The Shoe Solution
One thing I've done for years is to keep my shoes organized by storing them in their original boxes. Not only have I found that this gives them a specific place (instead of just anywhere at the bottom of the closet or wherever I took them off in the house!) but it seems to prolong the life of the shoe and it keeps things neat and orderly in the closet. The only shoes that aren't in a box are my slippers and flip-flops.As you can see, I don't have a lot of shoes. I try to stick with a few basic pair per season that are very versatile. Shoes which are going to be worn alot - such as my Winter dress boots which I wore almost everywhere this past Winter - I spend more money for because I want them to last for at least a few years ("A lot of money" for a pair of shoes for me is something like $40-$60, by the way. If I pay that much, they had better be something I plan to wear hundreds of times or more). Shoes - like tennis shoes - which I wear very infrequently, I go cheap on (See the $10 Dollar General price tag on those? I bought them almost four years ago and they are still in close to like-new condition though I do wear them at least a few times every week). I average buying a pair of shoes about once per year and try to always get rid of another pair when doing so to keep things simplified.
Kathrynne has two pair of shoes per season - a dressier pair and a more casual pair. I usually try to buy her shoes at a garage sale for around $1/pair or less. She keeps her shoes in her bottom drawer for now and is very good at putting them back when she takes them off. This helps so that we rarely are missing shoes. As she gets older, we'll move to the shoes in the shoebox solution.
It works for me! I'd love to hear about shoes and shoe storage at your home.
Speaking of shoes, after much encouragement, I'll be starting a series soon on Beauty on a Budget sharing some tips and ideas for looking well for next to nothing. Look for the first installment later this week!
posted by Crystal Paine at 8:27 AM
33 Comments:
besides the cost its also great with a large family to limit shoes! We have 6 people in our family so far, each has about 5-9 pairs of shoes between soccer cleats, baseball cleats, church shoes, play shoes, etc. So that would make about 48 pairs of shoes or 96 shoes lying around!!!
I also keep my shoes in boxes but only the off season ones. It really does keep them in much better shape and they don't get dusty laying around in the closet. For the shoes that are in season I keep them organized in a hanging shoe organizer that hangs on my closet rod. I really like shoes, especially sandals, so I have more of them than I need for sure.
I'm looking forward to the Beauty on a Budget series!
If you can afford it it is good to provide quality shoes for children because they need good shoes for their growing bodies. As a seasoned frugalite this is one area I don't usually skimp on for the children.
We also have a large family so the Lord gave me an idea a few years ago that works for our family. It started with changing the way I buy shoes for myself.
I buy for myself only two pairs of shoes good high quality sneakers and one pair of church shoes. I also have a pair of flip-flops for taking out garbage or quick outdoor errands.
The children have the same amount of shoes as me and it works great. I don't know how we would manage it any other way. Because as family size grows so do shoes.
I have observed another family's method that I thought was great too. This family had 9 children still living at home and they had a wood cubby at the front of the house for storing shoes. I am not sure how many shoes each child was allowed but I did not see many shoes there.
This is a great idea. My mom does this and her shoes always look great. I have a plastic shoe box under my bed for my shoes.
Thanks for the idea! I organized my room recently, and had no clue what to do with my shoes, so currently they're laying at the bottom of my closet. Unfortunately, I think we've already used the boxes they came in for other things, but I'll keep this idea in mind when I get new pairs.
One thing we do that is kind of related to this is we do not wear shoes in our house. It limits the amount of dirt tracked in. Outside the front door I have a bucket which we put a lot of our shoes like flip flops in. The rest get stored on shelves in the closet. I am like you in that I am willing to pay a lot more for shoes I expect to last longer - usually winter shoes or pumps. Summer shoes for me are usually cheap - flip flops or inexpensive sandals. I run a lot (marathons) so I'll spend a good bit for a good pair of running shoes.
ONe thing I am big on is polishing and cleaning shoes before putting them away for the season. (example:clean, shine, dust winter leather boots off before putting away).
I think storing in the box is a great idea and would help them keep their life.
My son (16 mos) has two pairs - little keds and sandals. In the house he is barefoot or in socks.
But I am huge into the no-shoes rule in our home (not obsessive though) and it really helps a lot
Also, Crystal if you do the beauty on a budget thing that would be fun. I am a personal wardrobe consultant and shopper and am actually working on a website of this very topic!
