4 ms·

Wow, I disagree. Starting with expensive shoes. I wear flip-flops, shorts, and a t-shirt to work everyday. I'm pretty comfortable. I don't see the correlati

by copenja 15y ago

Wow, I disagree. Starting with expensive shoes. I wear flip-flops, shorts, and a t-shirt to work everyday. I'm pretty comfortable. I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort. Beds. Yes, you spend 1/3 your life in bed. And you spend it unconscious. You spend about 0.03% of your conscious life in bed while falling asleep (30 mins a day). But more importantly: Relax. Just because you make a certain decision doesn't mean everyone else needs to.

potatolicious 15y ago
> "I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort." They often are more comfortable, it all depends on what you're doing. You wouldn't go on a long walk in those flip-flops, but if you did, you'd hope you'd have better shoes than $15 runners (seriously, huge difference). But it's not just about comfort - it's about perception: how others perceive you, and how you perceive yourself. It's about hacking how others see you, and more importantly knowing yourself well enough to hack around your own behavior with your environment and possessions. For example: cute girl over there, you want to go talk to her. What do you think will give you more confidence, you in a ratty but comfy t-shirt and shorts, or you dressed to the nines and knowing you look good enough to eat? Another example: that work laptop you use every single day. They both compile code just as well as one another, but one is plasticky and flimsy, and the keyboard creaks annoyingly when you press a key a little too hard. The other is rock solid and feels like Zeus himself cast it out of Mt. Olympus. Which increases your productivity and general satisfaction while working? > "Beds. Yes, you spend 1/3 your life in bed. And you spend it unconscious. You spend about 0.03% of your conscious life in bed while falling asleep (30 mins a day)." Yes, but how rested you feel when you regain consciousness is very much related to the quality of your mattress. If we take your logic to its natural conclusion, we'd all just sleep on cardboard.
timr 15y ago
I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort. Neither did I, until I got plantar fasciitis from wearing cheap shoes, and couldn't stand or walk for more than 10 minutes without pain. Cheap shoes tend to skimp on the parts that provide support and impact resistance. If nothing else, good shoes are worth the money they save you on podiatry.
- eru 15y ago
  But actually you don't want support and impact resistance. You want to go barefoot (or close to it).
  - timr 15y ago
    The reality of my situation disagrees with your assertion.
dagw 15y ago
I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort. For me the difference between good shoes and bad shoes is desperately wanting to sit down after a an hour on my feet and being able to walk for 8-10 hours without really feeling it. And while far from all expensive shoes are comfortable, I've yet to find a pair of comfortable shoes for less than $120, and my $350+ hiking boots are pure magic and somehow make even the hardest hike under the heaviest of loads so much easier. As for beds, you're not unconscious while you're sleeping, you're sleeping, and not all sleep is equal. Sleeping in a comfortable bed means I wake up far more refreshed and with far less stiffness and muscle pain, than sleeping exactly the same amount of time in an uncomfortable bed.
- jedbrown 15y ago
  I hate hiking boots and just use trail running shoes for everything that doesn't require rigid crampons. They're lighter, faster, more comfortable, dry more quickly, and cost around $100. Of course they wear out faster so it's not necessarily cheaper in the long run.
gjm11 15y ago
30 minutes a day is about 2% of your life, not 0.03%. If a less comfortable bed makes it take longer to fall asleep, then that figure just got bigger and there's an extra cost in time every single day. If a less comfortable bed means you sleep worse, then again there's an extra cost in happiness and productivity every single day. Now, whether spending more on your bed always makes it more comfortable, and whether that makes you sleep sooner and better, is a separate question. Got any evidence that bears on it?
- copenja 15y ago
  I meant 3 percent of my waking life. 30 / (16 * 60)
Tharkun 15y ago
I don't know about you, but I also have sex in my bed. And personally I prefer to have sex on a reasonably comfortable surface. Not saying that the floor can't be nice, but carpet burn isn't really my thing ...
tluyben2 15y ago
How young/old are you? Sure, you can sleep on total crap when you're 18; when you are 40+, not so much. You'll damage a lot and might have serious problems later on in life. This goes for a lot of things. If you keep wearing flip-flops into your 40s, you'll probably get serious back, knee and hip problems. Good (and usually they are expensive) footwear is a must if you care about your body. So is a good night sleep on a well developed bed, if probably a medical bed (not sure what the English word is; in Germany tons of hotels have them and that made me buy one, in my 20s, i've never looked back), at any age (and those are expensive). But if you don't care about the future, then sure; it's your life. But maybe you just never thought about this. Edit: changed some 'will' into 'might'; some people just are unbreakable. Most of us are not though although we think so when nothing ever happened so far. Edit: another good example is an office chair or standing table; just SPEND the money on really good desks and chairs; it's just plain stupid not to.
mironathetin 15y ago
>I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort.< There is a close correlation, but only if you buy genuine leather shoes. Good leather gets into shape while you wear it. If the leather is really tough, it takes a while, but afterwards these shoes will fit as if they were made for you. There is nothing that can be as comfortable, IMHO. The feet are always dry, warm and comfortable. The price is high, of course. Good leather costs a fortune (you want the one without chemicals in them). Repairing these shoes is expensive too. Find the right person who does it well, find the right brands, so you don't buy expensive fake, etc. pp. I own many hand made pairs, none of them less then 400 Euros worth (some more). This is not frugal, this is luxury. But I have 20 year old pairs that still look great and can easily be worn to the opera or a concert (if that's your kind of occupation). Calculating the price per year is also pretty good value for money. But I would never dispute that flip flops are cheaper ;o). If you loose them, if they are damaged, no problem. Investment is also always a commitment.
- mironathetin 15y ago
  The interesting question would be (to come back to what the original article is about): Do I feel better because I wear expensive shoes? The answer is: no! I feel good, because I want to wear nice shoes (sometimes, for reasons I have to discuss with Mr. Freud sometimes) and what makes me feel good is that I can fulfill my wish. Definitely not the fact that some of my shows are expensive.
- copenja 15y ago
  Believe it or not, we can agree on the leather part! I actually wear leather flip-flops. They are quite painful to break in, but ultimately curve exactly like my foot and have a wonderful feel. Part of our opinions are also cultural. I live by the beach in California and wearing flip-flops can actually be stylish. Thanks for the informative reply.
pwthornton 15y ago
The biggest correlation is between upfront expense and long-term durability. Good shoes can be resoled, which is fairly cheap and can be done quickly. A good pair of leather shoes could last you 10 years. All you'd have to do is get them resoled each year or however often you wear through them. Flip flops don't provide a lot of ankle support, and for some people that can be an issue. I walk between 5-7 miles a day, and while I find flip flops comfortable for lounging around, I wouldn't want to walk any serious distance in them. I've found that certain shoes are much more comfortable than others, and they tend to not be on the cheap end of things (not the most expensive either). Because of how much I walk, I'd go through several shoes a year, and now I'm switching to only buying shoes that can be resoled. It will save me a lot of money in the long term.

