Suddenly Frugal Blog

Normally, I do my Suddenly Frugal Seal of Approval posts on Thursday. And while I realize I haven’t given one of these out in quite some time, I’m tweaking my system just a bit this week to tie it in to Earth Day, today.

That’s because this time around I’m giving my Suddenly Frugal Seal of Approval to Payless ShoeSource’s new eco-friendly line of shoes called Zoe & Zac. These green shoes truly do save you green–especially since nothing in the line costs more than $30–definitely affordable in my book.

In addition to the Zoe & Zac shoes,  the collection includes handbags, jewelry and socks that are all green as well. The Zoe & Zac products are made from eco-friendly components and materials such as organic cottons and linen, natural hemp, recycled rubber outsoles, eco-friendly-EVA cushioning, and water-based glues for the shoes. Natural materials like dyed Tagua and Acai nuts are incorporated into the jewelry. The product packaging is eco-smart as well, utilizing 100 percent recycled shoe boxes and soy-based inks for the printing. (Considering I’ve written about the benefits of green packaging, I appreciate that Payless expanded the eco-friendliness of the line to include the packaging.)

Payless’s commitment to green doesn’t stop there. Payless will donate $1–the cost to plant one tree–for every Zoe & Zac green brand item sold through May 4. In addition, it will donate $1 from the purchase of every Payless exclusive reusable shopping bag sold throughout the year. (The bags, by the way, cost $1.99 and are made from a minimum of 50 percent recycled polyethalene, or PET, the primary material in plastic water and soda bottles.) These trees are part of The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees campaign dedicated to planting 1 billion trees by 2015 to help rebuild the Atlantic Forest in Brazil.

We’re huge fans of Payless shoes in this household. We love them not only because they are affordable but also because Payless stocks wide-width shoes, something every member of this family needs. We really appreciate being able to find fashion-forward footwear for wide feet at Payless and not having to pay through the nose for our shoes.

These are plenty of reasons why Payless ShoeSource and its new green shoes get this week’s Suddenly Frugal Seal of Approval.