Hubby just resoled his 10 year old Fluevogs. It’s hard to believe, but he still gets lots of compliments on them…probably for the style, not the scuffs. But they are still super comfy, and he wears them every day.
Fluevogs aren’t cheap, today they range around $200 (I think his were a spendy $100 when he bought them). But he bought them with the intention of resoling and its worked out for him, which he’s did once already after five years of use.
Shoe resoling
ran him $40 at
Derek’s Shoe Repair, a local place in downtown Portland. But I also found NuShoe online shoe repair that looks like they do a fantastic job.
A few years ago I wanted to resole a pair of shoes, but it turned out they were just too cheap. The way I see it now is that you’re either going to pay up front or pay later. But if you buy quality shoes, you’ll likely be more comfortable and feel more stylish. Plus, you’ll be responsible for one less pair of shoes in a landfill.
If you’re really crafty, I found a great site for How to Resole Shoes and another about the green benefits of shoes resoling.
I only wish that Danskos could be resoled…then I’d be in business too, for now I’m just glad that I have a few pairs that have lasted me almost ten years too…
Does your family buy shoes that can be repaired?
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Sustainable Family Finances
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.
I absolutely agree. Be careful what you buy (ensure they can be resoled), learn how to maintain them, and a good pair of shoes (or boots) will last a decade or more.
Trouble is, there was a time not too long ago when ‘a good pair of shoes’ were simply out of reach – I had to wait for something to come on sale for $40, or buy a pair of Walmart ‘toss-aways’ (and make them last a couple of years) because I simply never had a couple hundred dollars kicking around. Milk, eggs and rent came first – it was long after I could afford to reach a bit that I learned this lesson. Ironically, it was a pair of Fluevog boots that taught me the real value of well made footwear, and now I’ll never buy another pair of shoes/boots that cannot be resoled.
On topic, ” ‘Boots’ theory of socioeconomic unfairness”
“The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
This was the Captain Samuel Vimes ‘Boots’ theory of socioeconomic unfairness.”
― Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms: The Play
I’d like to emend my previous comment with this;
Had I known then that I could get a well made pair of shoes for $150 – $200 on sale, I would have found ways to set a bit aside and watch for the opportunity rather than buying the $40 trash once every 2 years (and spending at least 1 of the 2 years wearing clapped out leaky shoes). It would have cost less in the long run. I’d probably still have those shoes if I had.