"Pairing" Down

In 1994, we lived in a one bedroom apartment and our toddler Caitlin had two pairs of shoes - cheap white sneakers and sturdy blue and white leather saddle shoes.  I remember how much thought I put into that second pair.  At the time, we were living frugally off student loans, but Caitlin needed a pair of nicer shoes for church.  Sensibly and begrudgingly I opted for the clunky saddle shoe over the prettier patent Mary Janes.  Her tiny shoes took up a small spot of our shared closet.

Today a different shoe scene dominates our house.  Soccer cleats are thrown by the side and front doors, while flip flops, colorful Crocs, running sneakers, baseball cleats, indoor soccer shoes, ballet flats, slippers, clogs, snow and rain boots, sandals, pumps, penny loafers, wingtips, hiking boots, soccer slides, Merrell slip-ons, basketball hi-tops, tap shoes, pointe shoes, water shoes and shearling-lined Uggs clutter our mudroom.  Though we do have seven active members of our household, our shoe proliferation has become rather unmanageable - even though each purchase seemed quite reasonable at the time!

When I was growing up, I played town softball in the same worn out sneakers I used for gym class. Only when the treads were rubbed smooth or my big toe began escaping out the front, was it time for a trip to shoe store.  I recall kids with their sneakers duct taped together, especially when the bottom rubber sole began to flap away from the shoe itself.   Nowadays, we just look through our collections and opt for another pair.

With financial instability all around us, I recall my previous focused attention to practical spending and realize it might be time to evaluate the shoes in my mudroom.  

Maybe it’s time to start “pairing” down.