3 reasons why cheap shoes aren't worth it

Like most girls, I have a passionate love affair with shoes. I scope out new styles with the same intensity as a girl stalking a crush on Facebook, and give in all too easily to the trendy yet affordable pairs I encounter at the mall or online. It’s hard to resist an adorable shoe after it seduces you ever-so-smoothly with the gleam of its faux leather, the curve of its heel, and its low price tag. With stylish designs available at various price points, you suddenly yourself hoarding cheap pairs even when shoes aren’t on the shopping list.

Photo from here

Recently, I’ve discovered that it pays to stop "dating around," so to speak, and start making a serious commitment to quality shoe brands. Cheap shoes may promise a more fashionable you at a price you can afford, but you actually end up paying more in the long run. Because of these extra costs, cheap shoes aren’t worth it.

They break down easily

Heels and wedges don’t break down as quickly because you wear them less frequently, but cheap sandals or flat boots are another matter. After about a week’s worth of heavy walking, the sole gets unglued or the straps come undone. In the long run, you end up spending more money when you get your shoes repaired or when you buy a replacement pair sooner than anticipated.

They take up a lot of closet space

You hardly feel the dent in your wallet when you buy cheap shoes, so you buy them frequently and run out of closet space before you know it. Well, at least, that’s what happened to me. My newest shoes sit on my bedroom floor because I no longer have space for them in my shoe cabinet. I’m thinking of buying another shoe rack just to accommodate these pairs because it’s annoying to keep tripping all over my shoes. New shoe rack = added cost for shoes I don’t even wear all the time. Maybe I’ll just keep them on the floor. 

They eat your feet alive

Serious discomfort is probably the best reason to stay away from cheap shoes. I can’t walk in cheap heels or wedges for more than half an hour because they bruise the balls of the feet or chafe at my heel.  Sometimes the discomfort can get so bad, it actually ruins my mood. Even cheap flats aren’t all that great because the synthetic material makes my feet sweat and the uncushioned insoles make my arch ache. So if you can’t walk in your shoes without getting all achy and cranky, then what good are they?

Fact of life: comfortable shoes are always more expensive because they use better materials, especially if you’re after a pair with an interesting design. I’m not saying that I will invest only in expensive, quality shoes from now on. Cheap shoes do have a purpose – they allow you to dabble in shoe trends without breaking the bank, and they’re great to wear for sit-down occasions. But in the long run, it probably won’t hurt my wallet and feet to buy less of the cheapy stuff and invest in eye-catching, quality pairs that I can walk all day in.