When you’re a thrifty kinda gal who doesn’t really want to splash out her hard-earned cash on pricey pumps where do you shop for shoes? I’ve made no secret of the fact that I want to spend less this year, (so that I’ve got more to save for the house of my dreams!) so now that I need some new shoes for the new year, I don’t want to blow the budget. Low-cost loafers are definitely ‘my bag’, people!
The trouble is, I’m also trying to clear out all the clutter from my tiny over-stuffed home. I want to streamline my wardrobe and clear out the 80% of things that hide at the back, never being worn (I wrote about my thrifty tips for making the most of your wardrobe last week). So that means that I don’t really want to be re-cluttering with a selection of shoes that I won’t get round to wearing either. No matter how much of a bargain a pair of pumps are, I won’t buy them unless they fulfil a need. I’ve got too many ‘pretty’ shoes sitting around that I’ve never worn but am completely lacking in terms of practical boots, trainers or wellies!
So, that’s what I’ve been shopping for online this week. When you spot a gap in your shoe-wardrobe like that, you’ve got to fill it, right?! Living in a particularly muddy part of the countryside, I need wellies. If I want to go on any kind of countryside walks this year (and believe me, I do) I’m destined to come home with clods of mud stuck to the bottom of my pumps. Yes, this did happen to me at the weekend and the photo above is a footpath near my house. So wellies are clearly needed. They don’t need to be anything fancy, but they do need to be waterproof. I found the lowest prices for the wellies above at Brantano and I think I’m going to invest in these classic green Dunlop wellington boots. A timeless style and traditional colour won’t date so I can use them for years to come, and I especially love the £14 price-tag!
I also managed to ruin my last pair of canvas trainers by wandering onto a muddy footpath. It looked fine at the start of the track, but ended up taking me across a very moist field. No amount of cleaning could remove the muddy tidemarks from my trainers. I don’t want to get put off walking completely, so now that I’ve got the wellies sorted, I’m sure I’ll be fine. But in the meantime, I need one pair of comfortable pumps for day-to-day wear; wandering around town and coastal promenades, that sort of thing. I hate to do this to myself but I browsed the Primark ‘new products’ feed to see what I could find in terms of pumps. The only problem with shopping like this is that the trainers I want might not be stocked in my local store, so it’s a bit hit-and-miss. But still, with prices of these pumps above ranging from £3-£7, I’m going to take the risk and hit the high-street for my casual trainers.
Okay, okay, I promised you low-cost loafers and here they are! I live in flat shoes all year round from spring, into summer and (with a pair of tights) autumn, so I already know that any shoes that I invest in now will be well worn and the cost-per-wear will just keep coming down. I like to stick with neutral tones that work with anything so these black flats from ASOS at just £7 are a winner for me. I can’t deny that the silver tasselled loafers are really pretty and at only £8 for a pair of New Look shoes (also in the ASOS clearance section) they a fabulous bargain, but I know that I just won’t wear them as often as the more neutral colours. The suede nude pair are gorgeous and only £9.50 in the shoe sale yet I’m pretty sure I’ll end up ruining the material (yes, I am a messy gal) so they might not be the best investment for me this time. It’s hard to resist though!
What do you think of my choices for these 3 essential pieces of footwear? Will I need to buy anything else this year or will these ‘investments’ see me through? What are your must-have shoes or boots that you wear all year round? Let me know by leaving me a comment below or tweeting me @Cassiefairy.
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