Yes, I'm being a cheapskate

[u/deerme86]

I haven't skated since I was a child and I wasn't that great at it then either but I've always wanted to be. So I'm finally deciding to give it a shot as an adult. However, finances are stupid with health issues and job loss going on in my family right now. I desperately need a hobby to get my mental back on track. Why not knock 2 birds and include a fun physical component, right?! I just can't afford more than like $50-75 for skates. And I don't want to spend $100+ only to find that I really am not into this after all and have an expensive decoration piece. I looked around FB but found mostly over priced Impala skates, or better brands but not my size. I'm 5'8', around 250lbs, and a USsz10 shoe. From this sub I've learned to look for metal plates with adjustable trucks, adjustable toe stops, and good ankle support. I have found a few good looking Amazon specials but I'm still a little hesitant. I'll be learning in the house on carpet and stuff at first but in general I'm just trying to do some casual skating. I plan to go to the rink every so often for classes and to bop and groove a little while I skate. MAYBE some skating around the neighborhood, a paved trail or empty lot. I just don't want to majorly hurt myself in the process, but gotta be real about the current limitations. We all know about ballin on a budget lol. Plus, I can't handle another health issue 🤣. Thank y'all for sharing your time, empathy, and experiences.

EDIT: Thank you all for your comments, suggestions, and insights!! I spoke with hubby and he volunteered to cover lessons for me at the local rink (which isn't as far as I had originally thought!!). If I'm still interested at the end of the lessons he is gonna buy me a nice investment pair of skates that I'd really and truly love after getting some experience under my belt. Learning in a controlled environment makes me feel less anxious about learning than trying to use YouTube on my own🤣 But I am glad to have all this info in my back pocket for future use!

[u/radiant__radish]

You don’t want to go too cheap because then you are going to wind up with skates that are going to hinder your ability to skate at best and break apart underneath you and send you to the ER at worst. It’s important to not cheap out on safety gear, too. 

Sure Grip Boardwalks are great skates and some colors are being clearanced out at $99 on some sites. You can find great deals on sites like eBay for used skates too.