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What's the most you've paid for a pair of shoes for yourself?


skeeterbug
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Shoes  

286 members have voted

  1. 1. What's the most you've spent on a pair of shoes for yourself?

    • under $20
      1
    • $20.01 to $30
      3
    • $30.01 to $50
      24
    • $50.01 to $75
      37
    • $75.01 to $100
      57
    • $100.01 to $150
      103
    • $150.01 to $200
      34
    • $200.01 to $300
      11
    • $300.01 to $500
      10
    • $500.01 and up
      5
    • I'm supposed to wear shoes?
      1


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I recently paid $35 for a pair of shoes.  Other than flip-flops or generic crocs I rarely buy shoes so it felt like a lot of money!  Then it got me thinking about a former co-worker who was lamenting over the damage done to her $600 pair of heels.  And it just made me curious. 

 

What's the most you've spent on a pair of shoes for yourself?  Not something required for a uniform or sport or medical reason, but just because you wanted them?

 

C'mon, fess up!

 

;)

 

I think the most I've ever spent is about $70 for a decent pair of running shoes.  That was many years ago.  :)

 

I'm not even gonna ask if you wear them in the house or not.  :D

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Probably less than $100, unless you're counting special things like dance or cheer shoes in a past life!!

 

I just can't justify spending much more than that... I will ruin an $80 pair of shoes just as fast as an $8 pair of shoes.  I don't know why, but there it is. 

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Well, since you said "because I wanted them," I voted based on the shoes I bum around in, which usually run between $18 and $30 on sale.

 

I have spent as much as $50 or possibly even more on a pair of dressy shoes for work.  But I only buy one pair and wear it for years / decades.  Since I hate dressing up and wearing heels, I don't consider that purchase to be "for me."  :P

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$150 for 20 eyelet doc martens. And I don't think it's the pair in my avatar. I think it was the for non steel-toe version with the leather that conforms to the shape of the calf. I just looked at zappos to check prices and they cost even more now than when I got them. I consider them a huge splurge. Too bad I've fallen out of the punk/goth scene so much that I hardly make the time to wear them (no zippers, it takes time to lace! lol).

Oh, I totally forgot about those! They're in the back of my closet and don't see the light of day very often. I got them when I was 15? and have no clue how much they cost, but I expect it was over the $75 I voted for.

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I'm not voting as clothes and shoes are slightly more expensive here and I'll mess up your poll but $100 for dressy boots and I had them reheeled twice. I don't usually get more than a season out of shoes as I'm a one pair at a time girl so I wear them out.

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Hiking boots cost me around $200 'cause I like good ones.

 

I tend to spend less than $100 - usually a bit less - on normal work or everyday shoes.  They aren't as important to me.  ;)

 

It's a rare day when my hiking boots don't get worn as I also use them to do chores here on our farm.  I guess that makes them an all-purpose boot.  I haven't ever worn them to school (work) though.

 

I don't really need "dressy" shoes.  I don't like to dress up.

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I recently (well, in the past few months, which is recent in terms of my shoe buying habits) bought cross trainers that I planned to spend $100 on, but managed to snag for $70-something.  I'm pretty sure that's the most I've spent. 

 

I am coveting a pair of $265 Mukluk boots and almost splurged on them this past winter.  I think I'm going to get them next winter even though I know I'll feel a bit guilty with every step.  But my kids really want to do some "light" winter hiking (is there really such thing???) so I think it will be worth it.

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This is so funny. I was just last night thinking about starting a thread just like this. I used to refuse to pay more than about 25 dollars for shoes. I got tired of having to buy shoes every three months so I started buying 50 every day shoes and those last pretty good. I have extremely wide feet and have a hard time finding sandals that fit. So I grudginly paid 90 dollars for a pair of sandals on amazon that I thought would work. That seemed like a fortune but I thought if they last a long time it will be worth it. Well they are too tight so I will be returning them.  I paid 120 for a pair of snow boots last fall. They lasted about four month's. So I am wondering if it matters anymore what you pay for anything. As far as whether it will last or not. 

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I used to buy expensive (for me) shoes when I was working.  I remember those shoes.  They were Amalfi brand "Monica" style.  Very simple, plain pumps.  I'd spend about $100 a pair when they went on sale at Nordstrom (this was in the early '90s).  I had 5 pairs:  2 black, 2 blue, and 1 bronze.  I'd have them resoled and reheeled as needed. 

 

Once I quit work after having kids, I didn't need them but would have kept them for church and such if my feet hadn't gotten a size bigger!  :scared:     I'd still be wearing those shoes if not for that.

 

Now it seems I can manage with shoes that cost under $50. 

