58 April Challenge: Project "Purge" {Shoes}

Yesterday I announced this months challenge!  Say farewell to 30 things in 30 days.  Gone.  See Ya Later.  Bye Bye.  Outta Here!

I am so excited about this project, you have no idea, and I got started on it this weekend!

Here is a current outline of the challenge schedule:

We are in Week 1 which means, Entry and Living Area.  I combined the two since often times they are combined in our homes.

And I REALLY wanted to start with the entry area, because it's really the first place you see when you enter the home.  And what do you usually find in the entry?  Why SHOES of course!

I know we all NEED shoes, but who doesn't just LOVE shoes?  I mean really, such an incredible way to make a fashion statement, am I right or am I right?  Dog's are a man's best friend, shoes are a girls!  And shoes are also a huge investment.  And to ensure they look great from day to day, keeping them organized is EXTREMELY important!

Let's paint a picture shall we?  Imagine... your sporting a rockin' hot outfit and getting ready to head out on the town.  You know exactly which shoes you want to complete your outfit, however.... whomp whomp, you can't find them!  Urg, now your late.  And once you do find them, they were under a pile of school books, sippy cups or piles of clothes that need to be washed, meaning, they are bent and deformed and looking a little shabby.  More whomp sound effects welcome.  Not a happy story.  But it's definitely one that can be avoided!

These days, there are oodles of ways to store shoes via innovative shoe storage solutions...  like a shoe wheel:

Or an over the door shoe rack, like we had seen in readers, Elisabeth's, entry:

There are also shoe pockets:

Shoe cubbies:

Shoe boxes {which work great with a picture of the shoe attached to the front}:

And shoe shelves:

I've actually blogged a couple times now about how I have been fond of the Closetmaid Stackable Shoe Shelves thus far:

In fact, up until recently, our shoes have been residing here, in our "shoe" closet in the kitchen:

However, as many of you observant friends have noticed on my home tour page, I came up with a new solution for our shoes.  Here's why:

1.  We tried to use our coat hooks by our back door all winter long, for our jackets and snow gear, so that we could keep this closet for shoes  {there really was good logic to this originally...}

2.  Once winter had come to an end, so had my patience with the shoe closet/jacket situation.  Shoes were being carried through the house from both the entry and the garage to the centrally located "Shoe Closet"... meaning dirt was coming through the house frequently...

3.  Because the closet was out of site, out of mind, it was easier for individuals to leave shoes piled up by the front door and by the garage door under the jackets on the hooks.

That's when I found this beautiful piece of shoe organizing storage furniture:

It spoke to me and I knew that it absolutely was the storage solution I had been waiting for, for the entire 10 years we have lived in our home.  Sure, it's a little on the pricey side for this gal, however, it hasn't been regretted one day since it came home with us. 

Here is a picture of the problem wall, in which shoes would get lined up... you can see clearly in this photo that we have absolutely ZERO entry, and because of the location of the stairs, ZERO closet...

I had all sorts of ideas swirling, however, nothing was narrow enough to be installed on the wall, as to not completely block the traffic into the living room.  Until the shoe cabinet was found...

As you can see, because it's only just over 11 inches deep, it's the perfect way to add storage to our non-existent entry {yes, those are Lego's in the background...}

The part that sold me was that it was meant to be able to store a minimum of 12 pairs of shoes.  And knowing that my little guys still have some little feet, I knew it would be able to store more!

Organizing our shoes is important so they are easy to access when running out the door, easy to put away when coming in the door, and kept in good shape at the same time!  In fact, keeping them here is protecting them from being stacked and tossed around and tripped on by the front door!  Such a win!

And the cabinet is affixed to the wall, so when the doors open, it won't topple. 

I put the kid's shoes towards the bottom of the cabinet since they are easier to reach there.  And that's another win about this shoe storage system, it's easy for the kids to put away their own shoes!

Of course, as I mentioned, shoes are a gal's bff!  So although the kid's and hub's complete shoe selection is here {with the exception of a basket of flip flops stored nearby}, I have another stash hidden back in our clothes closet.

