Back in the fall of 2011, I was looking for a new pair of boots. I’m more of a boot person than a shoe person. I had several pairs at home in various states of decay. One was a cheaper “pleather” pair in which the plastic part of the pleather was now peeling up. It was not repairable any more since the fabric itself was ripped. I had another 4 year-old pair of heeled boots which I adored and have gotten repaired numerous times. The heel was in good condition since its last repair, but like the pleather boot, it was starting to let in water. I had gotten it re-glued several times, but it was starting to get ragged. I also had a pair of everyday “army boots” which were good for casual occasions and a not-so-everyday pair of tall boots which sported 2 and a half-inch heels. I was hoping to find a pair of everyday boots that would save me from the rain.
My shopping mantra is: If it calls to me, it comes home with me – provided the price is right.
On that day back in the fall, I fell in love. They were beautiful – tall, leather, 1.5 inch heel. They called to me! But they were $250. Ouch. The saleswoman oohed and ahhed as I tried them on and cautioned me to “buy them soon because we’re running out”. Running out of $250 boots? Really? I checked with Brian to see if he would buy them for me – he shook his head rather grimly. I consulted my mental budget map – nope, not quite enough in the clothing fund to cover the cost and tax. I cried a little inside, but left them at the store and bought a pair of rubber rain boots instead. (Which are still in great condition and have saved me from having wet feet in Vancouver!)
Fast forward to now – My other boots have even more wear and tear in them, one pair had been discarded outright, and I was again boot-hunting. The rubber boots that I bought previously were great for wading through puddles at UBC but they were not slick enough to wear to the office and they didn’t offer much warmth. I needed something to wear that didn’t have holes! Brian and I were walking through the mall on our way to lunch, when I spied them – My boots! The ones I fell in love with 6 months ago! They were now half off thanks to an end-of-season sale. After much rejoicing, I bought them without regret using cash I had saved up in my clothing and shoe fund over the past few months.
What’s the lesson here? Well, first – everything goes on sale eventually. Don’t fall for sales tricks that try to convince you that “time is running out”. Time is always running out! 🙂 Such is life. Secondly – always check for seasonal items at the end of the season. They will usually be on sale to make room for next season’s clothing. And finally – when you fall in love, it feels (and looks) damn good!
