How many pair of shoes?

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Ingo
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How many pair of shoes?

Post by Ingo »

Are Bogelheads really that resourceful, frugal and thrifty?
How many pair of shoes do you have?
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DaveG
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by DaveG »

7 or 8, including flip-flops.
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cheese_breath
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by cheese_breath »

2 pair of dress shoes.
1 pair of 'decent' athletic shoes.
1 pair of leather work boots.
2 pair of nearly worn out athletic shoes for working around the yard.
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by YttriumNitrate »

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gkaplan
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by gkaplan »

We should title this the Imelda Marcos thread.
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Andyrunner
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Andyrunner »

2 pairs of dress shoes
1 pair of sandels
1 pair of hiking shoes
1pair of snow boots
8+ running shoes. I run a lot so I got 3 trail shoes, lightweight trainers/racers, 2+regular trainers, vibrumsFFs (never wear), and probably more I just can't thinkof em all. A lot of them are old and worn out at least for running, they become yard shoes
3 biking shoes (mtn bike, 2 road bike)
do snowshoes count? If so I got 2 of those as well (running and hiking)

Wife probably has simular...so we have tons of shoes, but it goes along with our hobbies.
bungalow10
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by bungalow10 »

Does more or fewer shoes indicate thriftiness?

I know some very thrifty people that NEVER (to their detriment) throw anything away.
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chaz
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by chaz »

I stopped wearing dress shoes when I retired, except for weddings and funerals.
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rjsob58
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by rjsob58 »

1 pair work/dress shoes
2 pairs of sneakers (1 old/falling apart for yard work, 1 for all else)
1 pair flip-flops
1 pair snow boots
Grt2bOutdoors
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

2 pairs of dress shoes
1 pair of casual shoes
1 pair of yard work sneakers
1 pair of running sneakers.
2 pairs of winter boots including one that is 19 years old but still fully functional.
1 pair of hunting boots.
1 pair of sandals.

9 in total.
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Garco
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Garco »

1 junky loafers for mowing the lawn
3 dress/semi-dress/work shoes
2 loafers (1 winter, one summer)
3 gym/exercise
1 winter boots
4-5 decommissioned pairs of this or that sitting somewhere, too ratty to give to Salvation Army, but may wear them sometime.
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Toons
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Toons »

3 pairs flip-flops
1 pair crocs-
1 pair walking shoes
1 pair (treadsafe brand) shoes for outdoor work
need to get a pair of loafers for special occasions
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englishgirl
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by englishgirl »

As a counterpoint to all you sensible guys, I think last time I counted, it was something like 36 pairs of shoes. Most of them are shoes that I do not wear on a regular basis, typically high heels that I bought for some event or other, but which are too uncomfortable to wear every day and which I had buyers remorse over throwing out. And trust me, 36 is NOT the highest the number has ever been.

I started another closet purge last week, so hopefully this time when I get to my shoe storage I can get it down to 20-24. And then next time I'll aim to get it down to 15 or so.

I'm a work in progress. :)
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wesleymouch
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by wesleymouch »

I think you have to break this down into men or women. Ten pairs is a lot for a man but nothing for a woman
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prudent
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by prudent »

work boots
generic tennis shoes
running shoes
dress shoes

4 pairs in all.
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Epsilon Delta
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Epsilon Delta »

1 pair dress shoes
1 pair casual shoes
1 pair dress shoes w/ steel toecaps
1 pair work boots w/ steel toecaps
1 pair 10 inch high work boots
2 pair bike shoes for clipless pedals
1 pair bike shoes for toe straps
1 pair snow boots
1 pair ski boots
1 pair hiking boots
1 pair hiking shoes
2 pair running shoes
1/2 pair sandals.
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mhc
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by mhc »

2 pairs dress shoes
1 pair winter everyday shoes
1 pair summer everyday shoes
1 pair yard work shoes
1 pair athletic shoes
1 pair flip-flops
1 pair water shoes
1 pair light winter boots
1 pair heavy duty hiking boots
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Ged
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Ged »

1 pair dress shoes last worn 5 1/2 years ago for interview
1 pair good training shoes for the gym
1 pair nice loafers - generally wear these when I have to go to work
2 pairs junky sneakers for things like painting or telecommuting
1 pair winter boots for when using snowblower
exoilman
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by exoilman »

chaz wrote:I stopped wearing dress shoes when I retired, except for weddings and funerals.
:thumbsup :thumbsup
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englishgirl
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by englishgirl »

Whoops, I just bought two more pairs of shoes online. :mrgreen:

But while thinking of getting rid of some pairs of shoes, I started thinking that now that I have finally found a brand/model that I LOVE and want to wear all the time, I could get rid of a ton of other pairs if only I had these in a couple of colors. So, ummm, accumulation in order to decumulate??
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BestWishes
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by BestWishes »

Does more or fewer shoes indicate thriftiness?

