shoes

It seems to me that I buy more stuff before vacations than when I'm actually on vacation.

I know I live a cheap life here on the farm. Not having malls to tempt me to spend money leads to online shopping. And there, well, I do my part for the economy.

Some things I can buy very well online. Shoes, not so much. At least I don't have an obsession with shoes. I really only need a few pairs - I like to have one pair of black and navy dress shoes, a pair of brown and black pant shoes and then walkers. So I'm not sure why I have so much trouble fulfilling my needs.

My favourite example is a pair of navy blue pumps. I love the shoes. They are cute. They fit, which is a challenge in itself.

But, whatever designer thought that it would be fun to put a 2 1/2 inch heel (for those of you who are metric, that's almost 6 and a half centimeters) on a 9 inch (23 cm) footbed was sadistic. I can't walk in that. Seriously. Small footed people should not wear heels over 1 1/2 inches, unless they are contortionists or ballet dancers who are used to standing on the tips of their toes.

I think I'll end up donating those shoes - I had bought them to replace the navy pumps that I paid $14 years ago - they look awful now. But at least I can walk in them. Maybe shoe polish would clean them up.

So this week, I was looking for shoes for my vacation. I have shoes that I love - Merrell Primo Chill slides. The only issue with them is their colour - they're moss green. I'm trying to take "nicer" clothes with me on vacation - mostly black pants. And a lint brush. But moss green slides will probably look pretty scary with my put together outfits. I'm trying to keep everyone in darkish and bright colours, as I have to do laundry while away, so having two loads instead of twenty would be nice. My ideal pair of shoes? Black, low heel for walking, but maybe a bit dressy so I could wear it with my dress.

Char and I went to Brandon to look for black walking shoes. We did the whole mall. No one stocks my size in shoes. I would have paid full price if I could have found a pair that fit. Ended up with a compromise pair of black tender tootsies for $15 at Walmart. I'm not really all that happy with them - they'll work, but they look like old lady shoes.

I did much better for the girls - only had Char with me, but Jo is close enough to my size that I was able to get dressy walkers, soccer cleats and rubber boots for both kids.

So, again, I'm trying to shop to find shoes online. I'll let you know how it turns out - I'll pay a pile of cash, I'm sure, but maybe I'll find what I like. And Sears stocks my size.