Don't spend all your money on toys... The few hundred dollars you've spent already, had you invested it in your business, or even put it into savings, could be worth tens of thousands or even millions a few decades from now.
I try to prioritize the items I need. An external hard-drive comes first, because I should have a backup strategy. The monitor is more important, because I need better display...
Certainly, I'll offer myself an Android as a gift and that also should serve and help me in business (read emails in the go, check statics, HN on mobile instead of computer...)
Let's say you started investing/saving at the age of 18 up until 65, and lets say the amount you put in per month over that period of time was $800 per month - this is pretty low, given how much your income should increase over time.
At a conservative rate of return of 5%, at age 65, it would be worth around $1.8 million, $1.35 million of that being the compound 5%, and only roughly $450,000 being what you put in.
Essentially, the earlier you start saving, the bigger your runway, and the more comfortable you'll be later in life, without having to compromise on your lifestyle right there and then.
The later you start, the more you have to put in each month to get the same outcome at the end.
Something I wish my parents had taught me :)
Of course, if you start your own business, and are successful enough, the numbers look way, way, better. This is essentially just your fallback position.
All investments have a certain lifespan on them - with things like bonds and T-bills, interest payments and maturity are fixed and contractually obligated, while with equities it's up to company performance. To really do well, you have to think like a trader and run all investments over a specific timeframe with predetermined exit signals for profit, loss, or trend changes.
It may look as if Warren Buffett lets money sit in the market. But he is actually running trades over decades of time. He has to - he literally has too much money to make useful(percentage-wise) profit in smaller time frames.
I think that the "misleading and harmful" part is more important--which was the crux of my original comment about the lack of consistency.
Also, pick toys which have utility, make you work out, teach you something, and are different than the past toys you've bought. Try to learn from play too.