I have to say that I love my over-the-door, linen shoe organizer. It holds 8 pairs of shoes, so I keep every single pair I own in it (including $1 Wal-Mart flip-flops). It's easy to find plastic shoe organizers, but I've found that the linen one keeps my shoes in much better condition. Keep your eyes open and you can find these for cheap; I got mine at Aldi for $7 and it was a great investment.
I may steal the box idea for my husband, though; the linen organizers don't come big enough to hold his size 12 shoes!!
As for my children, spending a bit more for good quality shoes for my oldest son has become a "must." That way, they have plenty of wear left as the younger ones each grow into them. Like you, I go cheap on sneakers-- especially for the kids since they tend to wear those until they are sporting holes!
We have a very strict no shoes in the house rule, ever, even guests. My husband's culture it is very rude to wear your shoes indoors and means you do not respect your host.
For our family, I never buy children's shoes at garage sales because my mom told me that since shoes often form to your foot, it is important especially for children to have new shoes. The way I do this is go to Payless usually, I know they are not the highest quality shoes, but since their feet grow after one year usually, they get a new pair every spring usually. In the winter we usually wear boots and I don't thin I have ever bought any as my MIL loves to buy those! I do not usually pay more than $7-10 for a pair of shoes and if they have buy one get one half off, it is cheaper.
I have paid up to $20 for shoes I wear all the time, but I have to have good arch supports, but I have found that Dr. Scholls or Cobbie Cuddlers shoes cost a bit more than the cheap ones, but last several years with good care.
I love the beauty on a budget idea! I'm looking forward to learning more about that.
Right now my shoes are divided between a shoe rack and a built in shelf in my closet. the clear shoe box size plastic containers work well for storing dressy shoes or ones that would be prone to collect dust and lose their shape. My son has had his snow boots and one other pair of velcro shoes that he worn all winter. Let's face it--boys are hard on shoes and it's difficult to find shoes for my son in good condition at garage sales--except for church shoes which tend to get less wear. Since I find most of his clothes used or on clearance, I'm willing to buy new shoes every now and then if I don't run across anything good.
By the way, just thought I would throw out the idea that those over the door shoe holders are EXCELLENT for organizing your baby stuff in the nursery! They can hold diapers, wipes, lotion, etc. and keep it near at hand and high enough up that inquisitive younger siblings can't get into it!
I keep my shoes in a drawer (boxes take too much space!).
Comfort and quality are important to me, so while shopping sales, I try to buy good shoes.
We, too, have a no shoes in the house rule. It cuts down on dirt immensely. I saw a cute idea for storing shoes at the front door, or somewhere close by. It's too take old mailboxes and paint them or fix them up and store shoes in there. They gave it as a Christmas gift and decorated it so cute.
And for the Beauty on a Budget series, for those of you that don't know Salvation Army nationwide has half off clothes every Wednesday. I have gotten lots of deals for our family that way, especially when I was pregnant, and needing some 'in-between clothes'.
Great to hear ideas on shoes. We have no entry way really and shoes can quickly overtake the kitchen. My three kids each have 2 pairs. Their everyday shoes I too won't buy used, I want them to form to their feet, but snow boots and dress shoes which they will only wear for short times I will get at second hand stores. Love your blog by the way, I've never posted, but check in weekly.
I have a hang-on-the-closet-door rack for my shoes, and my husband's closet has shelves in it that I use for shoes.
I'm REALLY looking forward to your beauty on a budget posts! I hope you will touch on all areas of 'fashion', makeup, skin care etc.
You are such a pretty, slim young lady that the temptation to spend and/or acquire a lot of clothes and 'fashion' would seem great (to me anyway). In a day and age where having a multitude of shoes, sunglasses, purses, clothes etc is so prevalent and encouraged, it is so nice to see you 'practice what you preach' so to speak.
I can definitely use some modest, Christian expertise in this area as I have a hard time being content with what I have and learning to simplify and pare down :)
We have a shelf in our front closet for everyday shoes. The rest are kept in our closets in a shoe box. I have one boy(7) and two girls(5&2), so The original plan was to do hand me downs for the girls.My youngest has Down Syndrome and wears braces, so she needs shoes to fit over them. Her first pair of shoes cost $50(ouch!)We found some squeaky shoes online for only $12 a pair. They are so cute, and they squeak when she steps to encourage her to walk. Also, the squeakers are removable!
