Big picture 16.5k isn’t all that much money but also it’s not something to blow either. Think about this- if you take $10,000 of that and invest it so you can pull 8% annually, by the time you are 57 that $10,000 will be worth $215,000. I bet you the vast majority of people who are 57 would absolutely trade $10,000 they blew when they were 17-18 to have $215,000 in their account. You could talk to a brokerage about guided investing or even setup a Roth and not have to pay taxes on that for a long time. Plus if you do $10,000 that still gives you $6,500 to have liquid for things you need. You could also definitely start a small business with $6,500.