I know some very thrifty people that NEVER (to their detriment) throw anything away.
Then maybe the question should be how many pair of shoes do you buy a year :D

Last year I bought one pair of shoes and that is for hiking. My hiking shoes got too old to be doing longer hikes.
Last edited by BestWishes on Wed Jul 03, 2013 12:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Grt2bOutdoors
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

BestWishes wrote:
Does more or fewer shoes indicate thriftiness?

I know some very thrifty people that NEVER (to their detriment) throw anything away.
Then maybe the question should be how many pair of shoes do you buy a year :D

Last year I bought one pair of shoes and that is for hiking. My hiking shoes got to old to be doing longer hikes.
Last pair of shoes I bought were back in April, after the old pair I had became used beyond repair.
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Sam I Am
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Sam I Am »

Message deleted.
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lws6772
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by lws6772 »

Two pair - work boots and walking shoes, not counting bare feet. :D
scrabbler1
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by scrabbler1 »

I have one pair of casual shoes, 1 pair of indoor slippers, and 1 pair of flip-flops. I have a pair of old "new" sneakers I had not worn in years, so I am not sure they fit any more.
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VictoriaF
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by VictoriaF »

englishgirl wrote:Whoops, I just bought two more pairs of shoes online. :mrgreen:
I am traveling and cannot count my shoes from here, but I think I am somewhere at your level.

Victoria
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Kosmo
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Kosmo »

2 pair of dress shoes
1 pair of everyday/casual shoes
1 pair of boat shoes
1 pair of good flip flops
2 pair of crappy flip flops for rain/mud
1 pair of nearly worn out sneakers
1 pair of definitely worn out sneakers I keep in the car just in case...
1 pair of work boots
1 pair of rugby boots
1 pair of ski boots
1 pair water shoes
1 pair of slippers

That's 14. Which is sad now that I've totaled it up. My wife has at least twice that many in storage in the basement, not counting her regular rotation.
Epsilon Delta wrote: 1/2 pair sandals.
Is that 1 or 2 pair, or one-half pair?
Confused
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Confused »

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nisiprius
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by nisiprius »

Well, it's a little hard to say because I find it difficult to throw out shoes that are not actually worn out. Maybe you've motivated me to clean out the closet.

have four pairs that are up where I can actually reach them; three are New Balance walking shoes are brown in color and don't really look like dress shoes but don't really look like athletic shoes either. One is a pair of brown shoes I bought because they were on sale for $40.

I have one pair of "good" black dress shoes that are uncomfortable to wear and that I don't think I've worn in five years. How long ago WAS the daughter's wedding?

One pair of leather hiking shoes, about twenty years old and no good any more.

I don't know if I should count the pair of waterproof "Westies" from Bass Pro.

I am NOT going to count the Crocs.

I am NOT going to count the pretty good Clarks that seemed to be a perfect fit when I bought them, but over the next two years my feet collapsed or flattened or otherwise deteriorated and I noticed that I was getting sore toes if I actually walked more than a few blocks in them, but can't bear to throw away because I paid $130 for them.

I am NOT going to count the ones that are so far back in the closet that I can't remember them.

So that would be seven pairs.

P.S. Slippers? Kosmo is counting slippers? Phooey. OK, a pair of bedroom slippers. Another pair I keep in the car so that I can change into them when I visit one of our kids who has a new floor and wants it to stay that way. And a third pair I bring to work to change into, out of the Westies, if it is a rainy day. And some pair of beach shoes I bought for $12.99 at CVS.
BestWishes wrote:
Does more or fewer shoes indicate thriftiness?
I know some very thrifty people that NEVER (to their detriment) throw anything away.
Then maybe the question should be how many pair of shoes do you buy a year :D
At a guess... pair of shoes every 2-3 years on the average.
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Flobes
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Flobes »

For my two precious feet:

10 pairs Snow Boots
2 pairs Rain Boots
11 pairs Clogs
22 pairs Casual Shoes, Oxfords & Loafers
30 pairs Sandals, Flip-Flops, Open-Toes
10 pairs Sneakers & Water Shoes
3 pairs Hiking Boots
2 pairs Cowboy Boots
3 pairs Party Shoes
4 pairs Slippers

Notes:
FY 2012 bought only a single pair of sandals.
YTD 2013 bought only a single pair of snowboots (to replace faves that expired), on a very deep end-of-season sale.

