Frugal Tips from My Home to Yours
It’ll be a couple weeks before I find out how much I made at the fall consignment sale that kicks off today, but I thought I’d go ahead and share some of my consignment sale tips with you. These are my tricks for making the experience as hassle-free (and profitable) as possible.
Before you do anything, spend a few minutes assembling your supplies. These are my pricing must-haves: [Read more…]
In the past month, I’ve redyed fleece, towels and now jeans. Yep, it’s fair to say I’m on a bit of a redying kick. It’s just such a cheap and easy update; I can’t help myself. [Read more…]
I’m a big believer in buying well-made shoes. They’re more comfortable; they’re better for your feet; and they usually last longer, too. But even a good pair of shoes wears out eventually. So, what then? Most people would say you just toss them out and buy another pair. A few people might suggest taking them to a cobbler for a repair. But, I’ve discovered a third option that’s a heck of a lot cheaper: repairing them yourself.
Over the past few months, I’ve been experimenting with fixing our shoes as they’ve worn out, and I’ve found two quick fixes that really work. So far our efforts have saved three pairs of shoes from the trash. Not too shabby. Here’s the scoop:
I don’t know how it took me so long to discover Shoe Goo, but the stuff is amazing. It’s a glue that’s designed specifically for shoe repairs. Since it’s formulated to be flexible, it can stand up to all the bending that your shoes do. We had tried a few super glue repairs over the years, and they never held up. Within a few wearings we’d be right back where we started. Now, I realize it’s because the glue just wasn’t flexible enough.
I first tried Shoe Goo on my youngest daughter’s Chacos. I was thrilled when I found her a brand new pair at a kids’ consignment sale, but after wearing them a few times, the sole started to separate and flap in the front. Bummer. So, we ordered a tube of Shoe Goo, and attempted a repair. That was in the beginning of May. It’s now August, and that repair is still holding. Pretty impressive, since she wears them almost every day.
With that repair under our belts, we decided to try our luck at repairing my oldest daughter’s galoshes. One of the soles was starting to split along the side, so my husband glued it back together a few weeks ago, and so far that repair has held up to all the tromping around that we do at our weekend homestead. Now, I’m thinking I’ll see if it can repair the gash that a stick left in the side of my galoshes. The soles are still good, so it’s worth a shot.
Have a pair of sneakers that still have good tread, but just aren’t as comfy as they used to be? A new pair of insoles may be all they need to feel like new again. I recently bought a pair of Merrell sneakers from a thrift store that looked like they’d only been worn a few times, but the insoles were missing. That made me wonder if you could buy replacement insoles from the manufacturer. So, I jumped online, and found that Merrell does indeed sell replacement insoles. Better still: they offer free shipping on all orders. I spent $10, and now I have a set of insoles that fit my sneakers as well as the originals would have.
I would gladly spend $10 for replacement insoles, if it allowed me to put off a new shoe purchase for six months or more – especially if it made my shoes feel as good as they did when I first bought them. Wouldn’t you?
Now, that we’ve tackled these repairs successfully, I’m starting to wonder what other shoe repairs we could handle. I couldn’t help but notice that Amazon sells replacement soles and heels. Might be time to add some cobbler skills to my resume.
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Last week, I found a Columbia fleece at a yard sale for my oldest daughter, and I only paid $2 for it. I thought I’d gotten a killer deal, until I discovered it had a stain.
How did I overlook that?
I don’t know, but I was determined to salvage the jacket. Because, aside from the stain it was a really nice jacket.
Now, I could have tried to get the stain out, or bleached it, I suppose, but I decided to try to redye it instead. [Read more…]
Stomping around in someone else’s shoes isn’t something I normally recommend, but from time to time I’ll come across a really nice pair of shoes at a yard sale that look like they were worn once. And when that happens, we’ll, they’re coming home with me.
Let me give you a few examples …
These Keen sandals were $4 at a consignment sale.
These New Balance Mary Jane sneakers were $1 at a yard sale.
These Merrell sandals were $5.99 at a church rummage sale.
And these Coach boots were $7 at a yard sale.
All of these shoes are from brands that are known for their quality, and they’re in great condition. And here’s the thing … these are all shoes that we’ve been wearing for a while, so they were even nicer when we bought them. If I can get shoes like this at yard sale prices, I feel like I’d be crazy to pass them up.
But buying used shoes (even worn-once shoes) means you’re buying something that someone else’s feet have been in. How can you ensure that you aren’t buying something with athlete’s foot?
You can’t, but you can sanitize them, so that it’s not a concern. Just stick your new shoes out in the sun for a few hours, and you’ll be good to go. Sunlight is a natural disinfectant. In fact, if you buy your shoes at a yard sale on a hot summer day, they’ve probably already been baking in the sun for a few hours.
How Do You Feel About Used Shoes?
Do you avoid them at all cost? Do you have times when you’re willing to buy them? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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