TRUE CONFESSION: I've Skipped Meals To Buy Sneakers

http://www.businessinsider.com/ive-skipped-meals-to-buy-sneakers-2014-8?nr_email_referer=1&utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Business%20Insider%20Select&utm_campaign=BI%20Select%20%28Wednesday%20Friday%29%202014-08-22&utm_content=emailshare

The loudest voices in the sneaker community mostly yell lyrics about “The Hustle” and about how hard they are, and periodically pull quotes from The Wolf of Wall Street, Scarface, and Goodfellas. F-- you, pay me. It’s all about the hustle. Making sure my money’s right.

They preach a priority of financial security. And I’m not in the choir.

If I’m going to be honest, I’ve skipped meals for shoes.

I’ve had my phone turned off. I’ve paid rent really, really late. I’ve bought Wendy’s with change my roommate left in the living room. And I’ve gone to bed hungry. All to make sure I got laced correctly.

My money wasn’t right. It wasn’t right at all. I decided to take some time away from working, so my income was thin. But any intelligent person would have made the choice to prioritize food over sneakers. I made the other choice.

When I wanted something, I had to figure out how to get it. I’m not one of those people who's been working since before they hit puberty, but I’ve been working the system for that long. Whether it was through manipulation, coercion, or earning a few quick bucks, I figured out how to get what I wanted. It usually involved sacrifices and made me a scrappy guy.

That's why I hate most sneaker releases. I hate that stores and brands operate on such a short release schedule that we don’t see or hear about the shoe until it’s nearly being released. I understand the strategy behind it: I used to help plan these strategies when I ran retail operations. But for someone who is trying to budget for a release it’s a nightmare. If you hear that a double pack of shoes is coming out in two weeks, you’re automatically out $800 (because obviously you need 2 pairs each).

Come up with $800 in two weeks without making any budget cuts. I dare you.