It's been a life's work to assemble the collection! Thanks for this opportunity to complete my first-ever footwear census.

:P :Imelda

PS Always in the car: a pair of sneakers, a pair of flip-flops, a pair of snowboots, a pair of clogs, and a pair of shoes. An emergency fund...
spotty_dog
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by spotty_dog »

One pair everyday Keens Maryjanes (~1 year old).
One pair running shoes (3 years old).
One pair Teva sandals (~8? years old).
One pair hiking boots (~16 years old).
One pair high heels from Payless (~2 months old).

I also have another pair of everyday shoes that is 10 months old but the soles fell almost completely off 3 months ago. I still wear them for kicking around in the yard.

I don't even have rubber boots, so when we go clamming I jump from rock to rock around the muddy beach and look like a complete dork.
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runner26
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by runner26 »

1 pair of running trainers
2 pairs of racing flats, 1 for short distance, 1 for long distance
1 pair of daily walkers
1 pair of hikers
1 pair of sandels
1 pair of dress shoes

In order of importance :wink:
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Kosmo
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Kosmo »

nisiprius wrote:P.S. Slippers? Kosmo is counting slippers? Phooey. OK, a pair of bedroom slippers.
Ha! I originally had a preface that I was counting all types of footwear that I own.
BestWishes wrote:Then maybe the question should be how many pair of shoes do you buy a year :D
About 1-2. Rugby boots usually only last me about a year. And I normally replace a pair of shoes or sneakers each year as they wear out.
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kenyan
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by kenyan »

Hmm...

3 pairs of dressy brown shoes for work
1 pair of dressy black shoes for suit/tie occasions
2 pair athletic shoes (one in gym bag, one general use)
2 pairs of sandals
1 pair of all-purpose boots

Random other stuff?
1 pair ski boots
1 pair roller blades
1 pair slippers
1 pair of cleats
1 pair of flip flops, basically just for the beach

Total of 9 pairs of normal footwear. Probably an average purchase rate of 1 pair/year.
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Wagnerjb
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Wagnerjb »

Ingo wrote:Are Bogelheads really that resourceful, frugal and thrifty?
No. They are not tightwads or frugal people. A Boglehead saves an appropriate amount for future goals (house, education, retirement) and invests it wisely.....which means keeping investment costs down. It say nothing about how you spend the remaining income (that you don't save). If you have a decent income and are saving appropriately, there is nothing wrong with having more shoes than Imelda Marcos.

Best wishes.
Andy
simpsonlang
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by simpsonlang »

I personally am starting to downsize my shoe collection. Mostly because the non-replacable soles wear out so much faster. Also I learned in the marines all leather shoes can be very comfortable once you fill the boot with water overnight and wear then wet over the next few days barefoot. They break-in perfect.

Replacable Sole:
1 x All leather black military boots with Rubber Sole.
1 x All leather black dress shoes with leather heals
1 x All leather black dress shoes with rubber heals
1 x All leather black Jungle Boots - (heals wore out - need to replace the heal)

Non-Replacable Sole:
1 x Upper Leather/Bottom Rubber Crocs (soles nearly wore out)
1 x Upper Leather/Bottom Rubber dress shoes (coming apart after 2 years)
1 x Running Shoes (starting to come apart)
3 x Cheap Rubber soled dress shoes (super comfortable but don't last but a year)
2 x Hiking Boots (Very huge, hot, and uncomfortable... but they look comfortable)
1 x Leather moccasins (soles came off so I wore as is. They now have holes in them and yes I shop with them if I feel like wearing them. Dirt getting in the hole is annoying though)
2 x sandals (Over the years I've started to hate sandals and gravitated back to military boots)
masteraleph
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by masteraleph »

Me:

1 pair of sneakers
1 pair of hiking boots (that are dead and should probably be thrown out)
1 pair of sneakers/walking shoes (in black, can be worn in more settings)
2 pairs of nice shoes
1 pair of sandals

My wife:

Too many to count.
TT
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by TT »

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TT
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by TT »

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frugaltype
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by frugaltype »

I'm retired, so no "work shoes."

1 good pair of sneakers
2 backup unworn pairs in the closet
1 wretched pair for gardening or walking on the beach.

3 pair slippers

1 pair boots for rain, snow, not fancy boots.

a few dress pumps that haven't seen the light of day in years.
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frugaltype
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by frugaltype »

TT wrote: Please forgive me but what exactly is a Party Shoe ?? :?
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Mudpuppy
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Mudpuppy »

An old knee injury means I can only wear flat shoes. This greatly limits the types of shoes I can wear. Even work boots can be problematic if the heel is much thicker than the toes. It's nearly impossible to find women's dress shoes that are truly flat as well.