 

 

And that is way more than anyone cared to know about my shoe habits. :lol:

 

 

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I'm a runner so my mizunos cost around $100. Other than that, I don't pay a lot for shoes. I work in sandals when it's warm and wear boots when it's not. I have a pair of Merrel boots I wore every day this winter that I got on sale at rei for $120, I slog through weeds, mud, brush and construction garbage a lot so all weather boots that are still cute are a commodity. I am looooving my new find this summer, Sanuk Yoga Sling flip flops. I love them so much I bought 3 colors. They are the most freaking comfortable shoes I've ever had. Life is too short to be uncomfortable.

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My Danskos cost around $100 as were my Keen winter boots. Both have lasted me over 4 years now, are still waterproof and aren't showing too much wear and tear. My sneakers were around $70. Every time some place like Old Navy or Payless sucks me in with their cute looking inexpensive shoes, I end up cursing them the first time I try to wear said shoes. I don't like to do that to my poor feet! I wore a pair of cute flats I bought at ON recently and within an hour, I had hot spots in 3 spots on my feet and I was just going out to dinner, no big walks or anything.

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I once paid $100 for a pair of black leather boots (so that's what I voted) . . . but that was back in the day; expensive at the time but not so these days. I don't buy a lot of shoes. Currently my expensive shoes are my running shoes which were about $50. I'm not a runner, though. Dh and ds pay a lot more for their running shoes but they're runners; they get them from the running store. Since I'm not a shoe person I generally don't like paying more than $60.

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I purchased a pair of heels to be in a wedding party that cost over $200. And I still didn't like them! It wasn't totally the bride's fault. She gave specifications and with my unusual sizing, the only ones I could find were super expensive. I bet the other ladies got theirs for less than $100- maybe less than $50. 

 

Usually I spend about $30-50.

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The most ever was around $350 for beautiful knee high soft red leather button up boots.  They were gorgeous.

 

 

Usually I'll spend between $50-100 on shoes, they usually last 3-5 years.

 

I used to buy at pay less and the like but found myself having to replaced them at least every year if not more often than that. Wasn't saving me money.

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I recently broke my record and spent $125 on a pair of sandals. I'm kind of horrified. :svengo:

I go out of my way not to buy shoes too often. Since I have hard-to-fit feet, it's not like I enjoy the shopping experience. I typically wear sneakers every day anyway.

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I think my black and pink sketchers were $55 so that's what I went with. I don't buy shoes often. Right now I have 3 pairs of Sketchers (black/pink tennis shoes, gray slip-ons, and brown dressy type shoe) and a cheap pair of winter boots. I also have a cheap ($3) flip flops that I need to replace.

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My feet hurt most days. I can't do super cheap shoes without paying a price.  Years ago I bought some Birkenstock shoes(not sandals) for $200.  I couldn't believe I did that!  But I am wearing them 17 years later.  I had the soles replaced for $50 a few years ago and they also put in a new insole.  It was a like a new pair of shoes!  Cost wise over the years obviously it's been a good deal. 

 

I also pay about $100 for my running shoes once a year.  My aching feet need the cushion.  

 

I just bought some clark's heels for $60 but they are so wonderful I would have paid much more for them.  

 

Flip flops I pay $40 or less.  And wear for several years.  The only pair of shoes I bought cheap was a pair of sandals a size too big for $17.  But they work for a skirt I like.  LOL

 

Sometimes paying more is worth it in the long run.  

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I have terribly hard to fit feet, so I can rarely find shoes that fit and don't cost a fortune.  (This year I found a pair of $50 shoes that was one of the most comfortable I have ever worn.  I immediately bought two more pair!) I tend to buy two pair of shoes at a time and rotate them so they last longer, and they have to look decent since, for the moment, I work in an office.  usually they last three or four years and then the pain of finding more shoes starts again.

 

I voted $100-150 because I can almost never find anything for less. (Thus the rush to buy more of the 'cheap" ones I found this year.  Maybe I can go a whole decade without having to buy more!)  :D

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I spend $75-100 a couple times per year for my regular casual shoes.  I think the most I have spent at one time was $135.  The shoes I am looking at right now for work are over $200.  I tend to buy European brands so they last a long time and feel great, but they are definitely not cheap.

 

 

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I voted wrong because I forgot about sneakers. In my mind "shoes" are a different category than "sneakers". So when I read "shoes", I was thinking heels, flats, sandals, boots, etc. and voted in the $75-$100 range. But then I started reading the responses and it occurred to me that I've bought sneakers in the $100-$150 range several times.

 

I almost bought a pair of $500 designer shoes for my wedding (ETA I got married in 1998 so that's the equivalent of $730 today). I was having the hardest time finding a pair that went well with my gown and it was a special occasion. I decided to sleep on it, and move on to other items on my list. Then later that same shopping trip I was in Victoria's Secret and they had a pair of heeled slippers that matched my gown perfectly. They were designed to be boudoir wear but I didn't care. The best part was that they were on clearance so I paid some ridiculously cheap price.

