The frequency of shoe-buying for me is rather low. Once every two years, I trade in my old pair of work shoes and my old pair of sneakers (or "tennis shoes" as we call them in Michigan, despite the fact they have nothing to do with playing tennis) for two new pair. And, I'm quite picky about my shoes. Not so much about how they look, but how they feel. And, once I find what I like, I don't stray. I'm very dependable that way.
So, last week, I traded in my white Nike Air walking shoes for a pair of--you guessed it--white Nike Air walking shoes. Once, I tried running shoes, and another time cross trainers. But neither come as close to the comfort as walking shoes. After all, I neither run nor cross train.
Then, in the same store on the same day, I traded in my brown Rockport work shoes for a pair of brown Rockport work shoes. For those who haven't tried them, let me say that Rockports rock! I've never found a work shoe that is more comfortable. They feel as good, or better, than my sneakers.
I'm a firm believer that good footwear is important (especially for diabetics, since foot problems can grow to be quite serious). I would rather spend $100 on a single pair of shoes to last me three years, than spend $25 for shoes to last me a year. In this case, I spent about $60, since they were on sale. (Of course, when are shoes not on sale? You tear off the little "Sale!" tag, and find that the price, sans-sale, is the same as the current sale price, both of which is about 20% less than the listed retail price.)
I also buy shoes much the same way as I buy cards. You know how it is. You walk up to the Hallmark display (or, more commonly, the American Greetings display as you are dropping into Kroger to pick up a gallon of milk, suddenly realizing that your wife's birthday is today), and find there are exactly one million three hundred thousand "Happy Birthday Wife" cards. So, do you spend hours reading each and every one, only to find out that the first one you looked at is the best? Nope. I read one. If I like it, I buy it. No matter that it is $7. No matter that there might very well be another, better card two rows down. The card fits. It fits well. So you buy it. Although, I've had to be more careful recently, since my wife once pointed out that I bought her the exact same card two years in a row. (See? I told you I'm dependable that way.)
So that's my life with shoes. Spend the big bucks on shoes, but be happy with them. My wife, she'll sacrifice comfort for looks, which I have had to step in and put a stop to. (Uh, no pun intended.) I told her that I'd rather she spend $100 on a pair of sandals that she can wear all day, rather than buy a $20 pair that has cute criss-crossies, but she can't stand in them for more than an hour.
