pf blogroll

Broke and Beautiful

blog categories

Jul

29

In Defence of Expensive Shoes, or “My Way of Thinking Frugally”

Recently, Frugal Babe wrote an interesting post called New Frugal Tips. I agree completely with her points about most everything - especially on those points which are both healthy and frugal - but I had to disagree with one: shoes.
Most of you know how crazy I am about shoes. A large part of my debt was due to the fact that I bought loads of ridiculously expensive shoes (new, even) when I couldn’t afford them. But the truth is, now that the debt is gone, I still buy shoes here and there and I don’t regret having bought the ones I did.

Frugal Babe makes the point:

And I love the tip about wearing sensible shoes. To me, Carrie from Sex and the City [...] is the epitome of someone who never chooses sensible shoes. Was she ever not wearing heels? She couldn’t afford to buy her apartment but she had $40,000 worth of Manolos and Jimmy Choos in her closet. Ouch. My current favorite shoes are a pair of knockoff Keens that came from Payless about two years ago, and cost $25.

I hate to have to disagree. After all, I am not advocating buying yourself out of house and home just to have a bunch of fancy footwear! And I wouldn’t want anyone to misconstrue my arguments as ones in favor that sort of behavior.

However, that being said, I believe that buying more expensive shoes pays off in the long run. If I’m not mistaken, Frugal Babe has been lucky with her pair of Payless shoes lasting her two years. Every pair I’ve ever bought from Payless, Target, WalMart, JC Penny, etc., has fallen apart after only a couple of months of regular wear.

Everyone has their own reasons for buying the shoes that they do. I buy expensive, high-quality shoes because I believe - firmly - that they are the more frugal choice.

Quality Shoes Last Longer

Clearly, the most relevant reason that I buy quality shoes is because they last longer. Usually a quality shoe has been made with finer materials - leathers, metals, woods, beads, gems and plastics - that last a long time. Not only that, but in many cases the shoes I buy have been hand-made - or at least constructed by a human rather than a blind machine - which means that there’s even more attention to detail and refined sturdiness in the shoes.

Because the shoes last longer, I might spend more, but I’ll buy less often; $150 spent on a good pair of shoes, plus maybe $100 in repairs over time, will last me 5-10 years. At the rate at which I go through cheap shoes (every quarter), and assuming $25 per pair, I would spend $500-$1000 during that same period of time if I’d bought cheap shoes.

Quality Shoes Maintain Better

I take the time to maintain my shoes. I have a vast collection of leather heels of all sizes and shapes, and a pile of cleaners and moisturizers to go along with them. Every spring, at least, I take the time to go over my shoes and tidy up any scuffs, tears, and smudges.

Sofft Fall 2008 Unlike cheap plastic and imitation-leather shoes, quality shoes can be repaired. Wood can be replaced easily if it snaps, and quality metals and gems won’t get banged up or break almost ever. Leather doesn’t tear or scuff as easily as plastic, and as long as you keep the leather soft and the stitching tight, the shoes are practically indestructible for normal wear.

Whenever the tread, sole, or heel bases of my shoes get worn down, I take my shoes to a repair shop. I’ve had whole heel pieces, treads, and soles cleaned up or replaced, and torn leather stitched up or, in one case, remade after a particularly unfortunate accident involving alcohol and running.

Also, most importantly, higher-quality shoes are made to be deconstructed, so that they can be maintained. For a short while, when I was first buying expensive shoes, I tried to keep my old crap shoes up in the same way that I did my new ones, but to no avail - and they were eventually tossed. I couldn’t remove the scuffs on the pleather toes or cheap plastic heels. I even tried to have the heels that were wearing down on a pair of pumps I had bought at Payless replaced, only to have the shop tell me that the heels couldn’t be replaced because the pumps couldn’t be deconstructed for repair. The shoe pieces had been fused together with heat, and since the shoes were made of plastic, there was nothing to be done to separate the heel from the upper.

