[Discussion] Downsizing/Minimizing Sneaker Collection or Quitting Collecting + TIPS/RESOURCES VOL. STAY STRONG FROM BLACK FRIDAY!

I must resist from these Black Friday deals especially nike tech 50%
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I am so done with spending $200 on things I will barely use once a month.

F consumerism, F mindless spending, and F a “sale”.

It’s my money and I’m not giving it away anymore. Plenty of other ways for me to mindfully spend/ use my money.

Y’all work hard for y’all money. Make sure when you give it back it’s on good stuff that you actually want or will use. Stay strong and be free from the trap.
 
I'm just not even opening up any of the BF emails from the stores that have my email address. Totally bypassing everything. And like numbah1 numbah1 said above, I too am SO OVER paying $200 for a pair of shoes. If I buy anything, i mostly wait for sales (like how I got the OG Flight Huaraches for $63). I only bought the Avia 880s because for $55 for a beater shoe, why not. Same with the Spot Bilt. A classic high top for $88. The days of paying over $125 is over for me unless it's something really special (any Agassi retro I will buy instant st retail). But any Jordan? Nope, not anymore. Only Jordan I want is the orange Ships for cheap price (and I'll wait till I get it) or a true OG black/infrared VI with the proper tall tongue.
 
I'm just not even opening up any of the BF emails from the stores that have my email address. Totally bypassing everything. And like numbah1 numbah1 said above, I too am SO OVER paying $200 for a pair of shoes. If I buy anything, i mostly wait for sales (like how I got the OG Flight Huaraches for $63). I only bought the Avia 880s because for $55 for a beater shoe, why not. Same with the Spot Bilt. A classic high top for $88. The days of paying over $125 is over for me unless it's something really special (any Agassi retro I will buy instant st retail). But any Jordan? Nope, not anymore. Only Jordan I want is the orange Ships for cheap price (and I'll wait till I get it) or a true OG black/infrared VI with the proper tall tongue.
Same how I feel about an proper OG of the BC 3 and TB 3
 
I've been able to not buy any so far.....a lot of these shoes on sale are ones that are nice to have but not needed. They're only appealing because of the price, but what good is it if we don't wear them anyway?
 
^ Yeah I had the same thing happen to me for a few pairs of shoes that I would've jumped the gun on, but I held off thinking that it's just overall not worth it at the end.

There were a few pairs I bought only to realize that the colorway of some Asics I got isn't as expected, and I truly don't want Nikes for the time being after taking advantage of a Black Friday deal on the vast grey Zoom Vomero 5s that I was eyeing for a month and a half. That was somewhat a waste of time, but a good realization to come out out of it.
 
Resisted so many temptations... somewhere between 5 - 10 pairs that I was tempted about, but only stuck with one that I was most open to and happy with (some NB 990v6s).

Last year, I caved in and bought 11 or 12 pairs of shoes with 10 pairs of AF1s (4 pairs in two sizes online since I wasn't sure, and then another 2 that I was able to try on and find my true size) at this time. Such a stupid move, but lesson well learned.
 
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I only bought one pair of shoes as well during BF sales and I think that's a success considering the barrage of sales. Brings my total to 4 pairs purchased this whole year. Proud of myself for showing restraint overall. Not gonna lie - this thread helped me tremendously. Every time I had FOMO I'd take a look in here and think to myself, "I'm not the only one struggling with these sales" lol.

My total collection is now up to 11 pairs and I'm hoping to keep it that way until I wear a few of my current rotation to the ground :smile:
 
For me, it was back in 2015-16. I was beginning to get the same feeling I got in the car/tuner racing scene. I realized that most of the people there were only there out of ego, with the intention of one upping the next person. The love that had been sewn into me as a youngin around fashion, sneaks and ever cars/trucks, just wasn’t what I was experiencing anymore around me. It felt fraudulent and more so like just a bunch of copy cats. Nothing wrong at all with being inspired, then having your own twist on things. That wasn’t it, inspiration was more so experienced as hate, jealousy, drama and in no way genuinely happy for each other when we did cop a shoe, or upgrade a car part. It was toxic and energy draining, mostly stressful.

Now when I hit my tipping point, I had made the decision to sell my collection long before I had actually done it physically. I realized as some of you mentioned, I had shoes hidden away in bags, super clean and not enjoyed or worn, just sitting stacked up in boxes. When I finally initiated posting my shoes online for sale was when my first child was conceived. In that moment I knew right away, instead of having two wardrobes full of clothes and storage full of shoes, it was a no brainer to shift my focus onto something more that my own wants/needs. Honestly when I started posting my shoes I got this feeling of euphoria, I then became the collector who had shoes that people really wanted, and I could make others happy with how careful I was with my shoes. I was giving youngins crazy deals on shoes that I wished that sellers were willing to give me when I bought them. I quickly realized that this is how it should be. You pass on what you care about and love to others and support them in having the “thing” that they believe is the most important thing in the world, And I did. I remember giving college kids deals of a lifetime on grails. It wasn’t about the money, but more about passing in the true love and inspiration to someone else who could make new memories of sentimental value with those shoes.

