This article is useful for people who are trying to minimize the number of shoes to maximize happiness in one's life.
All of the shoes are the ones that I am using currently so based on my personal experience, I can strongly recommend you to have one of these.
Why do I have so many pairs of shoes?
I think probably a lot because before I became a minimalist, I had more than 10 pairs of shoes at least and the problem here is I didn't know why I had so many pairs of shoes.
If you want to become a minimalist, this is the right article because right now, I am a true and extreme minimalist but when I was younger like a uni student, my room was packed with plenty of clothes things, and other objects.
The type of shoes you need
From now let's take a look at the type of shoes you need to spend your life comfortably.
I'm not a fashionista or model so my priority about closing is its functionality.
So what are the functional shoes that you can have the least amount but maximum capability in any situation?
Right now I only have three pairs of shoes with me and those are...
- Multi-weather climbing shoes
- Formal classic leather shoes
- A pair of black sandals
Based on my experience, these three shoes will do everything in your life.
Here is the exception.
If you are working at the office and you do need proper black leather shoes which go along with your proper suit, you don't have to count it because it's something you have to have.
I will explain why I have only three shoes and why those three.
By the way, if you want to know the financial benefit of being a minimalist, please refer to the article 3 reasons why minimalism can save you a lot of money -my story-
Multi-weather climbing shoes
The first one I'm introducing is multi-weather climbing shoes.
There are 2 reasons that I bought this.
- Because I'm living in Sweden from Jan. 2023 and I do need this there
- I am so sick of getting my socks wet when it rains
I have been looking the outdoor strong waterproof shoes for a long time and I met the right one.
Only the people who have this kind of shoes can know its true benefit so you should go straight to the outdoor shop nearby and ask them why this kind of shoes is so good.
When it is raining, cold and snowy, I always wear these and since I bought this, my feet have never been wet.
NEVER...
Formal classic leather shoes
This is the pair of classic leather shoes that I have had for more than five years.
Same brand as Michael Jackson "G.H.BASS"
He wore the black one when he performed Billie Jean.
I am a freelance web marketer and freelance blogger so for my work, I don't have to wear a proper outfit.
However, sometimes you want to go to dinner for a date or with your friends to celebrate something.
You don't want to look silly on that kind of occasion right?
So my idea is it is always good to invest in leather shoes which fit you very well.
Leather shoes tend to last long if you buy the decent one so size and color are very important.
A pair of black sandals
If you live in a country where summer is hot like Japan, it is really comfortable to have a pair of sandals for your summer activities.
I always buy ordinary ones because sandals tend to get exhausted quite easily.
EASY-GO one right?
How to reduce the number of shoes
Last but not least, I will share some tips with you on how to reduce the number of shoes you have.
It's actually very easy to reduce the number of shoes.
The first thing you have to do is to understand how many shoes you have.
After you dig up all the shoes from your shoe shelf, go ahead and place all of the shoes in the room and lined them up.
If you are still unsure about why you need to decrease the number of shoes, including maybe setting the goal of why you want to become a minimalist, knowing what other minimalists think will be very useful.
The article Minimalism Concept and Goal; What is Minimalism and how to set your goal? will help you.
The next step is to categorize them.
For example, the category can be,
- Formal shoes
- Outdoor shoes
- Sandals
- etc...
From here is the difficult part.
Let's think about why you have it.
If the shoe you're holding was just a blind purchase and you haven't used it even once or not frequently, I strongly recommend donating it to some organizations.
Why?
Because without the shoes you are holding right now, you have successfully lived your life happily for quite a long time.
It sounds really hard on you, but from the perspective of a minimalist, my opinion is that you should not own something you don't use often.
Personally, I think it is a much better idea to donate those items to the organization so that people in need can use them.
To avoid any misunderstanding I want to state that I'm not recommending you simply decrease the number of things you have.
But I'm recommending you understand what you need and what you don't need.
Once you know what you don't need to have, you have the choice to donate to the organization.
Always be nice and peaceful you know.
Thanks for reading.