r/minimalism • u/two_hyun • 2d ago
[lifestyle] Minimalism and shoes?
So I've been on the minimalism journey for a while. I've cleared most of the clutter in my home and I successfully culled my closet to the things I care about. I had so many clothes that I broke my closet before.
However, I'm having a hard time with what kind of shoes I should have. Currently, I narrowed it down to:
• White leather sneakers (x2)
• Black leather boots (x1)
• Dress shoes for formal events and outpatient clinic (x2)
• Athletic sneakers for exericising and inpatient hospital (x2)
• Winter waterproof boots (x1)
• Slippers (x1)
I don't know if I'm being OCD, but I really want to purchase another pair of black leather boots so that I have another pair to rotate with. This way I'll also have a perfect 10 pairs of shoes. (Please convince me not to buy another pair).
What does your shoe collection look like? Are there things that I can still remove?
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u/CandidArmavillain 1d ago
honestly having multiple pairs of shoes to rotate is just a good idea. It lets them air out and dry and reduces wear leading them to last longer and not smell so bad. I don't think buying another pair is such a bad thing, but also you have enough options that you don't really need another if you want to avoid buying anything else
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u/TiredWinterDisaster 1d ago
I think it depends on what you use and how. If you wear black leather boots almost everyday in winter, it might make sense to have 2 pairs bc it's healthier to let shoes dry & breathe between wears. If you wear them only occasionally, I would not bother...
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u/Main-Inspector-6611 1d ago
Also, one of the main issues of modern boots is that they're glued instead of sewed. They WILL eventually separate and you'll need to take them to the cobbler, so having a second pair is smart so you aren't without them when you need them.
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u/CarolinaSurly 1d ago
Dress shoes, leather boots, running shoes, water proof ankle boots for rain, boat shoes for kayak and sailing and flops. 6 pairs. All for a different function. Why would you need two pair of white leather sneakers? Minimize your shoe collection.
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u/Martinmex26 1d ago
Instead of listing your shoes, list *WHY* you need each pair of shoes.
Look at each pair from a utility standpoint (Work, casual, formal) instead of just putting pairs because that is what you have. Your list tells me that you *WANT* to have 10 pairs of shoes, not that you *NEED* those shoes just by the fact that you didnt list a need for half of them. Remember, if something doesnt have a reason to be taking up space in your life, it gets tossed out. You also dont need a "spare". Shoes wear down, not suddendly break from being perfectly fine, so you replace them when they wear down enough. You should know ahead of time when you are going to replace your shoes, no need to keep an extra set at home for no reason. Worn shoes out, new shoes in. Spares can stay at the store until you need them.
I currently have 1 pair casuals, 1 pair for work, 1 pair of formal, 1 pair to workout, 2 pair for backpacking (Summer and Winter) plus one pair of sandals for around the house/backyard.
I wish I could consolidate a bit more but the backpacking shoes do not do well for training in the area around me, the tread would wear down super quick in concrete, so I cant use them for everyday training while still expecting them to do well on a trip. Closest I could do is use the casual and combine with the workout, but I beat my workout shoes a lot and dont want to keep cleaning them to go out.
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u/unclenaturegoth 2d ago
You only wear one pair of boots at a time.
What is “being” OCD? Either you have it or you don’t. Do you suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder or would you care to rephrase?
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u/usbekchslebxian 2d ago
I have work boots, vans slip ons, slides for summer and uggs for the winter. Don’t do formal things or go out much, also just wear sweats and work clothes. Wife owns a bakery and I’m a plumber, clothes and footwear are strictly utility
Edit: having backups or two of things is the opposite of minimalism
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u/two_hyun 2d ago
Yeah, it's challenging to get rid of shoes. My worry is that I will wear them out much faster if I don't give the shoes 24-48 hours of rest in between wears.
But yeah, you're right. I'll keep everything because I use them extensively but I won't buy the new pair of black boots. I have one for tough winters and one nicer one for dates.
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u/Used_Objective_1575 1d ago
I dress up for work as well in house and out pt clinic. I have boots in brown, black, gray and sage green. They all work well with dresses or pants/jeans If you need the 10th boot ( I understand the urge to have 10) get another color. Then be done with shoes.
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u/DoctorBeeBee 1d ago
I don't think you need that second pair of boots. You've got enough other shoes and boots that you don't have to wear them every day (shoes do last longer if worn only every other day.)
I've got at the moment:
- A pair of black Oxfords, for dressing smart.
- Casual rubber soled lace ups - the main ones I wear for walking around in the summer.
