Well I finally broke down an purchased some 'business' type clothes for my position as a secretary. I hate buying clothes but I lucked out and end up at a 'TRUE' factory outlet store (VF Factory Outlet [carries Lee, Wranger, VF lingeree, Jersey]) and got 6 pairs of slacks and 1 skirt for $65. Then I went to my favorite place of all to buy blouses (Goodwill) and got 10 blouses (at least 3 of them still had original tags on them) to play mix and match with my new slacks for less than $40. So I got a whole new wardrobe for about $100.

Now I have a major problem. I need to purchase some basic flats (not those trendy things - adult shoes) and some basic pumps (no clunky chunky heals with about 1" - 1 1/2" heal). I found some at Payless however they are very limited in colors. I need black, blue, brown/tan at a minimum. Would also like to find red, purple, grey and green. I used to have flats and pumps in every color but they got tossed when I went truck driving. Dumb, dumb, dumb!

1) I am cheap so if they are over $15 I will not purchase them

Help me chickies!

Kelly,
Congradulations on the great bargin hunting!
you night have a problem getting shoes for under $15 lol
But sears, wal-mart and target all carry shoes ( I think too cheep and too trendy) but my sugestion would be to get 2 basic pairs, spend a little more on them and they will last longer. since you are looking for classic styles anyway.
Your feet need to be taken care of and if you wear cheep shoes you can end up with some expencive problems.....

ok off my soap box...lol
-L

Kelly,
I need a good fitting shoe that is comfortable and doesn't look cheap...I'M cheap when it comes to paying an arm and a leg for shoes though.
My all time favorite shoe is called SoftKicks, found them at Walmart. I paid around 18 for them on sale. Keep your eye out for them to go on sale...different styles (flats and pumps) and different colors. Also keep a look-out for EarthShoes at Walmart... some nice summery styles that are very comfy.

p.s...Good going on the great bargains!!

Gosh when I was in my Wal-Mart all they had was tendy stuff. I will go back and look...maybe put a few on layaway now and have them adjusted when they go on sale.

Kelly,

I would check out consignment stores if you are looking for good quality shoes that have been gently worn. If not, I would try pennys or marshalls.

If you are on your feet all day, I would highly recommend not buying so many pairs of shoes, but buying three pairs with better support and quality.

just my 0.02 dollars worth.

lala

I am not on my feel alot however the podiatry department here at the hospital where I work recommends not wearing shoes two days in a row so having alot of shoes works good for their recommendations. I sit at my desk mostly with my shoes off. LOL!

As for the colored flats, I don't know what kind of office you work in, but there are lots of cute colored sandals out there now. Keds, easy spirit, dockers etc. are making some cute summer shoes now, but it depends on your work environment.

Kelly has me thinking ...

Are there any true factory outlets anymore?

There was one in Seattle for outdoor gear (REI's stuff), but they outsourced all the jobs to Central America, so that closed down.

I have been to a couple in Berkeley that sold outdoor gear (Sierra designs, some small funky clothing stores). In New England, they had some ones associated with the mills, but really, you don't see true factory outlets anymore in the US.

I travel a lot and am looking for things to do and I like to buy interesting things. I would be so happy to find an interesting set of factory stores associated with the actual manufacturing and production ~~The burberry store, coach store and the j. crew store are not cutting it.

again, another 0.02 dollars worth.

Consignment stores are good.

Making friends with friends your size who always get rid of their clothes is another option. That could take time, however.

Look in thrift stores in rich neighborhoods. This can be a toss up, depending on how ambitious you are to hunt through junky things to find gems.

Shoe repair places are another good place to look. Sometimes people bring things in and never pick them up. My sister made a killing at a shoe repair place in SF.

Try alternate locations of Goodwill. Salvation army can be good too, but around here they get the crappy stuff.

Target and Mervyns may have some nice things on clearance, depending on your size. Their quality is better than Walmart, imo. I would rather spend a bit more and have comfy shoes that look nice than lots of cheapo ones that hurt after 10 minutes. Shoe Pavillion usually has decent prices, and some nice clearances. You might find something there, if you have one near you.

Ebay can also be a good idea. If you find a seller that always has your size, you could find a constant supply of cool shoes. My sister did this too. My sister loves shoes.

Do you have an American Cancer Society Thrift shop in your area??? I have one here in Upland, California. It is a wonderful store. All the rich people donate their clothing there. I have got Lane Bryant outfits almost new and new with the tags. They have very Expensive shoes, but never in my size... Iwear a boat, size 10.....