The Sandal Saga

I have had a pair of sandals that I loved for the past three years. I bought them at Target for $12 and they were so comfortable and perfect with casual or dressy outfits. I wore them everywhere in the summer months. By year number 2 with these sandals, they were beginning to wear out and I went back to Target to see if I could find another pair. There was none to be found. I found another pair at a clearance outlet - name brand reduced from $60 to $10 - a bargain in every sense of the word. They were comfortable but I couldn't get past the fact that these were $60 shoes. I have never owned a pair of $60 shoes in my life! So, I couldn't get comfortable in them. I saved them for dressy occasions and wore my old favorites for everything else.



Fast-forward to year number 3. By this point the sandals are literally falling apart. They are torn on the bottom right through the sole. The sides are held together by loose threads. Not only that but they have begun to smell and even Febreeze hasn't been able to save them. Finally, my husband told me the sandals had to go. At first I protested. "They are my favorite shoes!" As I thought about it, though, I realized that he was right. I had become overly attached to a material item. What I had considered a virtue (my frugality) was actually a liability (my over-attachment). Material items are good. We all need them. But by the same token, we should be able to take or leave them. So, this morning, the sandals hit the trash bin. I am now wearing the sandals I bought last year. I'm not offering any guarantees that I won't still be wearing them 3 years from now!