Organizing Shoes

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

28 May 2009 11:18 AM

I admit that I have never been addicted to shoes. While friends of mine have overflowing closets full of footwear, I have exactly five pairs of shoes and sandals, plus two pairs of sneakers (one of the pairs is for yard work) and one pair of work boots that double for the winter. I'm always worried about the expense and the practicality of treating myself to shoes.

My daughter has no such qualms about acquiring shoes. At four-and-a-half, she has never met a pink, feminine, or sparkly shoe that she does like. Church shoes, jelly shoes, sandals, princess sneakers and more are in her closet. The only thing on her birthday wish list last year was a pair of red, sparkly "Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz" shoes. (My oldest son on the other hand begs us to let him wear his old sneakers to school. They are practically held together with spit and a prayer.)

It is because of her that I needed to develop some shoe organization ideas. And while her shoes are small enough now to now take up too much space, I know that we will be in for it later as she grows. One idea I had for now is to take and old three-shelf bookcase and paint it white. Then it can be installed in her closet where her shoes will rest nicely on the shelves, organized and within reach. I will group the shoes by category, such as putting all of the sneakers together, all of the dress shoes, all of the sandals, etc.

Another idea I had was to store seasonal shoes elsewhere. So winter boots in the summer or sandals in the winter can be out of the way, reducing the clutter. A box stored in the closet, under the bed or in the attic might work for this.

Do you have any ideas for organizing shoes?

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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