My Shoe Stockpile

Something most people don’t know about me? I have a shoe store in my basement. Okay, so it’s not exactly a shoe store, but that is what my kids call my shoe stockpile. You see, I really hate to pay retail, so I keep an eye out for good deals on kids’ shoes when I’m at thrift stores and yard sales, and buy ahead when I can.

Now, I know that probably sounds like I buy my kids a bunch of used shoes, but that’s not the case at all. I have found that by shopping a couple sizes ahead, I have plenty of time to find brand new shoes on the second-hand market.

And it only takes a couple of shoe racks tucked away in my basement to keep everything organized and neatly arranged by size.

My goal is to have a full range of shoes in each size before my kids need them – sneakers, black dress shoes, brown dress shoes, everyday sandals, dressier sandals and boots; and my stockpile hasn’t let me down yet.

So what do my kids think of my shoe store? They love it, and are always excited when a new school year or a growth spurt prompts me to open my “store”. I mean wouldn’t you be happy if someone presented you with a new collection of Keen, Timberland, Merrell and Born shoes whenever you needed them? It’s tough being the kids of a stockpiler, I tell ya.