Debt $ense

The good news is I bought new running sneakers today and saved more than $20 on them. The bad news is that still meant shelling out $87. And don’t even think about new off-the-shelf orthotics - they would have been another $52, and that’s with the 20 percent discount.

On the plus side, the store manager gave me a “rain check” for the discount, so I can still save the $13 when I buy them. And he was very helpful tracking down the right size once we figured out which sneaker was the best one. (It also happened to be the least-expensive one I tried on, which was nice.)

I’m going to try a sturdier brand of the cheap orthotics (the ones in the grocery store pharmacy) and see how those work. If they’re not holding up well under my higher milage, I might have to postpone increasing my weekly payment another paycheck and use the $40 to buy the better ones.

I just have to keep reminding myself that this will save me money in doctor’s bills down the road, both by preventing injuries and by helping me lose weight, something my doctor thinks will mitigate another health issue. But it’s stinging now.