Lightening Online

Image via WikipediaI think this discussion is going to need two parts to it:

1. Children’s Shoes

2. Adult’s Shoes

Children’s Shoes

I think the biggest debate over children’s shoes is getting them fitted properly. Feet that are growing and developing NEED shoes that are well-fitted. Finding the balance between a good fit and leaving enough room to grow can be quite a challenge.

Some people use this as a reason to purchase the more expensive shoes for their children.

We tried taking our first child to several shoe stores when he started wearing shoes. We figured this was the “right” thing to do. I was appalled by the lack of knowledge and proper fitting that the shoe stores seemed to be offering.

I had seen my mother do a better job of fitting shoes. So, we gathered her up and took HER shoe shopping with us. In Kmart.

Personally, I have found Kmart to be a good source of children’s shoes. I particularly like the Grosby brand of shoe that they carry.

Unfortunately (for our hip pocket that is), our 10 year old has long and narrow feet, so we’re going to need to advance to a much more expensive shoe for his main shoe. Most of the “lower price” ranges seem to cater for a more “average” foot.

Still, this method has saved us a few $$ over the years.

Enough about MY opinion. What does Amy D say in The Complete Tightwad Gazette?

“Just out of curiosity, we called a couple of shoe stores to inquire about the training procedure for clerks. The longest training course we found is two hours. A friend of mine, who was a shoe clerk for Sears, says her training lasted 60 seconds”. The Complete Tightwad Gazette pg 371

Sadly, it would seem that along with customer service, well-trained staff may have gone out the window. No longer can we assume that a “specialist” store will provide anything more than selling a single line of product.

Have you had good or bad experiences with shoe store staff and their expertise when it comes to fitting children’s shoes?

Adult Shoes

As adult feet are generally not changing huge amounts in size from year to year, another factor comes into play. That of “cost per wear”.

Cost per wear is simply the cost of the shoes divided by how many times you wear them.

In some cases, higher quality will end up giving you a lower “cost per wear”. Of course, that is not ALWAYS the case.

There are other factors that come into play with shoes as well. I recently spent nearly $200 on a pair of netball shoes (and gel inserts). This is the MOST EXPENSIVE pair of shoes I have EVER bought. BUT, I had to weigh up the cost of the shoes against the cost of something like knee surgery if I don’t have the cushioning in the soles. And of course the HEALTH BENEFITS of being able to exercise comfortably.

In general though, I’m not a “spend big money on shoes” type person. The only shoes I really seem to ever wear out are my sneakers.

A Few Links You Might Find Helpful

If The Shoe Fits

How To Make Sure High Heels Fit Correctly

What’s Your Correct Shoe Size

Shoe Fitting For an Infant

Selecting the Correct Shoes

Over to You

What sort of factors come into play when you go shoe shopping?

Are you brand loyal? Do you prefer specialist shoe stores to the larger department style stores?

Do you have any strategies for saving money on shoes?

What kinds of experiences have you had with getting children’s shoes fitted?

Feel free to add any other comments or suggestions to the discussion.

* Image courtesy of www.shoeblitz.com/do-you-buy-used-shoes/

Is it okay to put your children in second hand shoes?

Here’s a debate that has been going on for decades. Should children be wearing second hand shoes? Is it bad for their foot development?

What about adults? Is it different for adult shoes? Are second hand going to be okay on feet that aren’t still growing?

What Does The Complete Tightwad Gazette Have to Say?

Plenty. And I can’t copy it all here. So I’ll try to pick some of the most important bits.

“While stating that there is disagreement among professionals, Dr Lembach (professor at the Ohio College of Pediatric Medicine in Cleveland) said he believes that if a shoe is in good condition, and if it fits properly, it is okay to hand it down….

Dr Lembach practices what he preaches. He has six kids, and shoes are handed down within his family.”

The Complete Tightwad Gazette pg 372

Opinion is Divided

From what I can gather, some experts that Amy Dacyczyn spoke to were against second-hand shoes while others stated that the “idea that new shoes are essential for proper foot development is “a myth”" (Orthopaedic Surgeon Dennis Wenger, the Complete Tightwad Gazette pg 372).

There are Some Factors That Matter

Experts cited mentioned that proper fit and good condition were important as well as not wearing shoes that had bee passed down from someone with severe bunions (which would stretch the shoe out of shape.

What Do I Think?

I have to admit that I have never actually bought second-hand shoes for my children (or myself for that matter).

That doesn’t mean that they don’t have them.

I’m happy for my children to wear second-hand shoes if I know where they have come from. Handing down from one sibling to the next or getting shoes given to us from friends for example.

