Buying from a Store
Save up your money. Search online or in the store you want to buy from to find out the exact price of the item you want. Save up money from an allowance or job so that you have enough to pay for the item yourself. Remember that tax will most likely be added when you purchase the item, so the total will be slightly higher than the listed price. If you can’t come up with enough money of your own, ask a friend or sibling if they’ll give or lend you some, but know that they probably won’t give you money without some sort of exchange. You can also try mowing lawns for neighbors in the summer, shoveling snow in the winter, or babysitting to earn some extra cash.
Get to the store. Get a friend, an older sibling, or another person who can drive to take you to the store you want to make your purchase from. Make sure this person is someone you can trust. If you are not allowed to go out, you shouldn't. Avoid using Uber or Lyft, especially because you never know if you run into a shady driver. If you want to take a bus or train, check the routes and figure out the fastest way to get to your destination. Google Maps is a good way to do this. Make sure you have a good cover up story if you parents asked why you are late, like "I missed the bus, the next one took ages to come, then I fell asleep on the train!" Or, if you have weekly remedial and there is no remedial on a certain week, buy the item on that day. Make sure you have enough money! Your parents will be suspicious if you come home late two days in a row. If you want to buy it after school instead get there as fast as you can, buy it, and then rush home to avoid suspicion. If you can go out on your own: Try going after school with a friend who can drive or having an older sibling drive you from home. Avoid lying to your parents about where you're going if you can. If the store is close enough, ride a bike or walk there yourself, especially if you can’t get someone else to drive you or don’t want to tell another person what you’re buying.
Purchase what you want. Buy your desired item at the store with cash or a gift card, if you have one. Don’t pay for anything with a credit or debit card, especially if it’s a parent’s account, because the purchase will show up on bills and statements for the card. Remember that there are age restrictions on certain items and store clerks will ask to see a valid ID before they let you make the purchase. For example, you’ll need to show that you’re 17 in order to buy an M-rated video game, and you have to be 21 to buy alcohol. If you’re not of age to buy the thing you want, consider asking someone older to buy it for you with your money.
Put your item in your backpack. Conceal your package in a backpack or other normal bag you carry so you can easily bring it home without your parents getting suspicious. Throw away the store bag or any other evidence you don’t need right away. If what you buy is very large or bulky and you can’t conceal it in a bag, make sure a friend can help you transport it, and only bring it into your house when your parents aren’t home to see you bring it inside.
Buying Online
Get a gift card. Buy a gift card for the online store you want to make your purchase from. You can find a big variety of gift cards at grocery stores or at the desired store itself, and most gift cards should be able to be used for online purchases. If you can’t get a gift card for the specific store you want to buy from online, you can buy a Visa gift card, or other similar prepaid credit card, to use anywhere. Or try an Amazon gift card to buy anything from Amazon.com. Remember that when ordering online, there will be tax, shipping, and handling charges added to the price, so the total will be higher than the listed price. If you want to avoid the extra cost of shipping and handling, try to get your purchase in person at a store. But keep in mind some websites like Amazon and Best Buy offer free shipping and handling on qualified items so check the policy on shipping and handling before buying the item on that site.
Enter your information to place the order. Go online to where you want to purchase your item and enter all the information they ask for at checkout, including name and address. Enter the code on your gift card when they ask for your payment method. Don’t use a credit or debit card that your parents use to pay online, as the purchase will show up on bills and statements. Make sure you enter an email address that only you have access to so that you get the confirmation email and any updates sent to you. Avoid having your purchase shipped UPS or FedEx, as they will sometimes require a signature from an adult when it’s delivered. Choose regular mail such as USPS if you can. Consider getting the permission of a friend to have your purchase sent to his or her house to avoid the chance of your parents seeing the package. In this case, enter the person who will receive the package for you name and address when ordering, but still use your email address.
Constantly track the order. Go back to the website you made your purchase from or check the confirmation email sent to you for a link that says “Track your package,” or something similar. Continue to check the location of your package in this way so that you know when it will arrive at your house or a friend’s house. If you’re not given the option to track your package, pay attention to what the online store says about how long shipping takes on average. Notice if they send an email when the item has shipped, and then it should arrive something like 7-10 days after that, or whatever range of time the store provides.
Check the mail frequently. Try to check the mail before your parents do every day during the time you expect the package to arrive. When you finally get it, slip it into a backpack or other bag you normally carry to bring it into the house and into your room. Pay attention to what time the mail comes every day so you can be available at that time and ready to go out to check the mailbox or front step right away. You can even go talk to the mail carrier if you see him or her outside to ask if they have a package for you. If the mail typically arrives while you’re at school or another activity, you may want to have your package sent to a friend or other person you trust to receive it and give it to you.
Hiding Your Purchase
Conceal it at home. Find a good hiding place to keep your purchase and only bring it out when your parents aren’t around or won’t notice. Try places with small openings, like underneath furniture. Be careful not to choose a place that your parents might go to clean, pick up laundry, or otherwise have a reason to go from time to time like your closet, dresser drawers, or other storage areas. If the item you purchased is too big or hard to hide, consider keeping it at a friend’s house that you trust, and only using it there or carefully transporting it to your own house when you can.
Keep receipts hidden. Also hide receipts or any other evidence of your purchase so your parents don’t come across them and ask about it. You should still keep any receipts and packaging from the item you purchased and not throw them away, because you may need them later if you need to return or exchange it. If you ordered online, keep any packing receipts that came inside, but get rid of the other packaging by throwing it away where your parents won’t notice it. A trash can at school or a public place is better than one at home.
Delete search history. If you purchased online, or if you did any other searching on the internet before or after buying, delete your history from your browser, particularly if you share a computer with your parents. Go into the settings or history tab on whatever internet browser you use and clear all the recent history of websites visited, or select and delete just the ones you don’t want your parents to come across.
Use it in private. Take your item out of its hiding place only when your parents aren’t around or won’t catch you with it. Or use it, wear it, or look at it only when you’re at a friend’s house or at school. Make sure you have your purchase in a backpack or well concealed whenever you move it from place to place.
Tell your parents about a rewards program. If your parents find your purchase and get suspicious about where it came from, and you don’t want to confess that you bought it, tell them about a rewards program or other contest, like collecting bottle caps or finding a winning code on a food or drink item. You may want to have a small collection of bottle caps or other proof to show you really are participating in what you say you are. You could also tell them that the item was a gift from a friend or classmate. Note that lying to your parents is not a good idea, so avoid using this step or making up any other excuse if you can. If your parents ask about where your purchase came from, the best option at that point is just to be honest about where and how you got it.
Come clean about what you bought. You might decide you just want to ‘fess up to your parents about your purchase. Consider that they could be mad if they told you not to buy it, but it might be worse if you try to hide it from them and they find it anyway. If you’ve already asked your parents for permission to buy something and they said no, you can tell them, “Hey, I know you didn’t want me to buy this, but I did on my own with my own money. I’m sorry I went behind your back, but I want to be honest now and not hide it from you.” If you haven’t asked your parents for permission previously, you can casually mention your purchase to your parents, and hopefully they will not see it as a big deal if you’re of age to own it and you paid for it with your own money.
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