Fast forward to today, right here right now. I just signed into this website for the first time in over 7 years, I couldn’t even remember the name of it lol. It came to mind all the good memories I had here with the “OG’s” helping me legit sneaks. The good memories I had when taking long drives and I would just look at the threads on here and get so much inspiration around fashion in general. Good times !

Now I own a business, have a family with three kids. I wear shoes that I like, and I never bother washing them like I used to religiously. I like when my shoes get dirty, because to me that means I wear them. In a world were some people don’t even have one or two pairs of shoes to put on. I have some of my older pairs which are not that sought after, but have an actual meaning to me personally. In closing, I am thankful to be where I’m at today, because although it may not be shoes that I obsess over or cars in a extreme way, I still use this same practice in my daily life. Ok with letting things go, helping others out and staying steady with loving myself, my integrity and who I am growing to be authentically.

Shoes, clothes, cars or whatever this world can make us think is so much more important than actually getting up and getting out into the world so you can be the best version of yourself everyday, this is a true gift. I have a lot of gratitude for what I have accomplished in my life and will accomplish moving forward.

Be willing to take risks, be uncomfortable, you have no idea what could happen if you honestly put the time and intentional work in.

Thank you shoes for teaching me such valuable lessons. Thanks to you all in this thread who read this long message lol.

Love y’all !
 
Inspirational stuff!

I think I'm gonna challenge myself to 1 pair per month next year. I know that ain't saying much, but it's a step in the right direction, and I also plan to trim the fat and get rid of plenty of the extras. Try to get down to the essentials and my must have favorites. Bout to hit 40 soon. Can't be spending so much time, effort, and funds on this kinda stuff.

My dream is to have like 20 absolutely classic and/or personal grails and just let go of everything else eventually. There are really only like 4 or 5 silhouettes that I truly love to wear and that I think look good and feel right on me. I don't need every model of J and every colorway of AJ1 and every model of Air Max and every model of USA NB. Baby steps though, 2024: the year of 12 max.
 
Caved and got two pairs over last two weeks.
-Pandas (yes I know lol,), but I won an IG raffle to a resell store. It was the only thing I liked within the gift card limit. I didn't want to pay extra.
-Dunk low SB - been waiting for anything that was available (never hit raffles/SNKRS lol) and finally found something sitting in stock. Perhaps a turning point in sneaker culture, hype finally subsiding?

Next goal is to unDS stuff, but makes it difficult with the weather in Canada during the winter. Lucky thing for me is that work is pretty relaxed though with dress code.

I've already started unfollowing sneaker accounts on social media (a lot of it is so lame and some of the "new" sneaker culture paints a bad picture on what it used to be), but it will help with "out of sight, out of mind"

I'm only here for general forum and the Nike Dunk SB thread lol.

I agree with RiseN’Shine RiseN’Shine in that a lot of car/sneaker culture is about one upping, when it really should be celebrating everyone's passion in it. You ain't cool if you don't got the most sought after Jordan 1, or whatever. Some time last week, I heard a kid say that his friend was borrowing his Jordans for the day (obviously so he could flex the fact he had Jordan's on his feet. smh)
 
moshepark moshepark - damn, well done!

RiseN’Shine RiseN’Shine - I definitely can say that the experience we all have with shoes has taught us a lot other than the products itself! What was your first thought when you saw this thread pop up during your 1st login in 7 years?

Great question Fam. Well it took me a minute to remember where everything was lol. As I started finding my way, this thread was either the newest created or posted in. I read the title as was struck by it immediately. When I clicked in the title, then began to read the description, I was smiling. It was like a confirmation on what I had embarked on years ago in my life. I saw the J.cole vid, Dave Ramsey, whom I’ve listened to a lot years ago and still to this day. Great financial advice in that content. After that I read about two posts for the “Nike Talk” community, and was just like I have to share my story lol.

So in essence, this was a very cool way to circle back to this part of my life where I felt supported by the “OG’z” here, one whom I still talk to till this day. It was meant to be, I don’t believe in coincidence at all. Where I’m at in my life was laid down by choices I made to “let go and grow” . A youngin from the Westside of Bmore who genuinely loved my culture and the fashion that I grew up mastering.

Thanks for your feedback and the very good question my brotha. Take care !
 
I consider it a win if I wear a pair shoes I just bought regularly lol. then its a matter of not doubling up lol.
 
No purchases in the last 2 months, and nearing 8 pairs sold. Trying to sell at least 2 more pairs by the weekend.

It's like you get yourself reverse-hooked. Instead of looking for new pairs to buy, you're looking for pairs to offload/sell.

I have a pair I know I'm going to want to cave on so I'm trying to get rid of more pairs before they release. But the more pairs I sell the more I can feel the hold loosening because even though I want them, I can see myself finding a way to skip them.
 
Just realized this thread is about to hit its one-year mark!

I definitely didn't do as great as I hoped, but it's still major progress compared to last year's spree, and hoping to continue to build progress. Dope part is that my collection is down to about 10 pairs of shoes now.

How does everyone feel about their progress compared to the beginning of the year?
 
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