Summer of Renewal: Shoes, Shoes and Less Shoes!

 

This decluttering category might just be the most shameful for me yet. I'm sure there will be more, but in the spirit of being vulnerable, I am sharing my shoe problem with all of you. I have to tell you I am aghast at the amount of shoes I have.  I laid a blanket on my bed and paired all of the shoes with their partners. As I began to lay the shoes out, I was giving each pair space to sit side by side. Unfortunately, it became obvious that laying them side-by-side was not going to allow enough room for all my little foot-coverings to be on the bed.

After pairing up the shoes and laying them out, I counted them up. 106 pairs of shoes. 106 pairs of shoes and only 2 feet. It seems so excessive to have so many shoes. In my defense, as a fat girl, shoes are the one clothing item that are forgiving. They don't care that you lost or gained 5-10 pounds. They will still fit. Even when I can't find a decent pair of pants in any store in the mall, I can always find a pair of shoes that are up to the task of making me feel like the trip wasn't totally a waste. Some of these shoes, my Converse, date back to the early 1990's and the dress shoes from my days as a manager at the insurance call center. Why do I still have these you ask? Because of this conversation that plays out in my head:

Why get rid of them?
They still fit and are perfectly good and I spent good money on them.
What if I need them to wear out?
Why should I buy them again?

That has been my mentality over the years about everything, not just shoes. But the tide is changing...

I put on a good pair of socks and proceeded to try on every shoe that socks are worn with and sockless for shoes that don't require them and decided on the spot if I was comfortable in the shoes, if they looked good, or if they support the lifestyle that I so desire for myself.  The donate pile started to grow and I started to get energized!

After a first round of editing m collection, I was able to eliminate 62 pairs of shoes. Most are headed to the donation center. Some raggedy ones went straight into the garbage. 

After I finished purging, I sorted the shoes by type and style and placed them in baskets. 

 

Now the shoes have a comfortable, organized, and aesthetically pleasing home in my closet. Do I think I could have gotten rid of more? Yes. Am I going to have to do another round of editing in the shoe department? Absolutely.

Although I really feel like I could have gotten rid of more, I have to say that I am proud of myself for freeing myself of over half my shoes. I have opened up so much space in my closet. I can almost hear it breathing a sigh of relief.

When I finish deleting items from my wardrobe and keeping only the items that support the lifestyle that I want to live, after some time, I will know what else must go and what is allowed to stay. I now have a greater sense of my style and will only keep what I feel accentuates my wardrobe.

Much love to you all! Keep reading and keep inspiring me to continue the journey!
Health, joy, peace: let them be yours!