A reader asks:
“I haven’t been reading long, so I’m sure you’ve already posted about this, however I am curious, as a fellow shoe lover, how long do you keep your shoes before *gasp* getting rid of them?? I was just going through shoes today and I couldn’t bear to part with 99% of them. I used to go by heel and toe, and keep whatever was in fashion at that point, however it seems like these days anything goes as far as style. Okay, not anything. But almost anything.”
Good question, Carrie, although I am not quite the shoe enthusiast many of you are. Regarding trends, the freedom discussed in my post The Mess in My Mind is the Pantscape has no doubt shown up in shoes as well. My advice? Wear what you like, but only keep the best forever.
Regarding cost per wear: Based on my figures for my Chacos, I think a realistic cost per wear for new shoes is about 25 – 40 cents.
Which all adds up to the conclusion that I could get my money’s worth out of these $142 beauties. 10 wears per year for the next 40 years! Can’t you see me in them when I’m 83? They’ll still go with my hair.
Cost per wear is a very useful tool, but is it always relevant, especially for dressy shoes?
I have, for example, a pair of black dress pumps that I will never get the cost per wear down to what you would consider even close to reasonable. But … they don’t irritate my back, nor the bone spur in my right foot, and they will be part of my wardrobe for many years.
Special shoes for say weddings, proms, formal occasions — is it fair to apply the same criteria for them as you do for everyday footwear?
(I love the flats you featured!)
Probably not. Realistically, I’m sure there are cases where 25 – 40 dollars is an ambitious target cost per wear and, depending on the individual budget, they may get balanced out by the everyday shoes that one can occasionally pick up for $25 – $40 total.
(Believe me when I say I would spend whatever it took to have shoes that didn’t irritate my back or my feet.)
I hope this wasn’t too discouraging to people. I realize that, because I don’t have alot of special needs and I have time to shop, I am able to achieve a lower cost per wear than alot of people. But I also know there are people out there who clothe large families on less than what I spend. So much depends on the individual budget.
Interesting thing happened when I was pondering cost-per-wear for those yellow shoes a few posts back. I realized, realistically, I would probably only wear them once a week, or even once every 2 weeks. Why? Because I have so many other shoes that are in great condition, and I even like. Then it seemed silly to spend $60+ on a new pair of shoes to wear 2-4 times per month.
Hmmm, instead of having several pairs that only get worn 2-4 times per month, why not have just a few pairs and actually wear them out before they go out of style, then get new ones, guilt free!
It is nice to have a few to rotate with. I’m thinking 3 pairs per season, for my main lifestyle segment (casual), should last 3 years. And of course I have more than 3 already.
Well, works for me, and I’ll just enjoy my yellow bag with neutral shoes!
BTW, if I buy shoes with birthday or Christmas money, cost-per-wear doesn’t count. 🙂 This is where the colored and fun shoes come from.
Ahh, I had never thought of the cost-per-wear aspect. Puts things into a whole new perspective! I’m going to have to think deeper into this.
I really have a problem of quantity over quality at this point. I think it’s because I’m young, and I still have some of that mindset left over from my teen years. You know, the one where you can’t fathom what the difference could be between a $15 pair vs. a $55 pair. In that time frame where it was about how many pairs you had, not how they made your feet feel!
Now I’m starting to definitely shoot for quality. But once in a while I still find myself gazing longingly at the clearance rack where there’s a really cute pair of shoes, but everyone has passed over because they make you feel like your little toe may shrivel up and fall off because it’s squished so tight in the toe! I wonder to myself how I can beat a cute pair of shoes for $7!!
But then when I think about it in terms of cost -per-wear…. if I only wear those shoes 4 times ever, because my poor feet can’t take it anymore, then relatively, they are a VERY expensive pair of shoes for the use I get out of them.
Lately I have been doing what Jennifer is doing… grabbing a few pairs that I love. Wearing the heck out of them. And then getting another pair. However, when you buy quality shoes, sometimes even when you try really hard, you can’t wear them out!!
I have a pair of really cute suede loafers on that I got with some Christmas money year before last, and um, they still look as good as they did 2 wks after I got them. I have even trudged through mud puddles pushing my kiddos in their stroller with them on my feet.
Ahhh, what’s a girl to do?!?! LOL
uh, I just threw out a pair of Character Shoes (ie tap shoes without the taps) that I got in highschool (I’m 35 in 3 weeks) last Sunday. I think I got my wear out of those! I had the heels redone on those about 4X, wore them not only in many shows, but also as regular black pumps because they were comfortable!
When it comes to cost per wear etc-it seems to me that if you have a few pairs of shoes in basic colors that are very well made and comfortable then you are set for most social occasions (ie nude/beige, black, etc) then you can look at some of the “fun” shoes and make a cost per wearing judgement and decide on how necessary quality etc is. Yellow might be in this year, but personally I am not likely to wear it much-so if I felt like incorporating it into my shoe wardrobe I’d probably go for something from Target in a fun shoe that would be worn only for brief periods (ie out to dinner or just to church etc) and then consider it good. Then again, I just might not buy anything 🙂
This is a great discussion! Jennifer, I have found myself going through those same mental calculations and come up with a very similar conclusion. And now, although I love them, I am not likely to buy the pink patent wedges because there is almost nothing I could wear them with that I couldn’t just wear the neutral wedges I bought last year, which I still really like and are super comfortable. And because that isn’t an everyday type shoe for me, it doesn’t bear buying another pair to rotate.
Jenn, I agree with your approach – both sensible and frugal. And it was comforting to have you say you might just not buy anything. That’s one of my best frugal tips!
Carrie, glad the post was helpful. Isn’t that crazy how suede shoes sometimes will stay nice-looking like that? (I love suede!)
Rebecca, I love the idea of balancing!
I wonder if we can take that one step further … what if you understand that the cost per wear for one item is higher than your comfort zone, but … by buying the item you get more wear out of something else in your wardrobe bringing its cost per wear down, is that a trade-off worth making?
If I bright pair of shoes and belt or handbag encourage you to wear one of your wardrobe staples more, should that be a consideration? My black suit and black dress would look very different with, say, red patent shoes (I’ve been on the hunt for the right ones for about a year), so I would get more wear out of both those outfits. (Granted, I could wear the shoes some other things, too!)
I hadn’t thought of that, Wendy, but it makes perfect sense. It’s all about crafting a wardrobe that works for the individual, both style and budget. It’s amazing how the one right thing can make many new combinations.
I hope you find the right red patent shoes. That’ll look great!