Before tossing something broken, try to fix it. There’s a great book called “How to fix almost anything” that I had for a long time.
We mend worn clothes (except socks). We use epoxy, super-glue, and paper clips to mend all sorts of things.
Before replacing any malfunctioning plumbing item, we take it apart and try to find a new gasket (usually solving the problem for under $1.)
Hands-down the best “repair” investment ever is having shoes re-heeled or re-soled. For ladies who wear pumps, you’ve likely tossed a few pairs in need of that little thingy that attaches on the bottom of a heel—or the plastic wore off until just the nail was left.
You can purchase new “lifts” for very cheap and install them yourself (pliers to remove the old one, hammer and adhesive to install the new one, snips if you need to re-size it). If you can find a cobbler, this is a procedure totally worth leaving to a pro. My vice is very high-quality shoes (purchased new usually, but at an outlet store). All of my shoes have lasted at least five years with heavy wear, but the pumps show wear the fastest. A good cobbler will shine and repair the shoes, and re-stretch them into a more comfortable fit all for under $10 a pair.
I took in several pairs of older shoes that I thought might be on their “last legs” and discovered that I could get several more years of wear out of them after a professional polish and a re-heel job. (Hint: Some shoes have a lifetime warranty on the soles–I think that Doc Martens and Red Wing both carry this warranty, so the repair may be free)
You can attempt to repair sneakers yourself at home, by inserting a piece of rubber inside when the soles begin to wear out, or super-gluing the uppers back to the soles when they begin to loosen—but. A product called “ShoeGoo” also works. This is for your lawn-mowing shoes, not your triathlon shoes. Athletes, please be good to your feet.
This post is part of a series I’ve entitled “Frugal August” and is inspired by (though not copied from) the book The Complete Tightwad Gazette
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