My other two have dress, play, and something that will slip on. Of course, Grandpa did have to buy them some cowboy/girl boots:)Also, we found that baby wipes at night help to keep shoes looking nice longer.
Great tips again Crystal, thank you. I can't wait to for your Beauty on a Budget series - I will definitely be following along!
In His hands,
Emily
We keep our shoes on a wooden rack by the door that my husband made out of scrap pieces of wood. Everyone is supposed to put their shoes back on the rack when they come in the house. We also have a no shoes in the house policy. I have to buy expensive shoes as my feet are extremely narrow, but they last me for years. I bought a pair of black, low heeled, leather dress shoes 12 years ago and they are still going strong. I also bought a pair of good quality walking shoes which get worn almost everyday. When my children were small they usually had one or two pairs of shoes each. After we moved to a more wintery climate we added the snow boots, cross country ski boots, soccer boots, etc. When not in season, the sports shoes are either tied in pairs and hanging from nails or packed away in cardboard boxes.
Ann
Crystal, what a great idea! Now I wanna clean out my shoe area! I do not understand how some women have a shoe fettish-owning 20 and 30 pairs of footwear! I have maybe 10 pairs and of those I use maybe 3. What have you found to be comfortable and stylish in terms of a casual day shoe that can be worn with skirts, etc?
Sean and I both have shoe racks which are relatively inexpensive and we can stack our shoes vertically in the closet. I'm very sad to say we collectively have something over 50 pairs of shoes. I know how that sounds. We both have taken care of our shoes and collected them over a number of years. Plus, our friends in Germany have supplied us with something like 7 pairs of birkenstocks over the years. Sean is a shopper and a bargain shopper at that and he used to get amazing deals at two websites that I don't even know if they exist anymore. He got sketchers and docmartens for less than $20. He had a lot of different shoes for his job which involved drama and costumes too.
I'm a huge fan of Franco Sarto's and since I trek around the city a lot in business, it's worthy investment to have "good" dress shoes. I think my low heel dress shoes are Nine West.
Other than that, I spend a lot of money on running shoes since long distance running requires good support to cut down on injuries and splints. It wouldn't save a lot of money to buy cheap shoes and then pay more in medical bills for not having the right gear.
I didn't realize I had so much to say about shoes. I could probably say a lot more. :o
I just read some of the other comments and I've heard the same thing about children and shoes. We bought Riley's first shoes at stride rite and after that at Mervyn's. When you think about the purpose of shoes and the support they give to the entire skeletal frame, it really is an important article. As I mentioned before, it's not cost effective to save money on shoes only to pay more for medical issues. I have several friends who've had chiro issues related to poor shoe support over time.
~ Catherine
I do not keep shoes with my clothing I just don't want my closet to smell like feet. We have a shoe organizer when you come in our front door for the whole family. I have two giant plastic bins under the bed for each season.(they have a lid) I probably have 80 pairs of shoes (hides head in shame).
Lela- www.xanga.com/LMCS79
Didn't I hear recently that young children don't really need "good" shoes? I remember that when we were young (30 yrs ago) my mother always bought us Stride-Rite (sp??) shoes because the theory at the time was that young children really needed the support etc. However, I'm pretty sure I heard that that theory has been debunked. (I hope so, or my children may end up crippled!)
I'm not big on shoes, and probably use even less than you! :) At our home we keep our shoes out in the garage, since we only wear shoes outside. Each of us has a shelf in the garage for shoe storage. I also try to keep shoes a long time. I regularly use 3 pairs of shoes: a pair of those flat slip-ons, clogs, and winter dress boots (worn in winter of course!) All those I've had for a few years and plan to wear until they fall apart.
I'm not a shoe fanatic at all! I only have about 6 pairs in all that I actually wear. The ones that I have usually wind up scattered on the closet floor. Just shameful. ;)
I'm looking forward to your Beauty on a Budget series! This is coming at a perfect time for me, seeing as marriage is drawing near and the need to be more frugal is growing stronger!
Now that is my kind of way to store shoes. :) It sounds like we have very similar thoughts about shoes.
