Money money money

Oh money! I love you when I have you, miss you when your gone!
Derby is frikken expensive!
You see girls skating with great new gear, well most likely unless they have money, which most of us don't, they either own a derby supply store, or they bought it slowly piece by piece!
Derby gear, much like computers, has constant items that are the best of the best!!!!... Until you buy it, then they new best thing comes out!
I am currently on my second:
-Pair of Skates
-Elbow pads
-Wrist guards
- Helmet
- Mouth guard

And third set of knee pads!

I have exactly 36 wheels! 16 outdoor, and 20 indoor (One set of outdoors I bought, the other I won.)
3 sets of bearings!
I have spare laces, and toe stops in my derby case.
I have things to tighten any bolt or screw on my skate.
And, well, the clothes!

Some of this is necessary for derby!
Some, like the clothes, not so much!

So how do you keep up with it all?
Well, my personal rule is necessity over want!
A few weekends ago I went to Saint John on Saturday for Slay of Fundy. At Slay I was greeted by table after table of stuff! Shiny stuff, pretty stuff, stuff I had an idea what it was, stuff I wanted and would figure out what it was later! So much awesome stuff!!!!
What did I buy?
Some hybrid wheels for the ever so slippery Lions club floor.
New bearings, cause one of my other sets had seen better days!
New pivot cups which I desperately needed.
A new sticker for my helmet, just cause it was pretty!
And that was it!
I wanted the shiny sparkly DerbySkinz! The Pivotstar hoodies! The ever so cute cardigans from HeartBreak Boutique!!! But I walked away, wallet bled slightly dry, but not as bad as it could have been. All in all I think I did quite well. I managed to keep a bit of money in my savings account, so I am pleased, although a shiny ass would have made me feel pretty awesome too!

We're not rich. We, like most others, live paycheck to paycheck! My new items came courtesy of a Saturday I worked at a career fair in Gagetown. My travel time pay, and overtime pay, made my shopping experience possible!
So how do you keep up? As Freshmeat, being overwhelmed with the cost of derby, finding out what is best, and getting dizzy when you see the cost of the FreshMeat package! OH MY!
Well.
-Buy second hand when you can, but be sure to check the quality of the item you're paying for!
-Ask lots of questions to the experienced skaters.
-Try on other peoples gear! Don't be afraid to ask, better you try something and know you like the feel then shell out money for something that doesn't work for you!
-And finally! Don't stress! Very few began with the best of the best! It took time to get the equipment we have! Worry about learning, the upgrades will come with time!

Accept for your knee pads, always look for a good quality kneepad, even right out the gate!
Just saying!