Thursday, September 6, 2012

Thinkin' 'bout Shoes

Do you buy used shoes?  I do. The past 2 weeks have been pretty good (bargain wise) for me. I like to have an extra pair of shoes and/or boots here for my grandson. The shoes he's wearing I might consider inappropriate for the day's activity, or it's time for a new pair, or he may get dirty. So I keep my eyes open at garage sales and thrift stores. Shoes have to be in very good condition and in the case of kids shoes, they must be washable. I'm a nut about washing things and once in a while I do ruin something.


The pair on top are Birkenstocks, yes, I know Stacey and Clinton (from TLC's What Not to Wear) think they are ugly, but with my wide feet I know they are comfortable. They were $3 and in much better shape than my present pair of brown sandals. You can't tell from this photo but these are in really good condition and not a sign of wear on the bottoms (some of mine have smooth spots).

The boys tan pair on the lower step are from Land's End, not new but there is plenty of life left in them for my grandson. They're a little big, but he's only going to grow, right? One of my grandsons obtained his sandals for the summer from me and were a garage sale find.  I don't like to pay a lot for water shoes b/c they are only worn occasionally....these may come in handy next summer for the beach. When I found the black/lime AVIA shoes at the thrift store I had to ask a teen age girl if they were boys or girls shoes. JACKPOT! She said boys! If need be they are good enough for school. The most expensive boys pair above was $2.00.

I also picked up a nice Packer (football) pullover sweatshirt, denim shorts, and (like new) sweater for grandson J. I am always looking for jeans for the grands too, but they are not easy to find. Sometimes it's hard to do, but when thrifting I am open to buying winter clothes in early June, Halloween costumes or snow pants in the middle of summer, and summer clothes in autumn. I only buy things that look a bit big b/c I know they'll grow into it. 

I see more and more people doing their school shopping at Goodwill and local thrift stores. Happy shopping!!!

3 comments:

  1. I will buy used shoes at some thrift venues but not others. If I am going to buy 'used' I get them from consignment. I recently found several pairs of summer sandals reduced to $3.00 a pair! I purchased three so I'm set for next summer. None of them had any signs of wear at all. I don't really even look at Goodwill because they are so poorly displayed, I just pass them right up.

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  2. I love shoes myself :-) I like to wear sperrys... they are comfy and you can get them wet no problem-o

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  3. I've found only 1 pair of shoes and 1 pair of booties at thrift that I would consider putting my foot into. Most shoes I see in thrift stores are just nasty dirty. I look for ones that appear to be barely used, but rarely are they in my size. I have w-i-d-e feet too. It is hard to find comfy shoes even new.

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