Suddenly Frugal Blog

One of my daughter’s “big” Christmas gifts this year is a pair of Ugg boots–something she’s been requesting for years. Though they are expensive, I’ve heard from other parents who’ve bought these boots for their children that, when taken care of, these boots last forever. Now that my daughter’s foot has stopped growing–and with the understanding that she is not getting much else for Christmas–we’ve decided that this year is the right year to get her these boots.

There is one thing I will be doing before I put them under the tree, though, and that’s pre-treating them with a waterproofing spray. This way the first time she wears them in the rain or snow, they don’t get wrecked.

When you spend decent money on shoes, you’ll find that they last longer if you take good care of them. That’s why I liked these shoe-care tips I found from Kiwi, the makers of shoe polish (we have a number of tins of Kiwi polish in our closet). Given the nasty weather that winter brings–and the havoc water and salt can wreak on them–I thought it was timely to bring you these 5 tips to keep shoes in tip-top shape:

1. Dirt and other debris can easily embed into leather shoes. Be sure to clean your shoes to remove excess dirt and debris prior to polishing.
2. For best results, first apply shoe polish or cream evenly to leather shoes with a brush or soft cloth. Once the polish has properly dried, buff to a brilliant shine using a natural bristle brush.
3. Store leather shoes using a shoe tree to help retain the shape of the leather. If a shoe tree will not work (such as for strappy shoes), stuff the toe cap with newspaper or tissue. Never store or dry leather shoes near direct heat.
4. If your dress shoes are suede and should get wet, stuff them with newspaper while they dry to help keep their shape and always allow them to dry naturally, away from direct heat.
5. If traveling this holiday season, place your shoes inside a shoe bag or wrap them in a soft material for additional protection.

One last thing to keep in mind: when your shoes start to look like they’re wearing out–especially the bottoms–see if you can’t have the soles replaced rather than buying a whole new pair of shoes. My husband and I recently did this, and for about $100, we were able to make-like-new four pairs of shoes that would have easily cost $500 to replace.