin your life. You know, you don't get that flash laptop you so needed and this means the latest game you want to spend hours and hours on you cannot play so much because the lag means you will never be l33t. Dismayed and bewildered by this you play less games, your digital life cruelly cut short and you are forced to read a bit more, go out and hang with other friends who have similarly evil parents. You read yet more and your vocabulary increases. Because you spend less time on the computer, out of sheer frustration, you do your work a little more thoroughly and get some good grades. Like a scene from a horror movie you are forced to make even more friends with others whose parents have treated them as cruelly as you. Then, to teach them a lesson you decide to get a job and buy your own gaming laptop, because you have been talking to people, reading and studying your social skills are honed, your vocabulary is sharp and you get a better job than expected. Finally those mean spirited parents give you the cash that was rightfully yours in the first place and it pays a deposit on a house. You meet someone, buy a car, your first home and (FINALLY) a kick ass computer but by now your nefarious scheme has gone amiss because instead of playing you are working, earning and are planning a family. Suddenly you are older, where did the time go? Your family is safe around you, you have a good job and a great set of friends you like to hang with. You still game, but the winning has stopped being an issue and you are having fun. You discover that working for a top job was a good idea after all. You have disposable income and you broaden your horizon and travel. At this stage ring your parents and thank them or call the police and report them for cruelty. Its up to you. But make sure your children never go without any technology ever!

OP went "Christmas Story" and tried to buy THIS

Parents' face when...

Because no matter how smart you think you are (this goes for me too, and everyone actually, so I'm not insulting you), your parents know your not wise enough to spend a lot of money right now, and they wanna wait for you to use the bulk of that savings money to buy your first car or just to give to you later after you leave college. You may think you know exactly what your spending your money on and don't care about the other things, but you'll regret it later

At lamp

Many reasons. Retirement money, they want you to save up, if you don't have a car well that might explain why.