Roller-coaster moods. Stomach in knots. Can’t eat.
What could it be? Hormones?
Nope. One week to go until all the exams are over, and then comes graduation. I’m worried about logistics (the ex coming to town) – and of course, I want everything to go well for my son.
I need my therapy: chocolate, Paris, a roster of days devoted exclusively to sleep. Follow that with more chocolate, more Paris, and naturally… shoe shopping!
Right. It’s not going to happen. The sugar high, possibly.
But the rest?
So we were driving to school Friday, as usual. Late, as usual. My son sits silently beside me. Half comatose in the a.m., as usual.
And then?
“Shoes,” he says.
What?
“Shoes.”
My ears perk up. My posture straightens. There’s a glint in my eye; I’m sure of it. I’m fantasizing Fendi. Picturing Prada.
“I need dress shoes,” he says, turning to me as I fidget at a light.
Damn. Another unbudgeted item. Boy shoes have been the bane of my existence. They’re outgrown constantly, and now we’re talking man shoes on gi-normous teen feet.
I’m thinking about the food budget that is taped to the fridge. In the past days, it’s become the Everything Budget, which includes gas and pocket money. My sons’ pockets, not mine.
“Payless,” I murmur. “Or Targét after school.”
I drop him in front of the building. I’m slouching again. My excitement has vanished. I’m doing the math without even realizing – two kids times six pair of shoes per year times… well, you get the gist. Dreary. Very dreary. And we won’t go into the estimated number of loads of laundry.
Yes we will. 5500.
But what’s up with boys and shoes? The destruction? The odor? The growing-out-factor faster than anything else you can think of? Handing down the clothes from son to son wasn’t much of a problem. But not the shoes. How much money have I spent on their footwear all these years? $7,000? $10,000? $12,000? What was that figure on the cost to raise a child again?
Check, please!
I pull into the driveway and brew more coffee. I need, I need, I need… something other than chocolate or even my fat jeans won’t fit.
My mind is racing. Shoe shopping – and not for the boys! Neimans and Nordstroms, even Marshall’s or Macy’s. (Picnic on the floor of DSW, anyone?)
But budgetary boundaries being what they are, as much as I love the latest Fendi footwear (it’s art!), I can’t say that I’m crazy about the $700+ price tag. Moreover, would these sumptuous sculptural darlings be appropriate for my local Starbucks?
Yes, I’m feeling like that weary wonky woman found flailing in February. The one whose head was awash with financial figures – only it’s three months later, we’ve weathered that storm, but my brain has the blues, my kid’s talking shoes, and I dream of Choos…
So how not to lose?
My very own closet. Who doesn’t have plenty in their placard to play with?
It may not be Paris. It’s healthier than Hershey’s. And coming out of my closet I had in my possession the most amazing finds – slingbacks and booties, sandals and slides, chunky heels (that were truly great deals) and mostly, it was enough to get my mind off his shoes, my budget, chocolate, and whatever else we have in store.
- Have you shopped until you dropped in your own closet lately?
- What do you do when you’re a little blue – and you cannot take a much needed break?
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I’m all about the thrift stores. Got a pair of John Fluevog’s at $4. Not even kidding. In my size? Like a glove.
It’s not just boys. I just bought both the girls new dress shoes for their promotions.
In my working days, shoes were my obsession. Nordstroms and I became good friends. We moved here after retirement and with me I brought two file boxes of heels. Not to mention the flats. Those boxes sat first in my closet and then in the garage when it was built until finally I realized they were never being worn. So I kept six pair (???) and gave the rest to Goodwill. I have worn heels 4 times (3 weddings and a funeral) in the past 12 years, so why I have six pair, I do not know. Out of style now (but maybe on their way back in), and definitely not comfortable anymore. So now my shoe fetish is fed with thongs and Skechers. And not nearly as many because the budget has been cut considerably.
I won’t tell you who I have on speed dial, Carol… (No. Kidding!) Shoes are heaven. for most of us, aren’t they? And you just gave yourself a lovely pedicure. Time for some new footwear to sho(e)w it off?
I have a confession to make. I hate shopping. And my shoe collection is, well, unimpressive.
Maybe someday you can save me. 🙂
Oh Leanne. We’re definitely going to have to remedy this situation. Maybe it’s back to last year’s plan for an overseas tour of Paris hot spots? Including shoe shopping?
