So Many Shoes, So Little Money – Blog

Puss Ate Boots

May 11th, 2009

Warning: this is a very sad story about a pair of knee high, tan, go-with-everything Jimmy Choo boots. If you truly adore shoes you might want to stop reading. However, I should point out there is a good finance lesson at the end.

I rounded the corner unaware of the tragedy currently unfolding in my closet. There, in the corner, sat my cat with a determined look on his face. (Yes, cats can look determined.) On the floor next to him lay my gorgeous Jimmy Choo boots. These were not ordinary run-of-the-mill boots. These were not even ordinary Jimmy Choo boots – if there is such a thing. These were the perfect height, perfect color, perfect everything boots – the ones that looked fantastic with EVERYTHING – skirts, dresses, nice pants, casual pants, jeans, you name it and that I wore everywhere. These were the Jimmy Choo boots I had purchased on sale at 50% off!

Then, the boot wiggled. I kid you not. So, I did what any respectable woman does when faced with moving footwear – I screamed. My husband ran in. I pointed and shrieked, “my boot moved, grab it!” Peering intently inside he soothingly murmured, “it’s a field mouse, it’s fine. I’ll take it outside for you.” This was, in fact, good news but sadly not the end of my story.

With the mouse now safely free I inspected my boot. Was there blood? I peered inside, no, it was clean. Then my heart stopped. The inside was fine, but the outside….teeth and worse, claw marks. Game over. Cat =1 Boots = 0.

And, so it ends, my tragic tale of woe.

I will try to get them repaired (much cheaper than new boots) however, I do not hold out much hope. So now I am faced with a dilemma: Do I wait to see if I can find them on sale again? Do I bite the bullet and replace them? Do I find a cheaper alternative? Can I justify paying full price by dividing the purchase price by the number of times I plan to wear them? (It’s okay it’s a time honored practice.)

It is these daily decisions, the ones we are faced with constantly that affect our finances. How much we end up spending or saving in a given week, month, or year is the direct result of the decisions we make when faced with the unexpected.

Filed under: Budgeting,Shopping

Tags: spending