One of my friends inspired this post, well, sort of. You see, today I bought a new pair of shoes. A pair of white sneakers to be exact, super versatile, comfortable and basically plain white to go with everything. This is in replacement of the cheap white canvas shoes I used to buy relatively frequently, and I say frequently because they are so cheap and of poor quality that they tend to literally rot after a short while (and smell bad according to my partner haha). The rubber soles actually just break down, crack and are completely unwearable. Don’t get me wrong, they definitely have a place and can serve a useful purpose, but I don’t like having to buy them so frequently.
I then found myself on the hunt for something better. I managed to find a pair of kids white sneakers that were on sale from $110 down to $50 which to be perfectly honest I’m pretty chuffed with. They are better quality than my usual cheap white canvas shoes and therefore, better for the environment because they will last longer. Anyway, I quite frequently buy kids shoes and socks, mostly because you can get the same thing as the adult version but often for a significantly lower cost. Sometimes kids shoes will actually be…$50 to even $100 cheaper than the adult version. One of my friends who also has the same size feet as me commented to me that ‘kids shoes are the best life hack‘.
My friend is absolutely correct. I am blessed with little feet, and one of the benefits of that blessing is that I can buy kids shoes. Often (especially when it comes to sports shoes and sneakers) you can purchase the kids version which look exactly the same as the adult version – but for a lower cost. Why? Who knows, who cares, the point is why would I buy the adult pair when I can save money without even trying?
Think your feet are too large for kids shoes? I’ve got news for you – I don’t even wear the largest size. Do some research, check out different stores and see for yourself. You might just find yourself fitting into children’s shoes and saving but $$$ in the process. Especially when they go on sale.
Now, on the flip side, when I brought these shoes home I found myself going on a bit of a rampage. Of late, if I’ve bought something new (for whatever reason) I haven’t been following my one in, two out rule. For those of you who aren’t aware, when I make a purchase or bring something new into my home I like to get rid of two things. This is may way of staying on top of clutter and really making me give thought to what I’m bringing into the home. So, today I got rid of six items (soon to be seven as I’ve almost finished a book that I will be passing along to someone else) as a way of getting back on track. This really motivated me and reminded me why I do what I do. Living with less makes me feel more free and far less overwhelmed. I no longer have that feeling like I’m just drowning in stuff. Sometimes those reminders can be so valuable to our own personal growth and development, it’s not really something you could put a price on.
What are some of your life hacks for saving money? But how do you keep it minimalist in the process?
This is Minimalism 