Shoes are my strange addiction
As Billie Eilish said, “you are my strange addiction.” This, my friends, is my ode to shoes. I’ve had a shoe problem ever since I can remember. I’m pretty sure it was imprinted in my mind from watching too much daytime television. Too many women with walk-in closets full of stacks upon stacks of heels. The kicker? I’m not even fond of heels. I’m a sneaker girl for life.
My struggle with shoe addiction became concerning this past year. I’d go shopping on a whim, only expecting to pick up a few small purchases such as a few new tops, some accessories and beauty items. On occasion, I’d fall victim to the shoes on the shelves calling my name and walk out with three pairs of sneakers (usually Adidas). I didn’t ask for this problem. It chose me.
Reading saved my life
Recently, I’ve been trying to be more frugal, yet I’m still struggling to say no to a good pair of shoes. As a broke college student, I needed to learn to say no. Thank god I picked up #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso. She changed my life.
Just to give a bit of background, Sophia Amoruso is an icon we should all learn from. She started her successful clothing brand Nasty Gal with just an eBay store and a dream. Her work wasn’t all that glamorous, though. Sifting through dirty and dusty thrift apparel is not exactly our idea of becoming a girl boss, is it? Well, for Sophia, her days of putting in the work paid off once her eBay store grew. Leveraging Myspace at the time, Sophia spread the word about her business and started receiving more bids than she could ever imagine.
Count your coin
I’ll save you some rambling and just encourage you to read her book, but before she knew it, Amoruso grew her dream into a successful brand that was designed to empower girl bosses everywhere. Sophia Amoruso didn’t take her journey in entrepreneurship lightly, though. In her book, she talks about how carefully she managed her finances.
Sophia’s success story is a rarity. She started her business with literally $50. She couldn’t obtain any business loans, so she made do with what she had. Once her business grew to a flourishing operation, she still stayed frugal. She says the key to saving is to not increase your spending when your income increases. When I read this, I had a mini knowledge explosion in my brain.
The takeaway
So now, to address the elephant in the room that I so grudgingly mentioned. My shoe problem. Sophia Amoruso spoke to my soul when she said, “money looks better in the bank than on your feet.” Wait… you mean to tell me a fashion enthusiast and entrepreneur is discouraging girl bosses all over the world from making impulsive shoe purchases? It doesn’t add up.
Amoruso really put things into perspective for me. I am happy to report that since reading #GIRLBOSS, I’ve only purchased one new pair of sandals. And they were on clearance. That’s progress! Right?
Stay strong
The bottom line is while it’s nice to treat yourself every now and then, don’t spend beyond your means. Take it from someone whose whole job is to push forward her own company’s fashion. The money looks better in your wallet than invested in something material. If it feels like you’re overextending yourself, you probably are.
To my fellow shoe addicts, we must stay strong. Window shopping is okay. Online perusing is questionable. Don’t cave. If Sophia Amoruso has taught us anything, it’s that you can manifest a dream with $50 and some ambition.
Don’t spend that magical $50 on a new pair of Filas.