HOWEVER, I prefer to always buy my children’s MAIN pair of shoes new. I figure those shoes they are wearing maybe once a week are not going to affect their development too much. And I don’t mind having a back-up pair of sneakers that have been handed down. But the shoes they are wearing day in and day out, I tend to buy new.

For myself, I don’t really have a “main” pair of shoes I wear every day. So I don’t really see it as quite as important to have all new shoes. But I’ve never actually been able to bring myself to purchase second hand shoes in an op shop (new shoes with tags on the other hand….).

What Do You Think?

Are you in the “no second hand shoes” camp? The “second hand shoes rock” camp? Or somewhere in between?

Is it different for children with growing feet as opposed to adults in your mind?

Next Week: Are expensive shoes worth the money?

If you’ve ever read The Complete Tightwad Gazette yourself, you’ll be aware of Amy Dacyczyn’s great enthusiasm for yard sales and second hand clothing stores as a great way of saving budget $$$. On page 10 of The Complete Tightwad Gazette she has a list of “10 Painless Ways to Save $100 This Year” and number 1 on that list is:

Purchase 10 articles of clothing at thrift shops and yard sales this year instead of paying department store prices.

I feel very fortunate to have some friends who are avid “op shoppers” (the Australian term for “thrift store”). Hearing them talk about their finds was what lead me to start checking out a few of these stores.

I only wish I had been aware of the golden nuggets that can be found when Leighton was a toddler. I REALLY struggled to clothe him on the income we had (once he grew out of the wonderful clothing gifts we’d been given). I’m sure had I been aware of the benefits of second-hand clothing stores back then, I could have made my life a LOT easier.

Purchasing Second-Hand Clothing doesn’t come without it’s challenges though. Here are some that I have come across:

Finding a Decent Second Hand Store

Sadly, some stores have become overpriced. Personally, I think this has to do with people purchasing second-hand clothing and then onselling for a profit on ebay and similar auction sites.

Church-based stores seem to offer the best value for money. If they’re volunteer run, they don’t need to make as much money. Small towns seem to offer better value for money too. If you live in a city, consider dropping in to an op shop for a browse if you’re travelling in the country.

Having Time to Just Browse

What I’ve found is that you have to go through the racks and piles of clothing more than ONCE. I’ve been surprised at what I’ve found on my 2nd and 3rd look through a pile. I do find it’s important to be in a “browsing mood” if I’m going to be successful in these stores.

The Kids Won’t Wear Second-Hand

This seems to get more challenging as they get older. I’m just starting to find this in my 10 year old. I do think it’s important to get them used to second hand when they’re younger (which is part of Leighton’s problem - he’s been used to mostly “new” clothing).

We had our first buy-swap-sell type day at our church this week. It was a FABULOUS morning. In fact, the very people who’ve been responsible for getting me “op shopping” were the ones organising it. What was great was seeing our children (okay, the girls - the boys were more interested in hanging out AWAY from the “shopping”) all enjoying going through one another’s clothes and trying stuff on. I think it really broke down the “stigma” of “this is second hand”. Instead it was a real atmosphere of “everyone is doing this”.

Some More Tips From The Complete Tightwad Gazette

Reworded from page 189 & 190 of The Complete Tightwad Gazette

• Change your expectations. You might not find the pair of slacks you were looking for but perhaps you can pick up a nice blouse.
• Keep a notebook of needs, recording size & measurements for each family member.
• Examine clothing carefully for defects and consider if flaws can be easily fixed (ie resewing a seam). The item may still be worth purchasing if the price is right.
• Consider these items of clothing as “new that has been washing 10 times”.
• Buy classic styles. Learn which brand names are good quality. Know what colours and styles look good on you.
• Buy in advance for children - in larger sizes. You won’t always find EXACTLY what you want at the time you want it.

For Discussion

1. Do you buy/wear second-hand clothing? Why/Why Not?

2. What are your tips for finding the golden nuggets amongst the “stuff”?

3. Feel free to share your positive and/or negative experiences with second-hand clothing in the comments section.

4. Any other comments or questions you’d like to make on this topic.

Over the next few weeks, I want to do a series of posts regarding “The Complete Tightwad Gazette”. I’m hoping that we can generate some discussion surrounding some of the theories expressed in this book and hopefully learn from one another.

To start off, I have a confession to make. I was originally put off this book by the title. I HATE the word “tightwad”. In my mind it conjures up images like someone who is unnecessarily “stingy”. To the point that it could be harmful to either the person involved or someone they love.

I wondered if my understanding of the term “tightwad” was unnecessarily negative, so I decided to do a search for the word “tightwad” on Wikipedia. I was diverted to a page that says this:

A skinflint is a person considered so miserly that he would even “skin a flint” to save something of it. A flint is a small piece of flintstone used to strike a spark in the tinderbox. The flints in modern day lighters aren’t made of flintstone, but rather of Ferrocerium. A ’skinflint’ dislikes spending money and is also sometimes referred to as a ‘tightwad’, a ‘miser’, a ‘niggard’, a ‘piker’, and a ‘penny pincher’.

