Having to spend our money gets me that little bit anxious - for example, it took me about 12 months to decide on a new dinner set and I was only ever looking at plain white ones. We went without a dishwasher for about 2 months before I was forced into buying one. And, as my first pair of running shoes - well that took me about 5 months to decide on. I must've tried on about 20 pairs of shoes at around 10 different shops.
I do sometimes wonder why I am like this and if I'll ever get better at spending money. I am NOT a shopper. If I ever find myself in the situation of being with girl friends at a shopping centre (which I try to avoid) you will most likely find me out on the husband seat!
I think the reasons for my anxiousness stem from the following:
1. I worry that I will get buyers remorse and/or have picked the wrong product. When I buy something new I ask for everyones opinion. And then I ask them additional questions. I research on the Internet, for way more time than necessary. I read as many reviews as I can. I go to shops and harass the staff there with a lot of questions. And believe me, I ask a lot of questions.
2. Spending money on myself and for things that I am going to use. Growing up I was taught to be mindful of money and, extending on from point one, I hate the idea of spending money on something that turns out to be wrong. And spending money on myself is much much harder than spending money for my boys.
3. I think there's a part of me that likes the research side. Much like a holiday - the planning is half the fun.
4. A fear that I will see the same thing on special somewhere after I have already purchased. I always hold out hope for some super special deal. Consequently I have missed things in the past which have simply been discontinued; which inevitably puts me back to square one.
Anyway, after 9 months and around 1000km in my running shoes I really knew that I needed a new pair. The 'bounce' was gone from my old ones and my shins were not liking the pounding on the pavement.
I had read about a shop in Brisbane and went there with a few ideas in mind of what to try.
The guy who helped me was great. He watched me run in my old shoes, listened to what I do running wise and then brought out a few pairs for me to try on. I went in with the idea that I'd try Asics Kayano (what I was currently wearing) plus, based on the info I'd gathered from other people, I would also try Altra's and the Brooks Pure range.
Well, he didn't even bring out the Altra's or Brooks Pure. So I asked why not. He was knowledgeable enough and got both pairs for me to try so i could feel why they may not suit.
I tried a few more on, and some were comfy, some were definitely not right for me and I was able to narrow it down to 2 pairs. In the end I couldn't go past what I knew and had worked so well for me for the last 9 months.
And I committed - then and there in the shop.
OK, so I did have to ask him to hold them for me while I went and had a coffee to think about it, but I went back and bought on the day. BIG deal for me.
What I really really liked about this shop, and a big reason as to why I purchased from there
is that they give a 14 day guarantee on the purchase - I can wear the shoes for 2 weeks on any terrain and if I get pain or excessive blisters or something just isn't right then they will swap them over. Perfect for someone like me who fears committing to a purchase.
(For reference this place is called Intraining - their site is: http://www.intraining.com.au/)
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| My new PINK Kayano's. The photo doesn't show it very well but the laces are fluro yellow too. No chance anyone will miss me coming in these! |
I couldn't wait to try them out so I took them for a spin that afternoon around the place where I grew up. I even ran past my old primary school - the place where I ran my first school 'fun run' 28 years ago.
And the verdict - So far, so good!
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