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Thursday, August 10, 2017

The Backup Pair

When I find a product I love, I always try to buy a backup. This is usually about shoes, so I frequently say backup pair. Shoe styles come and go, and when I find a pair that I love, I want to wear them forever.

I know a lot of people think this is crazy. When I mentioned it last, someone said to me that she'd just go find another pair of shoes she liked as well. :-/ Well, okay, but it takes a lot of work, a lot of trial and error to find the pair that meets my standards. They must be comfortable. They must be reasonably stylish, although I will sacrifice looks for comfort. They must be reasonably priced, although--again--I will pay more if they are super comfortable.

I've been burned every single time I haven't bought the backup pair. For example, I loved my Skechers GoWalk 2 shoes. I wore them to death, and when it was time to replace them, I had to buy the GoWalk 4. I did not love the 4. Instead of the soft, silky inside that felt so good against my foot, there is now a rougher, less silky interior. :-( They also changed the insole. It's okay, but it's not love.

I also found the perfect running shoe. Perfect! But my feet are already big and in most running shoes, I have to buy a size bigger. Do you think anyone had the super cute pink color in my size available when I realized I needed a backup pair? No, of course not. I did find it in a Navy.

One pair.

I even went to the manufacturer's site, but apparently this shoe is discontinued. I bought the navy, but now I literally can't find my size anywhere in this shoe style, not even on eBay.

So when I found another pair of shoes that I loved and met all my criteria, I immediately bought a backup pair. I also went to buy it in more colors. The hot pink pair were already unavailable on the manufacturer's website and all of the shoe websites, too. I found a pair on Amazon, but the price was high. Then I checked eBay and found it for $18 less! Win!

Of course, my dad (who's lived with me since my mom died) had to comment when the pink shoes arrived about why I bought another color of the same style. Just wait until my backup pair in black arrives. I know he's going to make a remark about that, too. :-(

That won't stop me because backup pairs are critical to my happiness. Backup pairs forever!