I don’t know about you, but this doesn’t exactly inspire me towards greater lengths of becoming a “Tightwad”.

For me, the word “frugal” seems to be a more acceptable descriptive term.

So what does Wikepedia have to say about the word Frugal?

Frugality (also known as thrift or thriftiness ) is the practice of acquiring goods and services at minimum cost, achieved via economical restraints or creative measures. Frugality can be related to the idea of being conservative or conserving money.

That sounds a little bit better doesn’t it?

However, simply copying someone else’s definition of a word doesn’t necessarily help ME to define what frugality is to ME.

My Definition Of Frugality

1. Making informed CHOICES about where our money will be spent based on our own set of values and needs.

2. Managing our money so that we get good value for $$ spent.

3. Understanding the difference between NEEDS and WANTS.

4. Cultivating an attitude of contentment so that we don’t get TOO caught up in the “more, more” mentality.

5. Making the best use of what we have in order to minimise WASTE.

So my questions for you today are:

1. What term do you prefer to describe someone who is careful with how they spend money?

2. What is your definition of the term “frugal” (or whatever term you prefer to use)?

Heading interstate for this funeral has highlighted to me the importance of an emergency fund. Some time ago, as part of my quest to sort out our financial situation, I came across Dave Ramsey’s website. I wouldn’t say that I’m a 100% Dave Ramsey fan but he makes some points which I do agree with. One of which is the absolute importance of having an emergency fund.

In fact, the first thing he recommends that everyone do, even BEFORE tackling consumer debt, is to sock away small amounts of money until you have $1000 set aside labelled “emergency only”.

Now $1000 might sound like a lot but believe me it doesn’t go that far these days. It cost us almost $1000 to head away for the funeral we went to last week. By the time you have travel costs, accommodation and food, the expenses can add up really quickly.

How would you go? Could you find $1000 quickly if you needed it? Believe me, it was an absolute BLESSING to have that money sitting there, ready and waiting for a moment just like this. We didn’t have to even think about the cost of going. We were just able to do so.

I’ve heard Dave Ramsey describe an emergency fund as “Murphy Insurance“. In other words, having a bit of money set aside “just in case” actually seems to help stop Murphy in his tracks. At least if something does go wrong, you’re not left in a financial hole quite the same and therefore Murphy can’t “kick you while you’re down”.

You Must Be Loaded to Have a Spare $1000 Sitting Around

I don’t believe we are loaded. We live off one income which is becoming rarer and rarer these days. Admittedly our single income is higher than the minimum wage (most years) but achieving our emergency fund was more about determination than having a surplus amount of cash. I could come up with a dozen or more justifiable ways to have spent that money. But our belief in it’s importance was higher than our desire to spend. In the end I’m really glad we achieved it.

5 Steps To Help You Get an Emergency Fund Started

1. Open a Separate Bank Account

If you see it, you’ll spend it. If you keep it in cash, you’ll spend it. Look for a bank account that will give you a little bit of interest. If you’re worried about extra bank fees, consider an online account. Often you can get reasonable interest on money at call through those types of accounts. Sometimes the only amount I’ve been able to add to my emergency fund total for the month has been the interest on what I already had. That’s okay, it’s all PROGRESS.

2. Do Not Consider Any Amount Too Small

Lots of little amounts add up to bigger amounts. It is surprising how much at times. Put aside your silver change, forgo a coffee every now and then… there are MANY different ways that most people could find to add a dollar or two here and there to an emergency fund.

3. Be DETERMINED

It really is AMAZING what we can do when put our minds to it. One thing I learnt a few years back was the saying “it’s not what you earn but what you DO with what you earn that makes the difference”.

4. Think in Babysteps

It’s easy to get overwhelmed and think that $1000 is totally out of our reach. Do what you can with what you have. Maybe you’ll never make it to $1000 but then again, maybe you will. You won’t know until you try.

If it helps, break it down into hundreds. Aim for $100 in the account, then $200 and so on.

5. Start TODAY

It’s easy to put these things off thinking we’ll get around to it sooner or later. Even if you can only find $10 this MONTH to put into an emergency account, it’s $10 more than you would have had if you’d left it in your purse.

Make a commitment to start today. Run around the house and see what change you can gather up to get things started.

Blog about it and perhaps get yourself a ticker to keep yourself accountable (if you do this, let me know and I’ll come over and be your personal cheer squad ).

You won’t be doing this alone. I have some replenishing of our own emergency fund to do.