Quality Shoes Are More Comfortable and Better For You

There are some that would disagre, so I guess this point is more subjective - but in my experience, by far, higher-quality shoes are always more comfortable. Of course, there will forever be uncomfortable shoes somewhere, but your job is to not buy them! To someone else, they may be supremely comfortable.
Sofft Fall 2008 Jesting aside, I really can’t say enough about the comfort of a fine shoe. Even if you don’t wear heels, which I do in abundance, the difference is astounding. If you’ve never put on a pair of Ecco shoes, you’re missing out. Dansko and Söfft are also superb in their ergonomics and support. And while I’m not here to say that high heels are good for you, most pairs of Coach, Circa, BCBG Maxazria, and Chloé don’t even feel like heels, they’re so foot-conscious in the way of comfort.

In my opinion, if you’re really all about comfort and your feet - invest in some fine ergonomic, fashionable shoes (yes, the two qualities do come together these days!) and wear them for a lifetime.

And finally…

I Love Shoes

What can I say? When it comes down to it, I want to have a closet packed with shoes that I can tend to, care for, and love. I enjoy making up ensembles to show off my shoes, or wear other shoes to highlight my jewelry or dress. I find such fun in dressing up - I could never give that up.

And while I do buy cheap shoes here and there because the expense isn’t much and I know they’ll be fun while they last, I prefer to collect masterpiece shoes slowly, one small gem at a time, and take pride in my shoes.

I know that I’ll have my Coach heels 40 years from now, barring an unthinkable disaster, and I’d much rather have that than a pair of imposter heels that will fall apart by Christmas.

Filed Under Frugal Living, Just My Life - Stories, Etc., money and finance

Comments

12 Responses to “In Defence of Expensive Shoes, or “My Way of Thinking Frugally””

Laura Brandon on July 29th, 2008 11:11 pm

This is a great post, Shanti, it really made me think! Not just about shoes, but just in general about how the “cheapest” option isn’t always the best in the long run. I’ve always been a big believer in that particular notion, so thanks for blogging about it!
shanti on July 29th, 2008 11:55 pm

Thanks, Laura! I’ve been an advocate of quality over cheap in almost all cases since the beginning, and I’ll continue to write on the topic so I can keep your mind-gears a-turning
You may want to read my other posts:
http://www.antishay.com/?p=104
and
http://www.antishay.com/?p=34
<3
Julia on July 30th, 2008 5:29 am

Amen to all that, Shanti! I’m a fellow shoe lover… When I travel, my souvenirs are heels/flats/sandals from that locale =) … Thanks for a wonderful article.
learning the ropes on July 31st, 2008 10:21 am

Great post!!! I guess you’ve persuaded me enough to try out at least one pair of the expensive shoes that you’ve talked about. Maybe after I buy one, you can send the company a letter asking about your referral bonus
One more thing that you touched upon gently, but didn’t cover (and I am really eager to find out), how do you care for your shoes, which brand of cleaners, what do you do with the inevitable scratches on the surface, which repair shops do you go to…the whole nine yards.

Btw, did you ever try to change the look of a pair of shoe, you know, by sticking some beads, or getting somebody else to do embellishments etc.
Frugal Babe on August 1st, 2008 10:38 am

Lots of good points here. Gotta add a few things, lest everyone picture a closet full of $10 shoes at the Frugal Babe house… I’m a runner, and when it comes to running shoes, I go to a store that does video gait analysis, and I tend to buy New Balance or Pearlizumi shoes that run $100+ Shoes really do make a difference when I run. I get new running shoes every 9 months or so, and then the old ones become “walking” shoes. I think I have four pairs right now, in various states of wear - the oldest have been used this summer for painting the house, the other two pairs are what I wear when we’re going for a walk, or a hike that doesn’t require boots (I never use my current running shoes for anything other than running). I guess I did get lucky with the Payless Keens, because they are my favorite slip on shoes, and have been for a couple years. I can wear them for an eight hour shift at the library, and my feet still feel great during my walk home at the end of the day.
I also have a pair of Merrell slip on shoes, which I love. I think I paid about $50 for them, five years ago, and they’re still going strong.
I do have some fancy shoes, but I honestly never wear them. I have them for weddings - that’s about it. Most of the time I’m in a pair of running shoes, my Merrells, or my fake Keens. I love how flip flops look, but I don’t wear them that often because of the lack of arch support. I haven’t bought anything at Payless since I bought the fake Keens two summers ago. So it’s not that I have a closet full of cheap shoes - I just don’t have a closet full of shoes, period. I tend to wear the same few pairs of shoes over and over.
So I guess my comment about Carrie on SATC should have focused more on the *quantity* of shoes she had, rather than the type of shoe, or the quality of them. She truly did have a whole closet full But I still love SATC, even if I’m not a Manolo girl! (and if they made running shoes, I’d probably check them out)
shanti on August 1st, 2008 1:24 pm

