Are you a shoe addict? Do you love shoes and tend to spend more than you should on fashionable footwear? Unfortunately, during these tough economic times, busting your budget on a high-priced pair of ######y sandals or stunning stilettos is probably not a wise move. You don't have to sacrifice buying new shoes altogether, but you may need to buy a little more sensibly. Here's a few tips that will help you get the most from your shoe wardrobe.
Only Buy a Pair of Shoes if You Know You'll Use Them
That may sound like simple commonsense, but oftentimes footwear fashionistas are impulse buyers. They see an adorable pair of shoes and their addiction takes over. They must have those shoes even if they are not on sale and they have no idea what they will wear with the shoes. Before you know it, they are whipping out the plastic and scurrying home with their treasure. Unfortunately, those shoes too often end up in a closet and are seldom, if ever, worn.
If you cannot resist trolling the shoe departments in your favorite stores, at least resist buying shoes that you don't know that you will wear more than once if at all. If you find a pair of shoes that will be perfect with your new sun dress or look sensational with your business suits, go ahead. Otherwise, take control and stand firm against the temptation of that pair of trendsetting stilettos that are in a color you'll never use.
Repair the Shoes You Already Own
Even footwear fanatics have their favorite pairs of shoes. Unfortunately, those are the ones we wear most often and the ones that take the most wear and tear. Instead of delegating them to the back of the closet or the garbage can, make the shoe repairman your new best friend. They can get rid of scuff marks, fix broken or run down heels, replace thinning soles and all sorts of other nifty tricks. Fixing a pair of shoes you already love is a much smarter investment than spending more money on shoes you have to break in.
Revamp Old Shoes to Look Like New Ones
Now this doesn't mean just taking them to the shoe repairmen for refurbishing; this means giving old shoes an entirely new look. Did you know you can decoupage leather or faux leather shoes? It's a simple process and completely transforms plain shoes into high fashion.
All you need is the shoes, postage stamps or small pieces of thin paper, a paint brush and clear waterproof decoupage glue. Cover a small area of the shoe and the back of the stamp or paper piece with the glue. Press it into place where you want it and smooth out the wrinkles with your fingers. Continue adding pieces of paper or stamps until you achieve the look you desire. When you finish let the shoe dry, then coat the entire shoe with several coats of the decoupage glue, letting each coat dry before the next application. You can even add embellishments like ribbons, rhinestones. bows or other decorative touches by attaching them with a hot glue gun. Now you have waterproofed custom designed shoes just for you.
Stretching your shoe budget doesn't mean giving up fashionable footwear. It means combining a touch of practicality with a touch of creativity to expand your shoe wardrobe in a way that makes both financial and fashion sense .
You have trained consistently for months, achieved your season's goals and now your sights are set on winter training and next season. By this point
air force one high heels, your running shoes (a loyal training buddy throughout the summer) should be looking fairly well-worn. They are super comfortable, they fit beautifully
jumpman high heels, but they just don't provide the levels of cushioning and support they did fresh out of the box. It's time for a change!Choosing the best running shoes can be a tricky task though, even for the most experienced of athletes. Most likely, the manufacturers of your current shoes will have brought out a new version of your current model, possibly with vastly different characteristics. So, while it is not quite straight back to square one for the task of choosing a new pair, it is important to be discerning when choosing your winter pair.
In this article we will attempt to set out, in simple terms, the key factors to consider when choosing your new pair of shoes. If you choose the right pair, your shoes will help you to stay injury free over winter and lay the foundations for a successful season next year. However, if you make the wrong choice, you may suffer rubbing, black toenails or
christian louboutin, worse still, long-term injury which will allay any hopes of a successful season next year.FACTOR 1: COMFORT
A running shoe should feel comfortable the moment you try it on.....the running shoe should feel 'right'. If the shoes feel uncomfortable, you should reject them. It doesn't matter whether the particular brand/shoe is endorsed by Chrissie Wellington, Paula Radcliffe or Alistair Brownlee, they will not 'wear-in' and feel better.