Welcome back to the household decluttering series, did anyone else tackle their wardrobe/closet after last weeks post? Don’t forget to comment on social media. Well, the Christmas Tree is up and the festive season is upon us. It is strange, although adding all the Christmas Decorations is technically making the place look more cluttered but it never feels like that.
I think it is to do with the fact that they are all so pretty and sparkly. Of course, it is actually Advent not Christmas yet but Advent is a time to prepare so as well as preparing the house I am also preparing my taste buds and stomach for the coming feasting… who am I kidding there hasn’t been much of a lull since the Easter Eggs were in residence. 2018 though has to be different we need to become healthier and unless aliens land and my little piece of cyberspace attracts Zoella subscriber levels (who am I kidding…) we need to pull in our belts and live more frugally! However, it is not belts but another accessory, shoes I am talking about today. Do you like what I did there, not bad for Fibro Fog if I do say so myself 🙂
A very eclectic assortment
When it comes to footwear it is safe to say I have a very eclectic mix. I am not and never have been one of those females with a large shoe collection. For the majority of my adult life, it has actually been more of a chore than a pleasure buying them. I have quite a wide foot and simply struggle to find shoes that fit. If I’m honest I have had more shoes from the boys’ section than the ladies in the last few years. What I do have, though, it a bit of a collection of assorted footwear for varying purposes and some of those purposes simply won’t be needed again I doubt. So let’s crack on with this and see what I can purge and no laughing at my pyjama bottoms…

Tap Shoes
From the ages of about seven to eighteen, I had dance lessons including tap dancing. About four years ago I had the opportunity to revive my tap dancing and I had classes for about a year and I really enjoyed doing this again. Not only did I have the class but also got to perform a tap dance on stage in Panto some goodness knows how many years since I left the teenage dancing chorus to join the “talking” cast. This was a blast and I’m really glad I got to take this trip down memory lane but alas just trying to get the shoes on my feet was a production in itself and I fear I have probably hung up my tap shoes for the final time.

Jazz Shoes
These are apparently Jazz Shoes (I Googled it!), I have never used them for jazz dancing or even done any dance of that variety. They were very kindly given to me to wear with a fairy costume, if I remember correctly, in panto about five years ago. I did look for a photo of them in action but unfortunately (thankfully) I couldn’t find one. I’ll be honest I got them on, just, but my feet were in cramp after about two minutes of wearing them. So long, farewell…

Modern Shoes
The last pair of dancing shoes I promise. I did try to put them on and very nearly succeeded with the left foot. I seem to remember at one stage that as well as wearing these for dancing they were comfortable to use around the house. When was this? In what Universe? I can only guess this was before fluffy slippers were invented!

Wet Suit Boots
A success I got my toes into them. But what if I want to explore rock pools on a shingle beach? A young, healthy version of myself cries. I told her to get a grip and reminded her that these days I am more likely to need wheeling along the promenade than frolicking on the shore. Christie Brinkley, I am not!

Soft Winter Boots
This one is really sad, I will confess that these boots did not cost very much and I know that you usually get what you pay for but they are absolutely fine on the outside but the inside is a nightmare. I’m not sure if it is just a construction method for cheaper footwear but the inside has basically a plastic checkerboard design and the lining and padding have worn away to this plastic. It is fair to say that I wasn’t even going to attempt to put them on, why torture myself unnecessarily? The silver lining is that I only go out once or maybe twice a month now so I’m missing wearing them too much.

Sandal Shoes
I don’t know if sandal shoes are actually the proper name but it works for me as they are basically halfway between a sandal and a shoe! These have exactly the same problem as the boots. Just out of sight at the very back of the inside heel, you can actually see the construction below. Although there is a leather style insert you just need to touch this with your fingers to feel straight through it. Another pair that would be perfectly wearable by the outside appearance but was let down by the inside.
What’s left after giving some footwear the boot?

So after giving six pairs of footwear the old heave-ho I am left with:
A pair of boots with good grips, these are a bit uncomfortable at the very top of the ankle but they have only been used a couple of times so are not really broken in. They are basically slippy weather footwear if needed.
A pair of comfortable trainers these are my go-to footwear if I go out to a shop or something.
My old work shoes, these might have been from the boys’ department they are actually pretty comfortable so they are my go-to smart footwear.
Karrimor walking sandals, yes, they are for summer wear and hopefully next summer I may even manage some walking. By the time it is warm enough to wear them I may have lost a stone or two. I need all the motivation I can get I’m relying on you to help give me a push!
A pair of patent leather ballet pumps, no support and not really comfortable but if I have an emergency dress-up situation I have something I can just about cope with…
Smart sandals, I actually got these for my hen do, I have only worn them a couple of times since and I confess I expected them to be in the to go collection but was pleasantly surprised.
So six gone and six on the rack. That just leaves the slipper collection 🙂

Slipper Collection
Are you really surprised that my slipper collection is half the size of my shoe collection? One pair just wouldn’t cut it. The slipper boots on the left are actually on their last legs, these are my post bath/shower snuggle wear. There is a pretty good chance that there will be a new pair in my Christmas Eve box (an idea I am liberating from Zoella). The middle pair do not get worn as often but they are purple with butterflies, as a Fibro warrior how could I not have these in my collection. The pair on the right need washing 😳 but are my wet feet slippers that I wear to go downstairs and have a bath/shower and come back in. I previously had a towelling pair that I hoped to replace but my Dad got me these instead. I didn’t expect a furry pair to cope with getting wet but I have been proved wrong! When they need washing, like now, they can feel a bit crunchy underfoot when I first put my dry foot in to go downstairs but as soon as my feet are wet they are perfectly comfortable. Once they have been washed (this week all being well) they are all soft and fluffy again.

What is on my feet
I am sure there are many fashionistas out there who would be horrified to see what is on my feet but there is very little chance they are reading this and even less chance they will arrive on my doorstep and to be honest I don’t care. Pretty much every day unless it is a full-on sofa and slipper-boot day I wear cheap imitation Crocs made of some sort of foam material because they are comfortable. When you have Fibromyalgia and pretty much everything you do causes you pain I think you need to be comfortable and you don’t need to apologise to anyone.
So I have laid my feet bare so to speak, I have let go of aspirations and if not the memories of my dancing days a focus on the memories. But in all reality, I had to dust some of the items of footwear off even to take a photo of them, most notably the wetsuit boots. So realistically they were just cluttering up my very limited space. This one felt quite cathartic even though I am not a shoe person. Are you joining in on the decluttering journey? Don’t forget to join me on social media… I’m not sure which area I am going to tackle next but I will be back with some more organising next week.
Until next time,
Gentle Hugs,
Susan