I removed my clothes to give you a close look...

Again, nicely organized on shoe stands, easy to find exactly what I am looking for!  I typically keep my slip-on-and-go shoes by the front door, and my dressier options in my bedroom closet.  And to ensure my boots stay in tip top shape, I just roll up an old magazine and stick it inside!

And that's how the Jones family organizes their shoes!  And because our space is limited, so are the amount of shoes one gal is allowed to keep... I am getting rid of 11 pairs of shoes for this month's challenge!

So, let's summarize...

My Shoe Organizing Tips:

1.  Sort shoes by individual.  PURGE!  I believe that each kiddo really only need 2-3 pairs of shoes max, one nicer pair and a play pair {then again, I don't have little girls either}.  For adults, it's all about asking those same questions we ask when purging anything else in our lives.  Do I LOVE this pair of shoes?  Are they in usable condition?  When was the last time I wore these shoes?  Are they worth the valuable space they are taking up?  Do they fit?  Are they comfortable?  Do I have a similar pair?  Girls, bear with me, but it's true.  Sure, if you have the space that allows you to place all your pretty pumps on display, live it UP!  But most of us don't have that luxury and we need to be realistic about what stays and what goes.  A lot of the shoes I decided to say farewell too, didn't make the cut because they were duplicates to another pair that I loved more. 

2.  Once you have your shoes paired down and purged, take inventory and begin searching for a shoe organizer.  It's important to select a shoe organizer that allows you to visually see each pair of shoes, allowing for you to quickly "grab n' go".  I also believe in keeping the families shoes in one central location and grouped together, vs. keeping them in multiple locations around the home or in individual closets.  Over the door hangers allow you to maximize vertical space while shoe racks/shelves are great lower levels of closets and near entry doors.

3.  When placing into your organizer, keep your daily grabs or your "top picks" at easy reach, and store away the pairs used less frequently or for special occasions.  Shoe boxes with photos placed on the front or bedroom closets are a good place for the "special" shoes.

Donate or Sell?

• I say, if you invested in a great pair of shoes that are lightly worn or next to perfect condition, try selling them!  You may make back some of your investment by using Craigslist or Ebay.  In fact, I picked out three pairs of shoes that I plan to list on Ebay this week.  Saving them for a garage sale is also a great way to bring in a little extra moolah
•  There are many fantastic organizations that take shoes.  Let's face it, many of us are blessed with pretty footwear to keep our toes in tip top shape, however, many are not.  Many individuals are in need of shoes so donating your extras is such an incredible thing!  Here are some sites I found online that take old shoes:
• http://www.soles4souls.org/
• http://donateyouroldshoes.org/
• http://www.recycledrunners.com/
• http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/
• http://www.goodwill.org/
• Remember, when you donate your shoes, you are not only helping a fellow friend in need, you are being "green", and helping the earth.  Soles4souls reported the followings scary statistic, "Last year alone, Americans discarded more than 300 million pairs of shoes. When these shoes break down in our landfills, the toxic glue that holds the shoes together can leak into our water supply and atmosphere."  Not OK peeps.  Tossing shoes really isn't a great idea, there are even places that recycle your shoes to make new shoes, so let's do our part in getting our shoes donated and keep them out of a landfill!
• I spoke to an employee at my local Goodwill store.  I asked about their process when it comes to taking shoe donations.  I was informed that only the best of the best make the cut to be sold in the stores, however, the rest are always salvaged and sent to those in need.  Music to my ears! 

So who's motivated?  Who's in?  Who's got some additional shoe stories or tips and organizing/purging tricks?

Oh and STAY TUNED!  Really, you aren't going to want to miss the "Shoe-Tastic" giveaway coming up later today!  

Pssst!  Looking for information on caring for your footwear?  Here is a great resource over at Real Simple.

I decided a little challenge would be fun! This month we are spending the next thirty days saying goodbye to thirty things!  Wanna Join in?  Take photos and blog about your awesomeness as you go!  I am hoping to do a giant, "We did it!" celebratory post where we can all link up our purging success stories at the end of the month!