Memorial Day sale season is upon us, and REI is having their anniversary sale starting today, so between the two, I’m getting some awesome deals on some critical climbing gear!!! Mainly climbing shoes. Getting a few back-up pairs of my favorites and the most likely to be worn and worn out at a reduced price, especially when we’re talking La Sportiva, is a special event! You have to take advantage of the sales!!! Especially when you’re on a tight budget!!! If I ever had to beg on the street, my cardboard sign would read, “Broke climber. Need climbing shoes. God bless you.” I think that food would come often enough, because when I see people begging on the street, I would buy them a burger at McDonald’s and a large beverage for a buck, and have, on occasion. But then again, you’ve got these professional panhandlers on the streets of Billings everywhere that ruin the real need for everyone. Those people should be dropped off in the middle of the desert and left to really need some things before they’re brought back to society, if they make it. That’s a rant, and I’ll stop there. Anyway, sales. Great things! I can’t go crazy, but I can get a few essentials, like climbing shoes. And bike tire pumps. Now that I have my new ADV 3.1, I need to make sure that I have the right stuff to fix the tires with, should I ever get a flat (ever). Inner tubes are both the lifeblood and the bane of a bicycle’s existence. It’s life-and-death for the bike and possibly its rider, haha! I found a good pump and bought two of them because I never know if I’m going to find such wonderful things again. My husband calls me a hoarder. I call it planning ahead. One tends to get that way after everything you’ve ever found that works for you gets discontinued and they stop making it!!! That’s another rant. I’ll stop there.
I would highly recommend that you take advantage of sales of all sorts, though. ‘Tis the season for garage sales and yard sales, too! You have no idea the treasures you can find at a garage sale if you just look!!! It requires carrying around some cash, but that’s okay. I like it. My parents got just about everything except food at yard sales when I was growing up and we’d go every weekend, looking at the paper and planning our route. Then the unexpected yard sale would come up and the vehicle would come screeching to a halt as we piled out and pounced upon the opportunity to find something wonderful! Most of my toys, clothes, books, and other essentials of life were either homemade or from garage sales when I was growing up. It worked well for everybody because items at yard sales used to be priced at 25¢ or even 10¢ instead of $5, which is a problem today. Of course, I grew up in the era of gasoline being leaded or unleaded and costing 97¢ a gallon, and that was high-priced gas. It’s a different world today, but sales can still be found, and good ones. You just have to be persistent in looking for them and patient in waiting for them. There are holidays and seasons during which different kinds of sales occur, and you never know when something unexpected and grand will come your way if you’re patient and vigilant enough. That’s what yard sales taught me. It’s out there…you just have to find it when it reveals itself. That also taught me to get out of bed early in the morning so that you had a fighting chance of snagging that deal before someone else swiped it from under your nose. I’ve never been one for hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock because I can never figure out how to make the alarm quit going off or how to set the time intervals and such. Call it a handicap, but it’s generally served me pretty well in life so far.
So, for you REI members that haven’t gotten the catalog or have forgotten, they’re having their anniversary sale from 18-28 May (yes, it starts today) and they have some pretty good deals on their site. I want to go visit the store in Bozeman, but I can’t afford to find too terrible much that I want due to my limited and tight budget! I’m still contemplating it, though… Check around the websites you buy from often and see if they’re having Memorial Day sales, too. And go to yard sales!!! All of these things can save you money on things you need!
CLIMBING 4 THE REST OF US 