So my current inventory is:
1 pair of sandals
1 pair of "good" solid black leather tennis shoes
1 pair of "old" tennis shoes (used for gardening and other yard work)

So basically it's the tennis shoes for most activities since I refuse to drive my car (a manual transmission) in sandals. I just wear the sandals around the garden when doing non-dangerous things in the summer like harvesting veggies or refilling the bird feeder.

Side note: some linguist want to chime in on the use of sneakers vs tennis shoes vs walking/running shoes vs athletic shoes?
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pennstater2005
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by pennstater2005 »

cheese_breath wrote:2 pair of dress shoes.
1 pair of 'decent' athletic shoes.
1 pair of leather work boots.
2 pair of nearly worn out athletic shoes for working around the yard.
Same. Except for 3 pair of dress shoes. And loads of sandals. Ok not the same.
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carolinaman
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by carolinaman »

1 pair dress shoes
2 pair jogging/walking
3 pair golf shoes (I use these a lot for everyday use, they are cleatless
2 pair casual shoes
1 pair of nice slippers

Total of 9

As a footnote (pun intended), I had problems with corns on feet. I discovered last year the problem was tight fitting loafers and boat shoes which I wore all the time. Also, I walk a lot. I also needed to get a half size larger. I discarded all my shoes and bought new ones, all were lace up shoes. Normally, I buy 1 or 2 pairs a year. I bought 6 pairs in 2 months. A big hit on my shoe budget as I buy good quality shoes. But a year later I am free of corns. it was well worth it.
Last edited by carolinaman on Thu Jul 04, 2013 8:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
littlebird
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by littlebird »

2 pair of indoor sandals, 6 pair of outdoor sandals, 1 pair padded hi-tops for scorpion hunting. :D
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tetractys
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by tetractys »

work shoes
tenni runners
flip flops
waffle stompers

The pile's so big, I thought there were more -- Tet
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Padlin
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Padlin »

Dress shoes that are worn as little as the suit they were bought with.
Dress sandles, Tevas for the canoes, 2 pr hikers, 2 pr sneakers (one good, one beat), 2 pr flip flop types. For winter I have low cut Mud Boots, ankle and knee high snow boots. Then there are wading boots and cheap rubber knee highs for fishing. And we can't forget the golf shoes.

Wow, 15. Can't think of any to toss as I use them all.
Regards | Bob
Leemiller
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Leemiller »

Wagnerjb wrote:
Ingo wrote:Are Bogelheads really that resourceful, frugal and thrifty?
No. They are not tightwads or frugal people. A Boglehead saves an appropriate amount for future goals (house, education, retirement) and invests it wisely.....which means keeping investment costs down. It say nothing about how you spend the remaining income (that you don't save). If you have a decent income and are saving appropriately, there is nothing wrong with having more shoes than Imelda Marcos.

Best wishes.
I like this post.

And I have around 45 pairs.
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Phineas J. Whoopee
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Phineas J. Whoopee »

Mudpuppy wrote:...
Side note: some linguist want to chime in on the use of sneakers vs tennis shoes vs walking/running shoes vs athletic shoes?
How can I resist commenting on a side note?

It's mostly regional usage. In some areas an extra word or two distinguish specifics, like running shoes vs basketball shoes for example.

But with respect to the collective term for such footwear, it's primarily a matter of geography. I've changed the word I use to conform to local custom where I now live.

See:
Dialect Survey Results: Question 73: What's your *general* term for the rubber-soled shoes worn in gym class, for athletic activities, etc.?

PJW
Mudpuppy
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Re: How many pair of shoes?

Post by Mudpuppy »

Phineas J. Whoopee wrote:
Mudpuppy wrote:...
Side note: some linguist want to chime in on the use of sneakers vs tennis shoes vs walking/running shoes vs athletic shoes?
How can I resist commenting on a side note?

It's mostly regional usage. In some areas an extra word or two distinguish specifics, like running shoes vs basketball shoes for example.

But with respect to the collective term for such footwear, it's primarily a matter of geography. I've changed the word I use to conform to local custom where I now live.

See:
Dialect Survey Results: Question 73: What's your *general* term for the rubber-soled shoes worn in gym class, for athletic activities, etc.?

PJW
Interesting. Thanks for the link. So CA seems to have a slight lean towards "tennis shoes", while the northeast region leans heavily towards "sneakers".
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