Weekend yard sale shoe bonanza!

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Each August long weekend a nearby community has their town-wide garage sales, and each year I eagerly anticipate attending. Last year it was brutally hot by 8 a.m. but this year the weather was perfect. Sunny but with cooler than seasonal temperatures.

Because the day was such a success and because I bought so many things, I will break my posts up into sections. This first one will focus on the great shoes that I found yesterday. I know that I really did not need any more shoes. Who needs more than perhaps four pairs, truth be told? A pair of athletic shoes. A pair of black heels. A pair of sandals. A pair of flats.

I have a common shoe size, and shoes are something I see every weekend, but it was not until late yesterday morning that I finally found a pair in my size that I liked and that filled a gap in my current wardrobe.

These faux designer, faux python heels were priced for $5, which I thought was a bit much. They were comfortable though and I loved the colour and texture, so I offered $3. The seller refused, saying that they were Falchi designer shoes, genuine python, expensive and that $5 was a bargain price.

Admittedly I know nothing about designer labels, and I had not ever heard of Carlos Falchi, but even to my untrained eye they did not have a look of quality. Still, I thought they were cute, they were in great shape, and I reasoned that if I saw them at Value Village priced for $5 I would think that was a good deal. So I paid her price.

The next pair that I found were something that I happened to be on the look out for. I do not read fashion magazines or follow current fashions and did not realize that this style of shoe is called an Oxford heel. I thought of them as a type of granny shoe, like a granny boot only to the ankle, and lacing up in the front. I was happy to pay $1 for them.





The next purchase was a pair of brown clogs. I do not have any and these were nice and comfortable. For only $1 I could not resist.

We were on our way home and heading out of town when we stopped at a large country property where I found the best shoe buys of the day! I was down to my last $10. The seller was asking $2 a pair but agreed to take $5 for three pairs.

The first pair that caught my eye were these adorable red and black heels. I could picture wearing them with black dress pants.

Then I spied these faux suede Material Girl platform stilettos with the matte gold heels. I thought they were very sexy! And they are a versatile mushroom colour that I did not yet have.

Off to the side were another pair of Oxford heels. I had already purchased a pair that morning, of course. But these had a higher heel and a slightly different look, one that I preferred. You can never be sure how comfortable shoes will be until you have had to wear them for a while. So I figured I could have both pairs, and then keep the ones that I liked the most and donate the other pair.



At the next and last sale I found these black Rockport low-heeled sandals. As you might expect from Rockports, they are very comfortable. I paid $2 for those and went home with $3 in my pocket.

It is difficult to pick a favourite. Perhaps the last pair of Oxford high heels, because that is something that I had specifically been looking for. The style and colour of the red and black heels really appeal to me as well though and are unique among my shoe collection. And I think the stiletto pumps are very feminine and beautiful.

So maybe I did not need six more pairs of shoes. But I am very happy to have them! They bring me pleasure and I am sure that I will get a lot of wear out of them. They are certainly worth the $14 in total that I paid for them, don't you think?

Nifty, thrifty and (almost) fifty,

Cathy