Mama Needs A New Pair Of Shoes

Last week I retired the work shoes I've worn since I started working at my current job almost 15 months ago.  The black Mary Janes with comfy stretch microfiber tops, removable insoles, and Velcro straps that went with my 'uniform' white shirt and black pants were starting to hurt my feet.  The leather sides didn't look good even after they'd been polished, and the heels were pretty run down.

I was sad to see them go; I have trouble finding shoes that fit and these were some of the most comfortable I've ever worn.  I went to several stores looking for something I liked as well but didn't have any luck.  Last Thursday on my way home from work I stopped at the store where I bought the first pair and got another pair just like them.

The task took less than five minutes.  I didn't have to wait for assistance, and since I knew what style and size I needed the clerk only had to find one shoe box in the back.  I would have been OK just taking them without trying them on, but she insisted, so after I sat down and let her remove my old shoes she slid the new ones on my feet and tightened the straps, then told me to stand up.  When I did I was surprised how much support the new pair had.  The old ones really had worn out.

This pair of shoes was pricy, but I figured comfort is important.  Since I wore the original ones so much I decided to figure out what their "cost per wear" was.  It was hard to remember my schedule from so long ago, but I believe the first few months I worked three shifts a week. Sometime about the beginning of November 2011 my hours changed and I started working four shifts.  Last winter I sometimes swapped out my regular shoes for something that could stand up to sloppy winter weather (so I took a couple of wearings off), but I wore the shoes to a few dressy casual events and took them on vacation (so I added those wearings back on).  By my very rough calculations, those shoes had been on my feet 230 times.

Dividing the price (approximately $110 with tax) by the wearings I discovered the shoe cost per use was 48 cents. At my current rate of pay, in well less than five minutes of work I've made enough to pay for my footwear for the day.

I get a lot of value out of the shoes!