by copenja 15y ago

potatolicious 15y ago

> "I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort." They often are more comfortable, it all depends on what you're doing. You wouldn't go on a long walk in those flip-flops, but if you did, you'd hope you'd have better shoes than $15 runners (seriously, huge difference). But it's not just about comfort - it's about perception: how others perceive you, and how you perceive yourself. It's about hacking how others see you, and more importantly knowing yourself well enough to hack around your own behavior with your environment and possessions. For example: cute girl over there, you want to go talk to her. What do you think will give you more confidence, you in a ratty but comfy t-shirt and shorts, or you dressed to the nines and knowing you look good enough to eat? Another example: that work laptop you use every single day. They both compile code just as well as one another, but one is plasticky and flimsy, and the keyboard creaks annoyingly when you press a key a little too hard. The other is rock solid and feels like Zeus himself cast it out of Mt. Olympus. Which increases your productivity and general satisfaction while working? > "Beds. Yes, you spend 1/3 your life in bed. And you spend it unconscious. You spend about 0.03% of your conscious life in bed while falling asleep (30 mins a day)." Yes, but how rested you feel when you regain consciousness is very much related to the quality of your mattress. If we take your logic to its natural conclusion, we'd all just sleep on cardboard.

timr 15y ago

I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort. Neither did I, until I got plantar fasciitis from wearing cheap shoes, and couldn't stand or walk for more than 10 minutes without pain. Cheap shoes tend to skimp on the parts that provide support and impact resistance. If nothing else, good shoes are worth the money they save you on podiatry.

eru 15y ago
But actually you don't want support and impact resistance. You want to go barefoot (or close to it).
- timr 15y ago
  The reality of my situation disagrees with your assertion.

