For the Love of Shoes

Like any good girly girl, I love my shoes!  I will suffer through blisters just to rock an awesome pair of heels. I would tell myself that I wasn't a shoe hoarder, and I'm not THAT bad.  Then I lined up my shoes:

This line up is only what I currently have here in Israel at 16 pairs, last week I had already donated 2 pairs, meaning I had 18 pairs.  My mom back in the states graciously agreed to count the pairs I have in my closet at home at 9 pairs adding up to a total of 27 pairs of shoes.  Now, some people may find this number low, I find it entirely too high.  Especially considering the fact that I want to simplify my things and only keep what I love and enjoy and actually wear.  So here are the criteria I set for myself to cull my shoe collection:

1) Is the shoe broken/over worn/ in disrepair?:  Examples are that the soles are entirely worn down or the lining is ripping out.  I had a pair of sandals I loved but had lost the strap to one of them 3 years ago.  I had tried to replace the strap, having contacted the company multiple times, but decided that the time had come to toss them.

2) Is the shoe uncomfortable?:  The day has come that I do not want to suffer through blisters time and again.  I have found lately that I will avoid wearing those shoes that end up injuring me, and will gladly start investing in shoes that are better quality and won't hurt me anymore.

3) Do I wear the shoe?: This part was tricky.  I have shoes that I used to wear quite a lot, or that are useful for certain activities like my rain boots or Teva sandals.  I also have heels that pass the last two criteria, but this year were not worn much but have worn them a lot in the past.  Because I am in a transition and do not yet know what my future job will entail in the states, I was a bit more lenient in this category.

I ended up tossing 4 pairs of shoes, bringing my total down to 12 pairs:  

This includes: Rainboots, 4 pairs of fun heels, 2 pairs of comfy sneakers, flipflops, fave slippers, and my 3 'recreational' shoes for hiking and working out.

For me, this was good progress, and I will tackle the shoes stored in the states when I return.  My goal is to eventually own a small collection that I wear frequently and comfortably while still being stylish and fun.  What does your shoe collection look like?  Any shoe woes or difficulties in letting go? I want to hear your thoughts! Please share in the comments!