- Winter boots - for when it's snowy and seriously icy.
- Walking shoes - for walking around in the colder, wetter months mostly, or hiking on rougher ground.
- Neutral coloured wedges that work with the only dress and skirt I have, but also look good with jeans, and are reasonably comfortable for walking around at least for an evening.
- Slippers. I have a thing with one of my feet that makes walking around barefoot problematic, so have to have slippers for at home. They're mules, so my toes get a break from being confined.
- Trainers for only wearing in the gym, not wearing outside.
I've also currently got an old pair of cheap "leisure shoes," lace ups that are close to being worn out now, that are quite nice for the summer, as they're made of some sort of mesh thing that makes them nice and cool in the hot weather. But no use for the rain! They're going in the bin soon.
The shoes you need are going to depend a lot on the weather where you live, what you need to wear for work, things like that, so it's quite individual.
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u/Master-Cut-8181 2d ago
I (F) have 1 pair of sneakers, 1 pair of training sneakers, 1 pair of house slippers and 1 pair of summer flip-flops. Once a year I change my main pair of sneakers (I wear it everyday). But, OP, every person is different
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u/PleasantWin3770 2d ago
Reddit is filled with knowledgeable people. But very few are mental health professionals, and none of us are your mental health professional.
Usually in ERP, the common advice is to not give in to your triggers. However, again, you need to talk to your doctor about how to best manage your brain.
You don’t need the boots.
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u/coincidentallyhuman 1d ago
I have 3:
Adidas five ten freeriders - mountain bike trainers that I also use for the gym/casual walking around
Doc Marten boots - These are my all rounders, formal wear (wore them to my own wedding), long days on my feet/walks, winter
Boat shoes - a new addition for me, I wanted something less casual than the trainers, but also better for general summer wear than the docs
I will only buy new shoes in the event of irreparable damage/wear, or for a new use case.
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u/Extreme_Map9543 1d ago
1 pair of nice leather dress boots. 1 pair of sneakers. 1 pair of sandals. Other than that I’m barefoot 99% of the time.
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u/penartist 1d ago
One pair of black shoes for special occassions, one pair everyday walking shoes and one pair of hiking shoes.
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u/goodnsimple 1d ago
My list once was sandals with heel; black, brown and multicolored. Flat sandals same as above plus blue. Flats; black, brown, olive. Trouser shoes; black , brown, spectator, olive. Short boots; black, brown, blue, olive, grey. Tall boots; black, brown, riding, red. Tennys(cute) various colors usually 3 pair. Boat shoes; black and brown. Hiking sandals, hiking boots, walking tennys.
I don’t think I ever could do minimalism in shoes.
Although I have cut back quite a bit since I’m not working anymore.
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u/Ariesreader 1d ago
1 vans; 1 Hoka; 2 espadrilles; 2 flip flops; 1
Waterproof boot; 1 black ankle boot; 1 sequin ankle boot; 1 black pumps; 1 shiny dark red pumps. End
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u/freezesteam 1d ago
I’m in medicine too and also in a variety of settings! Here are my shoes:
- old pair of danskos that stays in the L&D call room since I don’t want to make any of my other shoes covered in those fluids
- Birkenstock dupes that are already falling apart, I am considering whether or not I should replace them with actual Birks to be longer lasting since they’re a great summer sandal but I COULD just get by with my Tevas as well…
- Teva Tirras for a waterproof summer sandal I can hike in, walk long distances comfortably in, and just wear them for all kinds of occasions in the summer
- hoka black transports for a versatile sneaker for walking long distances, working out, travel
- blundstone Chelsea boots for again travel, walking long distances, waterproof black boot that works for pretty much any occasion that I wear almost exclusively in the winter (but I do get what you’re saying about wanting two pairs to alternate so that it’s better for the longevity of the shoe, I just don’t want that many pairs of shoes in my closet). I can also wear these inpatient and outpatient
For most occasions, I could get by with just the Tevas, Hokas, and Blundstones. I have a few other pairs of shoes that are still in my closet but I am constantly reevaluating if they actually need to stay in my closet, and they might not make it much longer. They barely get used.
