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The holidays are over and a new year is upon us. New possibilities, new goals, new moments to create with loved ones. But, it’s also time for those same old (but of course, fun) celebrations. Anniversaries, random made up days (national pizza day, national ice cream day) and, well, BIRTHDAYS! Being a January birthday, I’m on the clock. And while I once eagerly counted down the days until the celebration of my birth (sometimes with a birthday buddy), I’m slightly less excited about this thing called aging. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE birthdays, and celebrating for my loved ones, and mine too I suppose, just not as much as I did in my school days.
However, some of my favorite places to shop & eat have made the birthday countdown a bit more exciting, yet stressful. Free scoop at Baskin-Robbins, YES! Complimentary goodies at Sephora, so very exciting. A free slice of chocolate cake from Portillo’s, I’m there. I know, I know, what is stressful about this you ask? Nothing. Nothing at all. But, Nike sending me a birthday message for $20 off a purchase of $100 or more, is maybe the most stressful thing happening this month (on a completely superficial, first-world problems level). It’s not even really a gift. You have to spend $100 to even use the “gift”. But, being the shopper that I am…I WANT to use this. Yet, finding what exactly I want to get has been quite the challenge.
Shoes or clothes or accessories or a bag or…too many options! Ok, so early on in the month, I was 100% sure it was shoes. A pair of Air Max, maybe a ‘95 or ‘97, or, OR the 270. Yeah, the Air Max 270. Okay, so I dive deep, deep (in my @netw3rk Binge Mode voice) into the well that is colorways for Women’s, Men’s and Big Kid’s versions of this shoe. And EVERY colorway I want is NOT available in my size. Slight exaggeration, but the ones I instantly fell in love with are not in my size. So, now, I’m going back and forth, looking at these shoes…almost forcing myself to like the black/white/mint colorway or some other combination of colors that comes in 2nd, 3rd or 4th to my heart.
Then, I see the last of the Off-White collection shoe is dropping mid-month. I decide this is how I’m going to spend my “$20”. Not even knowing for sure (still not 100% clear) if I can even use this “gift” on the SNKRS app, and if the shoes would even be available on the app. So, I relentlessly check the SNKRS app daily to see if it’s in the list of upcoming shoes. While also daily perusing the Nike app, to be thorough or obsessive. Take your pick. The day before the release, I do some research and find out it has been pushed back, until Feb. Can’t use my gift card after 1/31…and again, not even sure it would work anyway.
So, the hunt continues, this time focusing on clothes, and also shoes. There’s a sweathshirt I’ve had my eye on for a while, I’ll just get that and maybe some joggers. Or a t-shirt or something. Cool, go into my Nike app and the sweatshirt I’ve had my eye on for months IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON NIKE! Not on sale, not simply unavailable in my size, but legitimately GONE. I. WAS. DEVASTATED and then proceeded to find it else where, so crisis averted.
I have nine days left to figure this out. Nine days to decide. Nine days to see if I end up using this “gift”. As of today, at 10pm, I’m leaning heavy toward clothing. Joggers specifically, and maybe some workout shorts. Or, there’s always the Air Max 270s…needless to say, the jury is still out on this one and there’s so much that can happen in a week. I’ll be sure to share my final decision next month!