I moved to Canada last Fall and faced a major culture shock in learning the price of winter boots, and winter jackets. Being from a tropical island I never had a need before to wear winter boots and winter jackets, and had no prior guidance, so was completely clueless. I became friends with a girl who advised me to purchase a good pair despite the cost of around $120 including tax. I thought no way, absolutely not. I am not spending over $100 on shoes. What’s so special about them that I need to pay over $100? I told her I planned on buying all my shoes and clothes from Walmart.
Well I didn’t end up buying any winter shoes or jackets from Walmart, but came across a few stores that sold boots for the prices I was looking for. At the time I thought all “boots” were winter boots, so I bought two pairs that were each $20. The black pair looked good but then they started to crack a bit and ever since a male classmate compared them to his shoes I couldn’t get over thinking that they look like male boots. So I decided maybe $20 was too cheap, but $50 didn’t seem too bad, and the boots looked really hot and they were high all the way up to my thighs, so I thought they must be good stuff for the winter. Not quite. I introduced them to my friend and she made me aware that they were that high so women can wear them with short skirts. Hmmmm, that makes sense. By then I knew I seriously had to do better at getting the right winter boots. So when I saw a pair referred to as “winter boots” at Old Navy I figured I’m good to go. They were so cute and the price was right – on sale for only $40. I felt even better when a lady up by the cashier mentioned seeing them in another store for $80. I thought I finally hit the jackpot. But as the days grew colder and colder I realized my choice wasn’t so good after all. The cold was surely making its way into my boots and onto my feet. If I had just listened to my friend when she told me to buy a decent pair of winter boots, even if it cost $120.
And while all that madness was going on with the boots I was busy spending a fortune on jackets. Every time I noticed a winter jacket on sale I bought one. I had no idea one or two was enough, until speaking with an older woman one day who mentioned that she had two, and she had been living in Canada her whole life. I had bought one that was going very cheap for just $50, then realized two months later when I was ready to wear it that it had a faulty zip. I saw one that looked so elegant it was hard to resist, then I saw one that was absolutely perfect in every way, then I saw one that would work better on a day when it was only mildly cold. I wasn’t sure if I should go with black or grey so I bought them both, and I went on and on until I ended up with seven winter jackets. Yes, seven.
Now back to the boots. After all my mistakes I eventually bought a sensible pair of winter boots on sale from Old Navy. I still didn’t pay $120, well at least not on one pair, but with all the boots combined I had spent way over that amount. So I ended up with five pairs of winter boots, yet only one can withstand -15 degree temperatures or worse. If I had just listened to my friend I could have saved all that money. But at least now I can reflect and LMAO about it, and I am surely set for all other winters to come. Wish I had done things differently, but sometimes life just happens. So I face the winter like a diva with several jackets and boots to choose from.
whatifsometimeslifehappen 