How Many Shoes Are Too Many?

Yesterday I started counting my shoes. I didn’t finish until this morning.

Okay, the situation is not quite as bad as that sounds – life intervened in my project – but I discovered I have been in denial about my packrat tendencies when it comes to footwear.

I knew I had a lot of shoes, but in reality my estimate was nowhere close to reality. My number is actually more than double what I originally thought. My idea was that I had around 30 pairs, but the real number is 79. There, I said it, I own close to 80 pairs of shoes. If I count the free terry towel sandals (4 pairs) my significant other and I got from a couple of fancy hotels (when my spouse was sponsored for some work events) the total would be 83. Okay, so the real number is over 80. Yikes!

I own:

• 6 pairs of exercise shoes (cross-trainers, runners, black ankle high aerobic shoes, older pairs to use for painting the house, etc.);
• 16 pairs of boots (I love boots and have beige suede, raspberry suede, black suede with fringe, pink suede with fun ratty fur at the top, black platform leather, Uggs in gold, brown, 2 shades of blue, pink – also, a couple of pairs of utilitarian snow boots, leopard print and tiger stripe rain boots, clunky ankle boots and so on;
• 13 pairs of thongs – an eclectic assortment including 3 pairs of Fitflops with soles promising a firmer butt, black patent and 2 types of leopard print Birkenstocks, platform cerise fabric with jewelled trim and dollar store thongs for the gym shower;
• 40 pairs of shoes and sandals of every imaginable shade, fabrication and heel height (most recent purchase were black faux snakeskin killer heels with a thick platform to make them more comfy) and, finally;
• 7 pairs of slippers, including the aforementioned terry slides, freebies from The Four Seasons.

I think I have accumulated so many because I am searching for the holy grail of shoes. I have problem feet and have trouble finding anything comfortable that is also cute, so when I find anything that approaches that ideal, I have to have them. For awhile there, I was buying Dansko clogs like there was no tomorrow and I have a huge collection, including 2 pairs of animal fur wooden clogs that were a fashion don’t on Oprah, but I still like them! With so many baby boomers reaching the stage of their lives when they are refusing to suffer for fashion, there really ought to be more choice of attractive yet walkable shoes. Having said that, I probably never need to buy another pair of shoes.

I was reading the other day in the newspaper that a young woman has opened up a cobbler shop in Kensington Market, Toronto. I think that is a great idea for the environment. Why not fix the shoes you have? No more throw away fashion. I certainly cannot be accused of throwing shoes away, though, but I am going to think twice before I purchase another pair of shoes! Maybe make a rule that I need to give a pair up to Goodwill if I do at some distant point in the future. No shoes for a year, how about that?

How many shoes are reasonable to have on hand, wherein you actually use all of them? What if you are moving and want to simplify your life? How do you let go of them when, in your mind, you can see an occasion when they will be essential? How to let go of the thought of all that money down the drain if you do let them go? Anyone else out there with shoe issues? What’s your number?