Shoo the Shoes

I recently worked with a client who had to move everything out of her bedroom closet so that a single-pane window could be replaced with an energy-efficient one.

This was a great opportunity to do a quick purge. Before hanging up an item, she would think of the last time she wore it and the likelihood she would wear it again. Anything she had not worn in the past few months but still loved first had to pass the “does it still fit?” test. She was able to set aside a few items to donate that someone else could put to better use.

The big space saver, however, came with the shoes. We had taken down a dozen shoe boxes stacked on a shelf. Why were they on the shelf and not the shoe rack? Because they were not in her regular rotation of footwear. These were the dressy heels she would wear to weddings, or the fun sandals worn because they were cute but not comfortable if she had to do a lot of walking. In other words, they equated to shoes she probably did not need. A couple of pairs of dress shoes fit, but she did not like wearing them. Why did she still have them? Because they were in fantastic condition and cost enough that she did not want to be wasteful. Well, they were not useful sitting in a box in her closet. Somewhere out there is a woman who would be thrilled to have them, and whose feet would be happier wearing them. She said it felt good donating them to Big Brother Big Sister.

How long did the shoe purge take? Less than 10 minutes. So worth it that you might want to consider doing the same!

Photo: Pixabay