practical product placement

so, i’ve officially become old and boring.
between the $100 Ikea gift card and $200 unallocated portion of my income tax refund due to me, i’ve been trying to figure out just what i’m going to spend all this “free” money on at my favourite swedish store for a few months now.
i’ve been eyeing the TOBO tv bench for almost a year.  it’s not too big and with the drawers and sliding glass door, i can hide all my assorted multimedia crap from view which makes my neat-freak heart squeal a little with joy.  but, i just couldn’t justify the $200 price tag when the tv solution i currently have is perfectly suitable, if not visually sparse.
i was *this* close to buying it when i was at meatball-land last week, but i wanted to hold off until after my credit card billing period ended (so i’d have another month to pay it off, duh).  then i started thinking… i don’t need a new tv stand.  what do i actually need which 1) might ordinarily be just a little too expensive to fetch at the last moment; or, 2) might not ever be available ever again and would make me sad to miss out on?
the answer was:  a second new pair of Nike Air Zoom Vomero+ 3 shoes.
i bought my first pair of these just after i re-borked my knee and got my first pair of orthotics, two years ago.  they turned out to be the most comfortable things i’d ever put on my feet and i’ve worn them nearly every day for the last twenty months.
when i went to buy a new pair last month, i discovered, to my horror, that they were no longer made and had been replaced by the Nike Air Zoom Vomero+ 4.  the internet told me there were very minor changes to the design and fit should be practically identical and i believed them.  until i tried a pair on at the Nike store in West Van.  they hurt!  and i was so upset, i didn’t know what to do.  then i remembered:  eBay has everything.
i received my new pair of 3’s last week and i couldn’t be more pleased.  they are just as dreamy to my tootsies as my old pair; they’re just shiny new and blue instead of neon green.  AND!  they cost $40 less than my old pair i bought locally!
after getting my all-clear from the doctor last week, i started seriously thinking about joining a gym to get back into fitness (now that i know i won’t suddenly drop dead on the treadmill).  then i started thinking about my new shoes.  shouldn’t i have an “inside pair” for the gym?   so, instead of buying a tv bench which would make me happy in my house, but isn’t really needed; i’ve ordered a second pair of super-comfy, good-for-my-feet shoes which will, hopefully, be an incentive to get healthier in the months to come.
so, there goes most of that tax refund.  i’ve still got the $100 gift card to spend at the blue & yellow store, but i think most of that will go to a dutch oven and a fancy frying pan to replace the one my cousin ruined with his egg-making adventures.
oh god, i’m practical.  killmenow.