A couple of days ago, I put up a poll on my Facebook page asking what you’d like to see more of on the blog. By far the most popular option was “affordable shoes“, so today I’m on a fact-finding mission to discover what, exactly, that means to you. Of course, “affordable” will mean different things to different people, and what one person considers “cheap” another may find expensive, but in general, what would you consider to be a reasonable price for a shoe? Place your vote in the poll, and feel free to leave a comment too! (Note: I’ve put the prices in pounds, as we’re a UK site, but you can click here to convert them to your own currency.)
Good question! I know how much I *will* spend on a pair of shoes, but in many cases that is in the knowledge that I’ve been more than a little bit naughty.
Generally if I can fully justify the need for a new pair (old ones worn out, need a pair for an occasion etc) then probably anything up to about £120 would not seem excessive. But this still depends on a few factors, i.e. are they good quality enough to last a long time, will I wear them often enough to be worth it. And if they’ve been reduced, that will definitely add to the feeling of affordability.
Depends on the shoe! Nothing more then £30 for a pair of flats. Up to £50 for a pair of heels and up to £75 for a pair of boots. Basically how much I would pay on a day to day basis. Then there are the amazing shoes that I would still buy just not as easily.
I refuse to pay over $10 for a pair of ballet flats, over $20 for most other flats, over $30 for fabric upper heels, over $50 for animal hide (leather, suede, alligator, etc.) heels, or over $75 for a pair of boots (knock that down to $30 if they aren’t animal hide.) I’m cheap and I wear through shoes fast (albeit not boots, for some reason.) The most I’ve spent on a pair of shoes was for a pair of knee high Doc Martens for my wedding and I nearly cried at $180.
For the flat shoes of my dreams, up to £25. For basic flats, up to £15.
For the heels of my dreams, up to £50. For basic heels, up to £25.
For the boots of my dreams, up to £150. For basic boots, up to £80.
I am a skint graduate and I have the ability to destroy shoes within a month of wearing them, no matter what they cost, so I don’t like forking over loads. Sturdy winter boots, though, I would spend more on because in the colder months I wear them all the time.
I have found that when I pay a little more the shoe tends to last longer so it really depends on the type of shoe for what I am willing to pay. Boots top out my price range for sure – I am a boot fanatic and will pay dearly for a truly well crafted pair (when I have he funds available). For “tennis” shoes (some call them sneakers… I basically mean athletic shoes) I will also pay more for the proper support that my foot needs while doing exercise, running, or anything of that sort.
“Dress” shoes (sandals, pumps, ballet flats, etc.) I pay much less for. I like to get so many different ones that I hate to pay too much for them. I love it when I can get a good pair of flat sandals for under $15 (USD), but I admit that I tend to wear through them quick if that’s the case.
For the last (almost) 2 years now I haven’t even been able to wear normal shoes really… I have some mysterious nerve problem in the ball of each foot so I cannot put weight down on the front half of my foot. I have been wearing either Dearfoam slippers or my Propet Plush memory foam shoes for out of the house. Other than that I can’t get my feet into a shoe comfortably =( I miss my shoes!!!!
I wouldn’t pay over £10 for a pair of flats, because they never last me very long anyway so theres no point spending a lot. I would only really spend up to £30 on a pair of heels anyway as I don’t get a lot of money.
For me, it depends on how long I intend on wearing them (or how long I think they will last). I do some mental math of being willing to pay about £10 / $15 per year I expect them to last. That generally means that I pay less for work flats that are going to be worn out fairly quickly and more for heels.
I feel I need to be the voice of irresponsibility in the midst of such well controlled shoe spending.
That said, I object to paying a lot of money for shoes that aren’t made from leather/real material. Eg Carvella/KG shoes are over £100 and are made from plastic. That just doesn’t make sense to me, for some reason.
For normal shoes, I tend to keep about £100 as my limit. Which means I would buy one really good pair instead of lots of not-so-special shoes.
However, for very special shoes that I just have to have… well… I’ve spent a lot more than that.. 🙂
I have spent a lot of money on shoes and then worn them once or never! so now I buy good quality leather shoes that I know I will wear, so I buy Russell and Bromley ballet pumps £80 but wear them to death as they are so comfy I have bought cheaper ones and ended up giving them away as they hurt….I have got some really lovely expensive heels that have also been worn a fair bit, but what I have been doing recently is looking on ebay for shoes that I have tried in a shop and buying then way cheaper, I just got Russell and Bromley loafers for £70 and they are £165 in the store! I also bought my daughter a pair from ebay for £16 and they cost me £200, she was always wanting to borrow mine so we were both chufed!!
I generally only wear Converse or Vans which I can find on Amazon and suchlike for around £30. But there are 2 pairs of Dr. Martens I want, basic shoes at around £50 and canvas floral boots at about £80 plus I want some New Rocks at around £120 but most I like seem to be around the £50 mark.