Fruga Babe -
Thanks for replying! And thank you - I thought I organized my thoughts well.

The reason I made the last point was because of that exact reason - I love shoes and therefore have lots. And for people like me who want to have a whole lot for their wardrobe selection, etc., it would be a waste to buy loads of shoes that will fall apart, you know?

Thanks for the feedback! I, too, buy really good running shoes and replace them when they start to break down - but it sounds like you’re even more than a runner than I am. And if the Payless shoes feel great for you, then you go, girl! I had a pair of sneakers from Payless that I wore every day and LOVED them - they were so comfy, even after a long day. But since that pair, which is long since gone, I haven’t had any success in comfort at Payless since - which is disappointing, but is also why I go for Danskos and Eccos now.
louise on August 3rd, 2008 12:25 pm

great post, I couldn’t agree more! I love good quality shoes, they just can’t compare to cheap ones!
I save money on them by waiting for the sales (usually half price) and then I keep them all in individual shoe boxes, it’s investment dressing really.
Tannette on August 5th, 2008 5:58 am

Big ups to any woman that’s about the shoes. I’m luvin’ it. Jimmy Choos and C. Louboutins are on my short list for new pumps this fall.
irina on August 31st, 2008 11:36 am

In Miami we have a store that sells all shoes for $3.99. Yes, 3 dollars and 99 cents. That is where I buy my shoes. Yep, designer shoes are nice, but I want my money in my 401(k) not in designer’s 401(k) LOL..
And let me tell you, my $3.99 shoes are just as fun to wear and my uber-rich clients always ask me where, but where I got my SHOES!
And I love good design, but when my shoes are worn out, I toss them out with little regret.. AHHHH.. I have an excuse to to back to my $3.99 store for a couple of hours of total immersion to a shoe haven!
deepali on September 8th, 2008 11:12 am

I have never noticed that my nicer shoes last any longer than my “cheaper” shoes, so I’m still better off with my cheap ones. That being said, they are “cheap” in the sense that I buy them at DSW and off-season, so they are originally $100 shoes that I pay $20 for.

But your cost analysis is really key - figuring out how much you spend over a certain time period, and how you would spend if you switched to cheaper or more expensive shoes.
shanti on September 8th, 2008 11:26 am

@ deepali -

I hadn’t thought about how this could mean that I meant that only expensive is the way to go! LOL, I mean the original cost of the shoe. If the shoe retailed at $100 originally but is now $20 on deep discount, it’s still the same shoe, isn’t it? I buy $500 shoes for $150 at Nordstrom Rack and they’re just as much quality as they were when they were $500.

Thanks for pointing that out so I could clarify!
Indeedprimary on December 5th, 2009 11:37 pm

Option That,college seriously earth report earn chapter railway industry extend just trust wing try ring meet matter motor claim nurse user theatre colleague open present son commitment outside combine since fill sorry land community contribute lose ordinary current whilst future representative scientist unemployment appeal transfer absolutely connection budget corporate emphasis annual map concerned human minute shall whom concentration undertake yard attractive behaviour sort training live his wind corner position exercise her later piece element temperature home eat crowd regular body explain season information into nor establishment substantial football immediately aspect too do