Shopping for Shoes on a Budget
Yes – shoes are a necessity, but how many of us can claim that we only use them for this purpose? Chances are, you have all different kinds of shoes, but wear some more than others. For example, you may wear sneakers or dress shoes to work, slippers when you’re at home and your most adorable heels when you’re out on the town. And while you may not think of shoes as occupying a large chunk of your budget, at $50-$100 a pair, their cost can quickly add up. In particular, if you have a habit of buying shoes that don’t fit or aren’t comfortable enough to wear regularly, you may need to change your habits.
Eliminating Shoe Impulse Buys
It takes a strong person to resist great shoes on clearance. If you’ve had your eye on a particular pair of shoes all summer, you may be tempted to pick up a size 8 or a size 6 if you see it on clearance, even if you actually wear a size 7. Regardless of how attractive those shoes are, chances are you’ll still have a hard time wearing them. Even if you take them to a shoe repair shop to have them adjusted, it may still cost you more than you would have spent buying the proper size in the first place. This and many other impulse shoe buying behaviors can quickly break your budget, as well as leave you without a useful pair of shoes.
Buying Second Hand Shoes
If you need to buy dress shoes for work, you may be able to find pairs of second hand shoes in good condition. You can also save a good bit of money on used rubber boots, as well as overshoes and galoshes, by buying used. Don’t be weirded out by buying used shoes – with a new pair of soles, some antibacterial inserts and a good coat of polish to get rid of any scuff marks, they’ll be good as new at a significantly lower price. To find these great deals, check out thrift stores, flea markets and any other second hand stores in your area.
Repairing Shoes
If your favorite pair of shoes breaks down, don’t automatically run out and pick up a new pair – you may be able to perform minor shoe repairs yourself. For example, if a buckle breaks, you may be able to fix it with crazy glue. On the other hand, if the shoe materials are soft enough, you may be able to sew the buckle back into place.
In addition, soles separating from the upper part of the shoe are extremely common. If you catch these spots early enough, you may be able to go on using these shoes for several months by repairing them with a special glue used for these types of shoe defects. You can purchase these glues from your local cobbler, or you might find that he or she can repair the shoe at a significantly lower cost than a new pair of shoes. For the most part, as long as the sole is not eroded away, you should be able to repair the shoe.
Unfortunately, few people today take into consideration how much money they can save by cutting back on their shoe purchases. In addition, learning to repair your own shoes and purchasing second hand shoes can be of immense help to your budget. Of course, it’s also important to try and avoid impulse buys and clearance sales, especially if you can’t find the right size. Unlike shirts or pants, it’s very difficult to adjust a shoe to the proper size.