Got Shoes in your Preps?

[Angela]

Adventures in Self Reliance

What kind of shoes do you wear? Classy? Comfortable? Worn out? Crazy cute but highly uncomfortable?

If your car broke down and you had to hike 5 miles, could you do it in the shoes you have on? What about the shoes you wear to work? To church? If not, it would be a good idea to carry a spare pair in your car or in your ginormous cute handbag.

How many pairs of shoes do you have? I'm talking the practical ones here. Cute uncomfortable ones don't count. Do you have enough good sturdy shoes to last a couple of years if you couldn't buy another pair?

What about your kids? What about your kids next year? You know those pioneer stories about the kids with no shoes. I'm not that tough, plus it snows here and I'd rather not have to wrap my kids' feet in rags to protect them. I don't know about you, but I'm not too handy at making shoes either. I've made a couple pair of moccasins, but the mid weight leather soles sure don't last long if you're walking around on gravel or cement much. Yes, experience speaking. If you've got a good pair with buffalo hide bottoms they'll last longer, but they're also a lot more difficult to sew.

It's pretty easy to stock up on shoes and boots from the goodwill stores, yard sales, or online places like ebay in sizes you or your kids will need in the future. Stash them in a box somewhere. They don't have to be in perfect shape, although I would look for quality shoes that will last at least one season--more if you have more than one kid that might get to that size shoe. Leather is generally more durable than "all man made materials". Style is not all too important as long as they are built well and your kid could hike around the woods in them. If your kids are picky they may never wear them. But if you need them, you'll all have shoes.

And no, the shoes in the picture are not from my closet. I don't own a pair of shoes I couldn't walk a long way in--even my sandals and dress shoes. How are your shoes?

[Imamom]

Yup. About five boxes full of them in all sizes. I've listened to too many talks on bloody footprints in the snow, feet wrapped in burlap because shoes wore out, etc, to not have shoes stored.