With all the hiking The Beard and I have planned this year we decided I should probably upgrade my shoes. I have a perfectly nice pair of trail shoes that have worked well thus far, but with upping our mileage I needed to up my footwear game.

After spending a few weeks researching shoes online I decided the best plan would be to to go to REI and actually try some on. What a concept!

We arrived at REI with the idea of just trying on a few pairs to get an idea of what I was looking for. I selected two styles from the same brand and instantly noticed a major difference in the more expensive pair. There was just no comparison. One cradled my feet on a bed of clouds and the other kept digging into my ankle leaving a red mark every time I walked.

To give you a bit of my background, I love a good bargain. I’m not the crazy lady digging through discount bins and I don’t buy cheap products that will disintegrate after a few uses. My shopping high comes from finding quality items at a great price. Thankfully The Beard knows and accepts my love of savings. So much so that when he gifted me with a pair of Bose headphones for my upcoming Europe trip the first thing he said was, “Don’t worry, I used a coupon.” Those four words made me love him even more.

Back to the shoe department at REI. Set Scene.

I have one boot on climbing the fake rock cluster display they have for checking the sole of your shoes. I’m on top of the world..or at least higher than my usual 5’4″ self is in any crowd of people. I’m really loving these shoes, but mentally struggling with the $164 price tag. Now I know, in the hiking boot world that is not a lot. I could easily spend $400 on a pair of boots. However, I’ve never spent $164 on any pair of shoes and if I ever were to I imagined them to be a very sexy pair of stilettos. The Beard, reading me like a book, reminds me he has a 20% off coupon we could use bringing the total to $132. Decisions, decisions.

As any good bargain shopper would do, I pulled out my IPhone and began checking prices online. Everyone seemed to be priced similarly until the last place I checked. My discount go-to is a site called 6pm. The comfy shoe I was currently sporting on my right foot only, was staring at me on the screen for $80. Now that is a price I can get behind! I packaged the boots up nicely, handed them back to the sales clerk and proceeded to order them right there in the store! Savings wait for no man…

Last night they arrived and I couldn’t be happier with them. They also have a Vibram sole. I’ve noticed Vibram is partnering with a lot of companies to provide quality soles to various style shoes and I think it’s fantastic. Hopefully we will christen these with a hike soon.

*The stylish stud showing off his good side in the photo is Petey.