I agree that they last much longer if you keep them stored in the box. I also don't see the sense in having hundreds of different pairs of shoes. (I own probably about 8-9 pairs including house slippers, boots, sandals, work shoes and dress shoes). I need to get rid of a couple of pairs. I guess I am not one of those women that has something for shoes. Hehe.
I once bought 2 pairs of sandals at a garage sale for about 25-50 cents/pair. They lasted me well over five years and it was well worth the money. I still have one pair in pretty good condition.
Great ideas!
...when ready to eliminate old shoes from your wardrobe, send them to Africa! Shoes are extremely scarce in that part of the world, and everyone walks, so they are desperately needed- and your used shoes will be more appreciated there than at a local Goodwill or Salvation Army in the U.S. Check out Orphans of Rwanda or New Hope Uganda to make donations of your old shoes!
I use a hanging closet shoe organizer for dress shoes. Other shoes just get thrown in a basket by the door. It keeps them organized and those are the shoes that get worn (alot).
I'm amazed that you've had tennis shoes that long. My don't last more than 6 months to a year. Wow!
I have heard how important it is to buy quality new shoes for children so they fully support their feet etc but I am wondering how large families cope with this?
Do you buy new shoes for each child? Do you just throw away the shoes when they don't fit?
We have four children and are expecting our fifth. My first child was bought mostly new shoes, the second used her sisters shoes and had some new, the third (a boy) has had mostly used (second-hand from friends, garage sales, his sisters) and my last one has had nearly all used shoes, I think my Mum got her one pair for Christmas a year back. When buying shoes I always look for shoes with a very flexible sole, quality fabrics and easily adjustable (love velcro).
We have a large box in the garage which is filled with shoes that don't fit my children. When they grow out of their shoes we go and put them in the box and find some that will fit them (or go garage sale shopping or get Nana to take them shopping - she LOVES to buy shoes!).
This system is not working out as well as it could as there are too many shoes in the box now! I am thinking of putting the shoes in with boxes of clothing as they are outgrown.
I would LOVE to hear how people organise their boxes of childrens/babies clothes which their children grow out of but are to be saved for the next child.
Currently I do a big sort out and get rid of anything worn or stained or that we didn't use much and put away the rest. We still have a LOT of clothes put away ranging from NB-10 year old.
Thanks for that post Crystal. I think I will save shoe boxes and stack my shoes like you do, it is so nice and tidy. Ours are currently in a jumble in the wardrobe.
We keep shoes in a rack in the entrance hall and have a no shoes in the house rule. This reduces cleaning and wear on shoes.
My children only have one pair each per season until they are old enough to have trainers (?sneakers) at about 6 years old. Young children should have their shoes properly fitted so that they don't damage their feet at an age when they might not realise that shoes fit incorrectly. For my children, this has meant quite expensive shoes as they have broad feet that are difficult to fit. I pay about £40 (just under $80) for a pair of childrens shoes. I don't think that there are shops in the UK that fit shoes that would fit my children for less.
We keep the shoes polished and don't put babies in shoes until they have been walking at least 6 weeks to try to keep costs down.
I have a best pair and two everyday pairs of shoes plus slippers and clogs for the garden (would recommend these). I am about to buy a pair of sandels.
We recycle old shoes-there are recycling bins everywhere here for shoes.
Sarah
Crystal, what's most important about shoes for Kathrynne is that they must have good support. Good bone structure/alignment makes a big difference to not just her feet, but also her back, neck, and spine later on. Also, it is good to keep her barefooted at home so that her feet senses the different materials of the ground and develops accordingly.
I used to live with my aunts and cousins. With so many of us, shoe organization was a chaos until my aunt implemented a policy: all shoes in the shoe boxes, and all shoe boxes labelled by owner's name and photograph of the shoe.
In my culture, it will be shocking if any one were to wear shoes into the house. It is considered very rude and unhygienic.
I have been praying for you all day!
You are so sweet, Homemakerang! I think God knew I needed it! He has given me so much grace this week!
By the way, your makeover from your hubby was so cool! Sounds like you have a great guy on your hands!
I was very concerned because you hadn't posted your ususal freebie friday but I see you were having computer problems... I am glad to see you are doing great, your preg. pic was beautiful (I look like that at about 2 months preg!!!!) anyways, glad to see you are good, cracker barrel sells hashbrown casserole... I am eating circus peanuts right now :)
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