I think that people think books are a "virtuous" and "self improving" purchase and shoes are "frivolous", especially if you're a girl, because we all love shoes and have 5000 pairs of silly shoes in a million colours, right?
Except, not.
If the rent is due and you are short on food, books can be a very frivolous purchase indeed. I don't hold much truck with that icon (or the shirt) that says "whenever I have money, I buy books and if there's any left over I buy food," because I have known too many people like that! And it's insane making.
And if you are having health problems because your feet hurt all the time and you're standing and walking funny because your feet hurt and your shoes don't fit, and you're in danger of getting trench foot and hookworm because your feet are soaked all the time or in contact with the ground through damp cardboard, shoes are not frivolous.
Shoes are a necessity of life. In rural areas, they keep your feet warm and safe when you have to go outdoors. In urban areas, they keep your feet from coming into contact with sharp things and other people's bodily fluids and the like that are on the street being germy. Bad shoes will ruin your whole day. I have felt very badly about throwing out expensive shoes that didn't fit right that I couldn't give away or sell due to damage. But it's not like I could wear them. This is why I buy them on deep discount or at auction, so that if they don't work out and I can't get back the money, I'm not wasting a lot.
At the moment it really sounds like you need a good solid sturdy pair of shoes way more than you need more books. They are an investment, and they will save you money later. You won't see the money they save you, because it will be in the form of medical bills for problems with your feet, legs, back and neck that you won't run up because you aren't hurting yourself, but trust me, it will be money saved.
Start with a basic pair of shoes that are nice enough to wear out--basic Docs, Drews or the like.
When you can afford another pair, in the summer time you might want a pair of sandals and/or trainers; when you start doing office work you might need fairly flat soft pumps that you could also wear for Dressing Up and Going Out. (Drew is better at this than Doc Martens--DM pumps are not as high quality as their shoes and boots).
I tend to think most women will be happier if they have one pair of good sturdy go-everywhere shoes, one pair of COMFORTABLE office/dressy shoes (if you only have one pair of dress shoes, they cannot be hurty), one pair of sandals and one pair of trainers. When I was really really broke, all my shoes were black and my bag was black, that way there was no worrying about what shoes went with what outfit--except for my trainers/sneakers which were often some insane colour (hot pink, turquoise, silver). You can do the same thing with brown, if you pick a shade.
I realise not everyone loves shoes or shoe shopping like I do (and I do have hard to fit feet, but not like yours) and that I have more money to spend than most of my friends, particularly those with kids. So in no way am I saying "you must run right out and buy 3 pairs of shoes". But what I'm offering is a strategy. I started out broke and worked my way up to my current shoe hoard, and the stage at which I was more or less okay with what I had even if I couldn't have a lot of what I would have wanted to have was the stage at which I had a pair of sturdy boots, a pair of trainers, a pair of comfortable dressy shoes and a pair of sandals.
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Date: 2010-11-30 05:27 pm (UTC)Except, not.
If the rent is due and you are short on food, books can be a very frivolous purchase indeed. I don't hold much truck with that icon (or the shirt) that says "whenever I have money, I buy books and if there's any left over I buy food," because I have known too many people like that! And it's insane making.
And if you are having health problems because your feet hurt all the time and you're standing and walking funny because your feet hurt and your shoes don't fit, and you're in danger of getting trench foot and hookworm because your feet are soaked all the time or in contact with the ground through damp cardboard, shoes are not frivolous.
Shoes are a necessity of life. In rural areas, they keep your feet warm and safe when you have to go outdoors. In urban areas, they keep your feet from coming into contact with sharp things and other people's bodily fluids and the like that are on the street being germy. Bad shoes will ruin your whole day. I have felt very badly about throwing out expensive shoes that didn't fit right that I couldn't give away or sell due to damage. But it's not like I could wear them. This is why I buy them on deep discount or at auction, so that if they don't work out and I can't get back the money, I'm not wasting a lot.
At the moment it really sounds like you need a good solid sturdy pair of shoes way more than you need more books. They are an investment, and they will save you money later. You won't see the money they save you, because it will be in the form of medical bills for problems with your feet, legs, back and neck that you won't run up because you aren't hurting yourself, but trust me, it will be money saved.
Start with a basic pair of shoes that are nice enough to wear out--basic Docs, Drews or the like.
When you can afford another pair, in the summer time you might want a pair of sandals and/or trainers; when you start doing office work you might need fairly flat soft pumps that you could also wear for Dressing Up and Going Out. (Drew is better at this than Doc Martens--DM pumps are not as high quality as their shoes and boots).
I tend to think most women will be happier if they have one pair of good sturdy go-everywhere shoes, one pair of COMFORTABLE office/dressy shoes (if you only have one pair of dress shoes, they cannot be hurty), one pair of sandals and one pair of trainers. When I was really really broke, all my shoes were black and my bag was black, that way there was no worrying about what shoes went with what outfit--except for my trainers/sneakers which were often some insane colour (hot pink, turquoise, silver). You can do the same thing with brown, if you pick a shade.
I realise not everyone loves shoes or shoe shopping like I do (and I do have hard to fit feet, but not like yours) and that I have more money to spend than most of my friends, particularly those with kids. So in no way am I saying "you must run right out and buy 3 pairs of shoes". But what I'm offering is a strategy. I started out broke and worked my way up to my current shoe hoard, and the stage at which I was more or less okay with what I had even if I couldn't have a lot of what I would have wanted to have was the stage at which I had a pair of sturdy boots, a pair of trainers, a pair of comfortable dressy shoes and a pair of sandals.