It’s Monday again, which means that there’s a new Bundle of the week available! This week, the books are all about motherhood and parenting – five ebooks for $7.40! – so be sure to check them out if you’re interested in that subject.
In my own parenting adventure… A few weeks ago, I picked up a couple pairs of nearly-new shoes on Craigslist for our older son. Tevas and Sketchers, barely worn. I paid $15 total, and the lot also included a pair of slippers. The slippers were not in such great shape though. The tops were fine, but the soles had holes in them. At first, I thought about just throwing them out. But then I decided that they were a perfect opportunity to show our son that a lot of things that seem to be in very bad shape can be repaired with a little time and patience.
We live in an easy-come-easy-go world, where it seems like so many things are disposable or cheaply-constructed and not made to last. That mentality isn’t good for our budgets in the long run, and it’s definitely not good for our planet. I like the feeling of satisfaction that I get from fixing something, and we want our boys to learn that they can tackle most problems from a “how do I fix this?” perspective rather than just skipping straight to “where do I get a new one?” Of course, sometimes it does make sense to replace something that’s broken. But not all the time.
My parents have a small box of leather scraps that they’ve accumulated over the years, and when we were at their house for Christmas, I dug around in the box and found a scrap of leather that was naturally non-skid on one side and big enough to cover the soles of both slippers. I cut out new soles and hand sewed them to the bottoms of the slippers. Here they are, with one slipper done, for comparison:
Slippers are cheap. I know I could have just bought a new pair for less than ten bucks, or another used pair for much less than that. Fixing these was all about keeping something out of a landfill and showing our son that we can fix most things if we put our minds to it. It took me about 20 minutes per slipper to sew the new soles on, and we’re very happy with the results.
Would you fix something that was easy to repair, even if it would be only a few dollars to replace instead?
If you’re in the UK, in debt and looking for help, debt management companies might be a good way to find a personalized solution with continuous support throughout the process.
Jenny Anderson says
Nice job. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately with regard to my future kid as well. Did you remove the old sole or just sew the leather right over it?
frugalbabe says
Thanks! I just sewed it right over the soles that were there. In most places, they were still intact, but the leather does a great job of reinforcing the whole thing and covering the holes that were in the original soles.