I spent most of my life without much, raised by a single mom who busted her butt just to make sure we had (barely) enough food to eat. I was allowed two pairs of shoes/year growing up: one for my dresses and one for my tom-boy activities. If they fell apart or I outgrew them? Tough sh*t. I was pushing 30 before I was making a (very) comfortable living, and shoes became my luxury. Anthropologie mostly, with some Nordstrom’s thrown in on the side. But I also found some excellent buys on eBay and, yes, Target and Payless. But now… since my new baby and my unexpected lay-off coincided ever so nicely, I have found myself in quite the budget crunch. Now even Target is out of the question, so I too turned to my closet. I have some fantastic, forgotten items in there! They’re not all appropriate for my new baby-toting life style, so I’ve decided to consign some things in exchange for more wearable styles. To satisfy the rest of my “itch,” I remind myself that I have a philosophical opposition to so much consumerism anyway, and I tackle a different “project” entirely. Like curling up with a good book. It’s such a rare occurrence with two young boys that I’m able to spend even 15 minutes on something just about me, that cracking open a novel is a much larger luxury than new shoes. At least, that’s what I tell myself… 🙂
You’re so right, MM. Cracking open a novel (with more than 15 minutes to read) is an amazing occurrence. (Why is it that layoff seems to coincide with rather costly other life events?)
You know what cheers me up? Cleaning out my closet. Getting rid of stuff. Making space. And going through my scarf collection. I love a soft crocheted scarf!
Also, have you tried Craigslist for shoes? I get a lot of my kiddos’ shoes from there, and someone might even have (relatively) cheap Choos for you!
“A Woman’s Right to Choos” – It was a classic SATC episode. (Fact is Stacia, I actually have enough shoes for me… which is why it was fun to “shop” in my closet! Great suggestion to clean out the closet though. It does feel good to declutter!
This post reminds me of Shoe Addicts Anonymous! 🙂
Unlike you, the holes in my pocket can be blamed on my addiction to clothes! I have a crazy habit of rationalizing why I need to buy a cute shirt or dress, and that I might need it for a “special occasion” so, I buy it then end up wearing a completely different outfit anyway. Ooopss! 😉
Recently, I began selling off my luxury items, BLW. I don’t know exactly why, I just looked at the purses I was never going to wear (and the shoes) in my closet and I brought them to this high-end resale shop in Scottsdale. A couple weeks later I walked out with a check for $950! And half my stuff is still there! I also sold a bunch of gold. My husband thinks I’m having a nervous breakdown but it suddenly occurred to me that a lot of the stuff I wore was supposed to give an impression of me being wealthier than I actually am! And, I’m happy to say, I’m over that. I had to face it. We own a carpet store! So I say Sell and buy the boy shoes at TJMaxx or Ross!
I will splurge on travel, if I can find childcare, which isn’t often. I guess that’s a good thing though, because it’s damn expensive. If I’m particularly blue (and poor) I go to the bookstore and buy travel magazines and dream of where I want to go. My husband thinks I’m insane.
Had to laugh at your son. Guess who had to make an emergency run yesterday morning for black pants to wear at the graduation he had to be at in two hours? UGH. Kids.
Go Kitch! Dontcha love those ERs – and not the kind for flesh wounds? Emergency Run for pants! Emergency Run for shoes! (Emergency Run for prom corsage? oops… Not quite yet for yours! See? Something to look forward to!
Did I see a comment above about a trip to Paris… I wanna go! 🙂
My son has more of a shoe collection then my daughter, how weird is that? It doesn’t help when our 8 month old lab puppy decides he wants to chew on those shoes. AAARRGGHH!
Oh, Linda. That’s fabulous… (One of my sons was into suspenders and then wild ties as a kid. Go figure… )
Now about that Paris (shoe-shopping and coffee sipping) trip… Do I have more takers?
My son and his shoes. Now theres a story. I am pretty sure he has more shoes than my girls do. Granted they are mostly all tennis shoes (basketball shoes and some everyday wearing kind), theres still a lot of them. He always has a pair or two in mind that he wants, as well! I am a master budget shopper fortunately! I don’t always find deals on his shoes but save in other places to make up for the shoe expense!
You said it, Michele. Master Budget Shoppers rule!
Shoes are the love and the bane of existence. I love them but cannot stand getting them for the boy. I so know what you are thinking. I looked down last night – an honor society induction and a school concert back to back – to notice my youngest’s black dress shoes, which have thankfully lasted him – us – two years, need to be replaced. He needs them for Friday when he leaves for a performance trip. He also notices. I just smile and tell him that they will wait until after the performance trip, maybe until the start of next school year. UGH!
Congratulations to both of you on the upcoming graduation!
My teen refuses to let me buy him any shoes. He just wants to wear the same pair of New Balance for all occasions. So I went to the NB outlet online store and ordered the same shoes for the next 2 sizes up…
Btw, did you ever get new dress shoes for him?
Ha! My kid took himself to Payless, then Targét (where they were less than Payless). Got himself something – too big, not great, but good enough to get the job done. And in budget!
My father tells me that if he could have let me go barefoot he would have been able to retire early. By the time I was 16 I wore a size 12 EEE.
I remember how fast I outgrew shoes and how they used to seem to disintegrate on my feet. And now my own children are teaching me to appreciate what my folks went through with my feet. Good times. 😉
As for shopping in my own closet, well I am on the verge of moving so the shopping has begun in earnest. Or maybe the more accurate way is to say that I am working hard to rid myself of extra baggage.