Summer is a great time to go barefoot. And if you do it often, especially in your home, you are being frugal. How? Well read the rest of this article to find out both the reasons going barefoot can save you money and how to convince your friends and family to do the same.
When I am home, I mostly walk around barefoot or in socks, and the kids do the same. My husband has a harder time doing this, but he at least has a pair of older sneakers that he uses when in the house (see this article about the three tier method for saving money to learn more about old sneakers).
Here are some reasons that going barefoot can be frugal:
Reduces wear on your shoes. Shoes that are worn less often don’t become scuffed, dirty or worn out as quickly. That makes sense, right? The less you use something (even just in the house) the more time you will get out of it.
Reduces the cleaning costs on your home. If you aren’t tracking in outside dirt, you won’t have to clean it up. So you reduce the amount of cleaning that needs to be done. Leave your shoes at the door and place mats both inside and outside of the door.
Reduces replacement costs on your floors. Shoes wear out floors much faster than bare or stockinged feet do. Heels can grind or scape hardwood floors or wear out carpet. And the dirt you track in from outside can also scratch hardwood floors and mat down carpet.
How can you get friends and family to take off their shoes when they enter your home. Well, one way is to have a place near the door for shoes. When a guest enters your home, they will quickly see that the family’s shoes are in this place instead of on feet.
For immediate family, you can be more obvious and just make it a household rule.
Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites.
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