dagw 15y ago

I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort. For me the difference between good shoes and bad shoes is desperately wanting to sit down after a an hour on my feet and being able to walk for 8-10 hours without really feeling it. And while far from all expensive shoes are comfortable, I've yet to find a pair of comfortable shoes for less than $120, and my $350+ hiking boots are pure magic and somehow make even the hardest hike under the heaviest of loads so much easier. As for beds, you're not unconscious while you're sleeping, you're sleeping, and not all sleep is equal. Sleeping in a comfortable bed means I wake up far more refreshed and with far less stiffness and muscle pain, than sleeping exactly the same amount of time in an uncomfortable bed.

jedbrown 15y ago
I hate hiking boots and just use trail running shoes for everything that doesn't require rigid crampons. They're lighter, faster, more comfortable, dry more quickly, and cost around $100. Of course they wear out faster so it's not necessarily cheaper in the long run.

gjm11 15y ago

30 minutes a day is about 2% of your life, not 0.03%. If a less comfortable bed makes it take longer to fall asleep, then that figure just got bigger and there's an extra cost in time every single day. If a less comfortable bed means you sleep worse, then again there's an extra cost in happiness and productivity every single day. Now, whether spending more on your bed always makes it more comfortable, and whether that makes you sleep sooner and better, is a separate question. Got any evidence that bears on it?

copenja 15y ago
I meant 3 percent of my waking life. 30 / (16 * 60)

Tharkun 15y ago

I don't know about you, but I also have sex in my bed. And personally I prefer to have sex on a reasonably comfortable surface. Not saying that the floor can't be nice, but carpet burn isn't really my thing ...

tluyben2 15y ago

How young/old are you? Sure, you can sleep on total crap when you're 18; when you are 40+, not so much. You'll damage a lot and might have serious problems later on in life. This goes for a lot of things. If you keep wearing flip-flops into your 40s, you'll probably get serious back, knee and hip problems. Good (and usually they are expensive) footwear is a must if you care about your body. So is a good night sleep on a well developed bed, if probably a medical bed (not sure what the English word is; in Germany tons of hotels have them and that made me buy one, in my 20s, i've never looked back), at any age (and those are expensive). But if you don't care about the future, then sure; it's your life. But maybe you just never thought about this. Edit: changed some 'will' into 'might'; some people just are unbreakable. Most of us are not though although we think so when nothing ever happened so far. Edit: another good example is an office chair or standing table; just SPEND the money on really good desks and chairs; it's just plain stupid not to.

mironathetin 15y ago

>I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort.< There is a close correlation, but only if you buy genuine leather shoes. Good leather gets into shape while you wear it. If the leather is really tough, it takes a while, but afterwards these shoes will fit as if they were made for you. There is nothing that can be as comfortable, IMHO. The feet are always dry, warm and comfortable. The price is high, of course. Good leather costs a fortune (you want the one without chemicals in them). Repairing these shoes is expensive too. Find the right person who does it well, find the right brands, so you don't buy expensive fake, etc. pp. I own many hand made pairs, none of them less then 400 Euros worth (some more). This is not frugal, this is luxury. But I have 20 year old pairs that still look great and can easily be worn to the opera or a concert (if that's your kind of occupation). Calculating the price per year is also pretty good value for money. But I would never dispute that flip flops are cheaper ;o). If you loose them, if they are damaged, no problem. Investment is also always a commitment.

mironathetin 15y ago
The interesting question would be (to come back to what the original article is about): Do I feel better because I wear expensive shoes? The answer is: no! I feel good, because I want to wear nice shoes (sometimes, for reasons I have to discuss with Mr. Freud sometimes) and what makes me feel good is that I can fulfill my wish. Definitely not the fact that some of my shows are expensive.
copenja 15y ago
Believe it or not, we can agree on the leather part! I actually wear leather flip-flops. They are quite painful to break in, but ultimately curve exactly like my foot and have a wonderful feel. Part of our opinions are also cultural. I live by the beach in California and wearing flip-flops can actually be stylish. Thanks for the informative reply.

pwthornton 15y ago

The biggest correlation is between upfront expense and long-term durability. Good shoes can be resoled, which is fairly cheap and can be done quickly. A good pair of leather shoes could last you 10 years. All you'd have to do is get them resoled each year or however often you wear through them. Flip flops don't provide a lot of ankle support, and for some people that can be an issue. I walk between 5-7 miles a day, and while I find flip flops comfortable for lounging around, I wouldn't want to walk any serious distance in them. I've found that certain shoes are much more comfortable than others, and they tend to not be on the cheap end of things (not the most expensive either). Because of how much I walk, I'd go through several shoes a year, and now I'm switching to only buying shoes that can be resoled. It will save me a lot of money in the long term.