Tips from Dad...

All of our parents give us advice.  My father gave me alot of advice, but like every parent he also gave some quirky advice.  In particular, one of my father's quirky subjects was shoes.  "Don't be cheap when it comes to buying shoes," he'd say.  Well, he was right (he also said I would say that).

I have been running the last few years and have found that you need two things:  good fit and high quality.  Both are deal-breakers.  Every foot is different and that's why sizing is important.  New Balance has the best shoes for myself; mainly because they have the best selection of widths in the business.  I have a wide foot and a high-quality New Balance never lets me down.  With that said, don't buy a New Balance '800' or lower.  This is especially true if you are a runner; but don't feel like you have to buy the most expensive ones they make...for example, I have owned the 1221s (now the 1222) and the 992s and the 992s are the clear winner.  Also, don't forget to replace those shoes every 500 miles!

So what the heck does this have to do with personal finances??  Well, I have a go-to website that I use to purchase my New Balance shoes.  Best prices, free shipping, and they always have your size in stock!  New Balance Tampa is the site.  Periodically, they send out emails with additional discounts...but, remember this one other piece of advice from my dad before jumping on discounted/sale items, "it's not a deal if you don't need it".

We can't just wear tennis shoes all day, (maybe someday) so when it comes to dress shoes, I use Johnston and Murphy.  I buy the 'Signature Series' shoes so you can send them in and have them re-built (it turns them back into brand new) for about 60% of the original price.  Another piece of advice about dress shoes; always buy 2 pair of the color you wear most.  For example, I wear black shoes 4 of every 5 days on average...so I bought 2 pairs of black and 1 pair of brown.  Never wear the same pair two days in a row and your shoes will last more than twice as long (yes, that's shoe synergy).  Unfortunately, there is not a go-to website for cheap J&Ms.  So you may be pissed at the register, but after you wear them you will also agree that my father was right.