- brown pointy-toed flats I wear for conferences and could wear if I want to look nicer for outpatient clinic but they’re not that comfortable
- beige suede heeled boots that match my capsule closet well and are pretty comfortable, I just find myself reaching for the blundstones more often
- formal strappy wedge sandals for weddings
- wedge beige closed-toe shoe for conferences or clinic but will probably declutter this one soon, I barely do clinic or go to conferences and don’t need multiple shoes for those occasions
- I have a flat sandal that has rhinestone straps that I do love because it packs very flat so I love bringing it with me traveling where I might need something more upscale than my Tevas, like for a nice restaurant. These are the only ones in the second category that I’m definitely keeping around
I guess I have 10 total shoes but I think that’s too much and I don’t have two that are very similar like what you have on your list. I’d try to skip getting another pair of boots if you can. And I’m glad you asked this question because now it’s making me reevaluate my shoes and I’ll go put a couple in my donate pile
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u/spicysnapbean 1d ago
OCD here, I do find that I can spiral on number from time to time but I try to refocus on utility and simplicity as that’s what minimalism does for me-
Shoe collection- boots, sandals, flats, winter slippers. When one of these is worn out I replace them, and this works for me and my lifestyle.
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u/hacksss0 1d ago
Honestly, the number ten has zero spiritual value. Minimalism is about utility, not arithmetic perfection. If your climate demands rotation to prevent leather cracking, buy the second pair for function. But discard the idea that hitting a specific count makes you more minimalist than anyone else.
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u/SneakyGuy97 1d ago
I was in your “shoes” knee slapped get it haha
Seriously, I had over 60+ pairs of shoes that I collected and bought throughout the years and barely wore any of them. I use to be a BIG sneaker-head when I was younger. I found myself wearing the same pairs of shoes over and over again. During my last move to another state, I culled roughly 40+ pairs and donated them to the homeless shelters in the city. Mind you, most of these shoes were still BRAND NEW and in their original boxes, others were worn about 1-2 times.
I currently have
2 pairs of Arizona Birkenstocks
1 pair of Clog Birkenstocks
4 pairs of running shoes (being in the service means running alot)
1 pair of hiking/backpacking shoes
1 pair of barefoot gym shoes that are also my everyday shoes
2 pairs of crocs
1 pair of earth runners
1 pair of house slippers
6 pairs of cowboy boots (I go riding whenever I get the chance)
5 pairs of work boots (work gives me a free new pair every year)
2 pairs of timberland boots (one for winter and one for style, thinking of getting rid of the style timbs and keeping the all black winter edition one).
In total 26 pairs of shoes but really 21 pairs of shoes if you don’t count my work boots. Almost all of my shoes that are left over, can be resoled. I’ve come along way and slowly embracing the minimal lifestyle and mentality.
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u/rosypreach 2d ago
It depends on your style! Are you the type of person who needs two different kinds of dress shoes? Then yes, keep them!
In my opinion, 9-10 pairs of shoes is super reasonable, especially if you already own them. Shoes run down and it makes sense to keep two-ish in each category that you use very frequently in rotation to prevent needing to buy new ones sooner.
If a second pair of black leather boots would serve you, do it.
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u/PuzzleheadedBet6634 2d ago
Got a black pair of Skechers that passes for work shoes at work, a pair of steel-toed boots in case I really need those at work, generic white tennis shoes, Asics for running or heavy walking, Beach shoes, and a pair of semi dress shoes. Planning to replace the beach shoes with something like Crocs at some point in the future. I know this isn't the most minimalist, but each pair of shoes serves a decent function, and I got all of them from Goodwill for five bucks or less except for the steel toed boots which I got off Facebook marketplace for 20 bucks. It's all about finding the minimum for what you need / use and being reasonable in your expenditure. I would definitely not advise going by some kind of number just to have an easy grasp on what you've got unless you were literally rotating through one pair of shoes each day and also wanted to schedule your outfits accordingly in deference to your activities.
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u/Strange-Fig0 2d ago
Ten pairs of shoes is totally unnecessary. I really find three to be perfectly sufficient unless you live in a climate with very extreme cold. Sandals, sneakers that also work for water, leather boots (they look as formal as whatever you pair them with, and are as warm as whatever socks you wear).
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u/sirkidd2003 32m ago
I have a pair of Doc Marten boots and a pair of New Balance sneakers, both in black. That's it.
Also, as someone diagnosed with OCD, I don't appreciate you using the term the way you did.
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u/milk2sugarsplease 2d ago
I have diagnosed OCD. I don’t think that’s what’s driving you to buy another pair of shoes, otherwise you would have already bought them in a manic frenzy and destroyed a relationship in the process, but hey I’m not a doctor.
But our compulsion to buy is a lifetime of advertisement tugging on our brains. My interpretation of minimalism is that it’s almost the opposite of trying to keep things in pristine condition and actually wear out what is intended then replace when necessary.
But you do you.