March is my birthday month! So I’m taking the opportunity to celebrate as much as possible. That’s only fair right? This is what I say to myself every time my willpower fails me and I find myself with a cookie or Italian cream cupcake shoved in my mouth. So what if it was only 9:30 a.m. It’s my birthday month! Of course this isn’t going to go well for my Bikini Body Challenge. 
There’s always April – June.
The hubby is buying me a hydration belt for my birthday. It’s what I asked for. And when I asked for it I got that blank stare that meant he only heard “blah, blah, blah… necessary for running, I swear… blah, blah, blah”. In these instances I just take the liberty of helping him out and buying it myself. It’s the least I can do.
It looks like there are three candidates for the job.
1. Amphipod RunLite 4 – $45
4 8oz bottles, built in stretch pocket, additional removable pouch.
2. Nathan Speed 4R – $32.60 on Amazon (and I have $15 in GC’s thanks to Swagbucks!) + free shipping
4 8oz bottles, mesh pocket, interior flat pocket, pill pouch
3. Fuel Belt Helium 4 – Approx. $40 on Amazon, depending on the color. Same Amazon perks as above.
4 7oz bottles, one pouch, variety of color choices
So now I need to decide which one to choose. The cheapskate thrifty spender in me immediately rules out the Amphipod. Amazon doesn’t carry it and that would make it at least $25 more than the others, plus shipping.
Of the other two left I’m really leaning toward the Nathan. Four more ounces (like that’s a big deal), two pockets/pouches and I think that the bottle holders are formed plastic that make them easier to utilize while on the move.
The Fuel Belt sure does come in pretty colors though.
I have a few days to make a decision before my last $5 gift card is available from SwagBucks. Do you use Swag Bucks? It’s free money for using their search engine. I was skeptical at first but I earned $15 in a month for Amazon. That allows me to buy more running/healthy food stuff. Always a good thing.
Back to my birthday month. Another decision I was supposed to make was where to go for my birthday dinner. We really enjoy going out for nice dinners, usually an upscale steakhouse, and trying new foods. It’s a splurge for us and a chance to get dressed up twice a year or so. I’ve been pondering what new-to-us restaurant to try.
My decision – beer and wings at the local wing place on Two-fer Tuesday! The balance of the birthday dinner budget will be spent on tickets to see Kid Rock at the Houston livestock show and rodeo next Monday night. I’m way too excited about this! Probably more excited than I should admit.
Now I just need rodeo attire. How about these?
I kid, I kid! Well, only sort of. I would buy them in a heartbeat if I wasn’t so financially challenged.
Health, Happiness & Home Cooking 
I know you said you’ve basically decided aganist it, but the amphipod is the one I have so I’m going to comment.
I love that it’s fully adjustable, the bottles are easy to fill, clean, etc and I think the black and yellow is kinda cool 🙂 The bottles can be hard to get in and out when it’s cold, but I don’t think that should be as much of a problem for you!
I bought mine from runningwarehouse.com – retails for 39.95 there.
http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpage-AMS4.html
If you click on the “Team discounts” link at the top of the website and enter CP15 – you get an automatic 15% off. This works for nearly everything on runningwarehouse if you ever shop there.
Good luck picking!
P.S. Happy Birthday month! Enjoy picking out the restaurant; we love going out occasionally for a fancier dinner and trying new places. Enjoy 😀
Oh! Thanks for the discount code! That definitely puts it back in the running. 🙂 And frees up my Amazon money for something else.
Happy Birthday month and happy rodeo-ing!
I started out with the Amphipod, and used it for 4 marathons. You would think I was Macgiver with all the crap I had in the pouch. I was getting sick of it and washed it so many times that it was looking a little desperate. So I tried the fuel belt and the nathan. I ended up with the Natahn bc it fit better on me-and I love it. It is alot easier to put the bottles in the belt when they are frozen. And I also like the tops-they are easier to drink out of. The only con I have about the Nathan is you can’t take out the bottle holders.
I have the Nathan brand hydration belt and I love it. The bottles are BPA-free and it is comfortable. The only problem I had with it is that I bought the wrong size and when I did, the nottle fell out. I exchanged it for the correct size and the bottles no longer fall out.
If you go with Nathan’s get a size smaller than you think you need, as you run, the elastic loosens up. I used my belt for the marathon and had no complaints. 🙂 Good Luck with you decision.
Happy Birthday Month!
I like the Nathan belt a lot. I am not coordinated enough to pull the bottles in and out of the Amphipod one while I’m on the move. Nathan belts also seem to stay put better, but that is probably a very personal thing. This is a small detail, but I really like the rubbery tips on the nozzles of Nathan water bottles.
Turquoise cowboy boots = awesome! I broke down and got some a few years ago. Turquoise is a timeless color, right?