Would You Wear Shoes With Duct Tape?

Why I Wear Shoes with Duct Tape

The other day my wife wanted me to wait in the car while she went in the store. "Is it the shoes, or just me in general?" I asked. After some consideration, she selected "the shoes" as the reason she wanted me to wait in the car...

Would You Wear These Shoes With Duct Tape?

When my shoes were dirty and foul smelling this spring, I gave them a bath and kept right on wearing them.

When my shoes got holes in them and my socks started getting dirty through the holes, I took action. With a few cents worth of duct tape and a moment of my time, I may be able to get another year of use out of my tennis shoes. Shoes with duct tape may not be the coolest fashion statement, but they work.

You may wonder why I patch up my old shoes with duct tape instead of buying a new pair. The answer is simple: money. I think spending money on a new pair of shoes when I have bills to pay is a terrible idea. I would rather hang on to a little money for myself instead of paying $50 for a new pair of shoes. There are so many things I have to spend money on, and new shoes is not one of them- as long as I have duct tape!

Wearing shoes with duct tape is not for everyone. Most people would prefer to cut back on things that are less visible to others such as food or entertainment expenses. Unlike most people I am ready, willing, and able to cut back on all of these expenses.

How to Extend the Life of Your Shoes with Duct Tape

Extend the Life of Your Shoes with Duct Tape

Here are some tips from my experience using duct tape to stretch the life of tennis shoes:

The key to using duct tape successfully on shoes is NOT to wrap the tape around the bottom of the sole of the shoe. This makes the bottom of the shoes slippery. I learned this the hard way on a previous shoe repair project when I nearly slipped and fell down while mowing.

Duct tape does not stick very well to the mesh material of tennis shoes, so I try to use the hard material along the edge of the sole as a place to get some good adhesion. I also try to use fairly long pieces of duct tape and wrap it around so that it sticks to itself.

Another tip to make your shoes last longer with duct tape- make sure the shoes are really dry when applying the duct tape. Duct tape will not stick very well if the shoes are damp or dirty. It works best to apply the duct tape at warmer temperature, this seems to make the adhesive work better.

You might not be able to bring yourself to wear worn out shoes repaired with duct tape. That's OK. There are tons of other ways to save money instead.

Penny Pincher Journal

Tuesday, November 17, 2015