Bad News? Shoes!

28 days into this little shoe hiatus and I am learning some things about myself. It turns out that buying shoes influenced my mood. AND I bought shoes based on my mood. Either way, we've established that I bought shoes.

Good News! People respond to it in all sorts of ways. Some people eat, some people drink (cheers!), some sit and enjoy the moment and other celebrate with friends and/or family. I have done some of those things. And I might have bought shoes.

Bad News! People respond differently to it as well. Some people eat. Some stop eating. Some drink. Some drink a lot. Some get depressed. Some get grumpy with the people around them. I have done some of those things too...and I have definitely purchased shoes to make bad news feel better. 

It's funny that I didn't really realize that my purchasing was impacted by my mood until I hit a recent pothole on the road of life. I actually started to type www.zapposvip.com into my browser. 

                Vip status = free overnight shipping = (almost) instant gratification

And then I remembered....Can't. Buy. Shoes. (I might have shed a tear!) 

So, I thought about it and wondered, what can I replace this behavior with? Because, I'm pretty sure if I ignore it, it isn't just going to go away. 

Some Options: 

1. I could shop for something else. (Bad idea) 
2. I could eat something. (Unless it's a vegetable or ice, another bad idea) 
3. I could bake. (See #2) 
4. I could go hug a little boy (ALWAYS the answer) 
5. I could exercise (within reason, good idea) 

So, I am going to work on #4 because it brings me instant joy and #5 because I'm really happy after I've done it. 

Who knew my little shoe adventure would prompt this new self awareness. But I am still aware that I Can't. Buy. Shoes.  Back to bad news...and it all begins again! 

27 days down, 338 to go. 

Why Frye? Why?

Keeping up with my theme of simplifying life in 2015, I have spent a significant amount of time unsubscribing from email lists sharing things I do not want or need to know about.

In an effort to eliminate temptation, I have (painfully) unsubscribed from (almost) all of my email friends sharing sales, deals and the latest fashion in shoes, boots, etc. I might have cried as we said goodbye....however, there have been a few that I just can't bid farewell. 

And then there's Frye....my all time favorite (EVER) sandal, shoe and boot maker! Fortunately, my husband, who had no idea that I was going on a shoe hiatus, gave me 2 fabulous pair of Frye boots for Christmas this year. Thank you GOD for giving him the foresight to do this....I do love my Frye boots - both new and old. Anyway, I still receive email from my friends at Frye almost daily. 

Even my friends at Zappos rub it in from time to time.....

So why not just unsubscribe and eliminate all temptation? 

Because if I did:

• I might miss something new and awesome in shoe and boot fashion
• My special footwear friends might just forget about me
• Viewing these emails everyday and NOT purchasing is a shoe (whoops - show) of strength. 
• I might hurt their feelings and they won't invite me back 
• I've worked hard to earn my "VIP customer" status!

So I will continue to wistfully view and delete the emails from my shoe friends because I CAN DO THIS. On the bright side, Frye (and my other shoe friends) sell more than just shoes.....

22 days down, only 343 to go! 

Above Average....

I have been trying to tell my husband that I am above average. Now, I can prove it!

Did you know:

• The average number of shoes a woman wears regularly is 3. (Commentary: SERIOUSLY!?! I clearly need to be hanging out with these women. I don't think I know them. However, I can see how this could happen right now in Indiana - but they'd still be 3 really cute pair of snow boots!) 

• The average woman owns 17 pairs of shoes. (Commentary: Nada. Nope. I've got nothin'. You've already seen the pictures of my closet. I just gave away 17 pairs of shoes. Hello! And these are just my flats & my flip flop totes....)

• The average woman purchases 3 pairs of shoes annually. (Commentary: Well, after 2015 I am going to be below average in this category, because that's my goal. BUT let me say that I do not believe this is NORMAL. Everyone needs more than 3 paris of shoes annually, don't they? I am worried that my running shoes will wear out before year end - good thing I have a few other pairs. But I digress. What if a special event comes up and I don't have the right shoes?! These things keep me up at night - 3 pairs of shoes a YEAR?! That's just ridiculous!) 

Acknowledging that I am frighteningly above average as it relates to footwear - I was pretty proud of this fact. In everything I do I strive for excellence, being the best I can be, giving 100%, being ALL IN whatever it takes. Yep, mission accomplished when it comes to shoes!

On the other hand, as I get older (did I just type that?!) I am beginning to see some value in moderation.  And I only hope that somewhere between shoe buying in 2014 and lack of shoe buying in 2015, I'll show up in 2016 ready to buy shoes in moderation.