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Do boots count?

 

Back when I got my first "real" job, I saved up and saved up and bought a pair of cool boots for over $120 from 9West.   That was 30yrs ago!! OMG. I feel old all of a sudden.  Sigh.  I loved those boots and had them well into my marriage and having kids.. they lasted a long time.

 

I don't spend that much on shoes anymore.  I don't think I've ever bought shoes for over $70 since then (and 70 is stretching it). 

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I can't remember paying more that $75 for a pair of shoes. I might spend more $$ this fall on some brown dress boots, because my last ones didn't last more than 2 seasons before the color started flaking off.

 

I just worry that I'll spend more money without getting higher quality.

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Having spent all of 2012 with plantar fasciitis, I now expect that most of the shoes I buy will cost more. I must have arch support. My birkenstocks (bought in 2012) were $125 I think--I wear them daily during the warmer 6-9 months of the year. My running shoes cost from $60-$110, depending on what I find and what kind of sale there is--this is every 2 years probably. My keens, also bought during the dreaded PF year, I got for 20% off--I think they were $80. My feet have now recovered enough that I can wear less supportive shoes at times, but any shoe I wear a lot will cost more. And they'll last a long time too (other than the running shoes). I got my first Birkenstocks when I was 17 and finally wore them out after my last pregnancy at 36, so about 20 years of use.

 

Marbel, we're living parallel lives! I used to love Amalfis when I was teaching--mostly flats, but I think I still have a pair of the Monica pumps. And alas, all of my nice work shoes, still in my closet, are now too small after babies. I keep them hoping my girls might fit them some day--especially fun things like boots.

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This reheeling everyone is talking about... do you mean shoes with wide heels or just narrow heels like high heel style?

 

At the bottom of most heels (or at least dress shoes?) there is a black hard rubbery bit.  Without going to look, I can tell you that they are on my current two pairs of high heels and my husband's dress shoes.  Probably not the most casual shoes.  That part gets worn down and can and should be replaced before the actual heel starts wearing down. 

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The Merrell Jungle Mocs I wear everyday cost $90-$100 and almost NEVER go on sale :(

 

But they are so comfortable and Always work that I just keep buying them.  Better than having to go shoe shopping looking for what was on sale and the numerous shoes that felt good in the store but stopped feeling good when we got home. Etc.

 

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I always end up buying cheap shoes- like Dexflex flats from Payless when they go on sale for $12. (Those are comfy shoes!) I do like fashion though, and wouldn't feel bad about investing in nice shoes if they last for several years. I'm thinking about getting some Frye boots when the weather gets cool again. I have a hard time paying full price for anything though.

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When I started going to speech and debate tournaments, I was on my feet for 12-14 hrs a day and my feet were killing me in my usual inexpensive (~$30) dress shoes. I bit the bullet and bought a pair of $100 Cobb Hill shoes and my feet never hurt anymore at tournaments! I only wear those shoes then, hoping they will last a long time. So far they've done about 1 1/2 debate seasons and still look new.

 

Then, this spring, I had to buy two pairs of really expensive shoes for my daughter to wear in Paris for serious walking. One pair was $150, and the other was $125. Unreal! I couldn't believe I was paying that much for shoes. Oh well, at least they worked well for her walking all around the city.

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I would say around $100 but then I wear them a long time. I don't buy new shoes very often. I just don't care that much about shoes. My feet are kind of oddly shaped, they are wide at the toes but the narrow at the heels. Many shoes don't fit me well at all. Things like ballet flats look ridiculous on me.

 

 I tend to buy decent hiking shoes, running shoes, or sandals. I like Keens and Birkenstocks. 

 I have a hard time finding any decent dress shoes that fit my feet very well so I just buy cheap ones since they are all going to be uncomfortable.

 

If my feet weren't shaped weird I might be more interested in shoes. :lol:

 

 

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The most I've paid is $95 for a pair of Born flats and they're awesome. I don't wear shoes that aren't comfortable so most of my shoes are in the $100 range (aside from my dress shoes which I never wear). The most expensive shoes I own are probably a pair of Earths my Dad bought me that were about $120, I've had them for about 8 years.

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I only buy shoes if they're on sale (a decent sale), so my vote was probably low because of that.  I'll get pricey exercise shoes if I can get them for a low price.  Otherwise, I don't care that much what shoes look like, so if I need something "nice", I'll get something cheap that looks ok.  Generally, I don't have to wear good shoes for too long, or walk very far in them.  I've tried on expensive, good looking shoes and my feet don't care for them any more than the cheap ones, so I get cheap.

 

I do not wear shoes in the house.  My shoes last a long time.  I work at home about half the time, so I mostly need shoes for exercising, errands, and going out....

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