And yes, odds remain high that I will still be significantly above average!

12 days down, only 353 more to go....

I think I can, I think I can...

I walk past these words on my wall several times daily.

So obviously, I did not make the decision to break up with my shoe obsession in 2015 without quite a bit of thought. And there have already been head-slap "what was I thinking?!" moments. Nevertheless, I have committed (I may need to BE committed) and shared it publicly because I really think I can do this. Such confidence on day 8 is really impressive, don't you think?  Only 357 more days to go....

Having shared this publicly, I am still amused at the responses I have received from friends, family and random acquaintances.
Here are a few examples:

• "You know flip-flops don't count as shoes, right?" 
• "Wow! Like that's gonna happen!"
• "Really? Haha! You won't make it a month!" 
• "Are you sick?"
• "Have you lost your mind?"
• "Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?" 
• "Good for you! You can do this!" 
• "So you're just going to save it up and go on a shoe shopping binge next January, right?" 
• "There has got to be a loophole somewhere or you never would have agreed to this. Seriously? Impossible." 
• "No Way!" 
• "This is going to be fun to watch" 

To my supporters: Thanks! I am going to need it! 

To those who think I'm crazy: You are probably correct.

To my doubters: Thank you! This only makes me more driven to prove you wrong! :) 

Funny thing about digging in and seeing something through - having support is incredibly important, but pushing yourself to do something others say can't be done can help you get there too! 

Getting Organized

My decision to STOP buying shoes for a whole year was inspired by the fact that I already have a lot of shoes and boots. And all of those shoes and boots are not terribly well organized. This lack of organization caused me to wear the shoes that were easy to locate, ignoring (and sometimes forgetting about) the really cool ones in a box I can't see through that had been shoved to the back of the closet. I was not utilizing the collection that I had already amassed.  Plus my closet, which I share with my (understanding, patient and still frustrated) husband, who happens to have clothes and shoes of his own, was a disaster.

This is where I started. It wasn't good.

So I've been busy.

In a perfect world, ALL of my boxes will either be see thru - hello! Container Store - or will have a photograph stuck to the outside of the box, showing me what it contains. The latter is not likely to happen unless I figure out how to clone myself. 

So as I work to organize one of the things I love most in this world - I know it is PATHETIC that shoes make this list - I have decided there is a key learning to be found here:

When I purchase something, I need to have a place to put it and a way to organize it. If I don't have space for it (the house is kinda big - sometimes there are 10 of us living here) I probably do not need it. 

My word for 2015 is SIMPLIFY - so less is more. Yes, (insert nauseous feeling here) even when it comes to shoes. 

I LOVE Shoes!

I LOVE shoes! Flip-flops, flats, running and walking shoes, sandals, pumps, wedges, killer heels and of course BOOTS! I adore booties that lace up and booties that don't, ankle boots and mid-calf boots, below the knee boots and over the knee boots, snow boots, ski boots (I don't ski!) and rain boots too. Everyone needs rain boots, right? I don't discriminate with boots, they are all quite wonderful and each have a purpose in my happy little world.

As you may have guessed, I have a closet full of the most fabulous shoes and boots. Some (gasp!) that have not yet hit the pavement. I love footwear. I find shoes at Target, Sole Society, Nordstrom, Amazon (Prime Membership), Zappos (VIP - Free Overnight Shipping, of course) and other retailers too. It is so easy to find great shoes that I can always make a case for purchasing them. I might want to wear these with (insert jacket here) or that (insert outfit here), or I might need them when I go to (insert location here). I can always find a reason to buy new shoes!

However, I am starting to feel like I may have a problem with shoes.
Here are some reasons why:

• My closet must be shrinking because I am running out of room for shoe & boot storage
• All of this shoe buying is having a financial impact on the family budget 
• God only gave me 2 feet
• Two of my SONS (yes, the boys) seem to have inherited this shoe obsession gene
• The idea of not buying shoes makes me a bit nauseous
• I feel a bit guilty when I bring another shoe box into my house
• I might have forgotten that I own certain pairs of shoes

Now that I have listed the above, I know what I have to do. And the truth is, it pains me to say it....which only confirms that I MUST. STOP. BUYING. SHOES. (AND BOOTS) for 1 full calendar year.

O, Wow! I've put it out there now....

I am NOT going to buy any shoes or boots in 2015!

Big deep breath. Okay. I can do this. I am stronger than this. But wouldn't it be easier to train for a marathon?  Swim the English Channel? Climb Mount Everest? Learn a foreign language? 

I invite you to follow my journey (without new shoes), it is sure to be an adventure.