Shoes, and a pretty good case to hold onto your cash this holiday season

A message about things. Considering the holidays are upon us, I figured it's an appropriate topic.

I didn't plan on it, but I conducted an interesting experiment last night. Feeling like a little closet organization was in order, I bought two shoe organizing things at Ross yesterday. One is a typical shoe rack, the other is one of those nifty cubbie things that hang from the closet rod.

I cleared out the boxes of shoes stacked up, some seven high, and the loose pairs collecting dust in a folding metal contraption. I found shoes I bought for special occasions, like weddings and bachelorette parties (including my own), that I only wore once. There was a pair of boots that treated me damn well during a 4-day vacation to Chicago last winter but haven't been worn since. There was a sequined pair I bought in Vietnam that look like someone left them at Studio 54 after a long night.

Black cowboy boots. Adidas ballet flats. Chacos. American flag-printed Vans.

Now, this is a collection that has been building for years. Except for the four or five pairs I bought during an amazing Macy's One-Day Sale (we know them well, right guys?) for 100 bucks total, these shoes have been purchased carefully throughout my existence. Like I said, some for trips, some on trips.

After I tucked them all away, I counted them. I own 51 pairs of shoes.

I know this isn't Mariah Carey style. I do not buy super expensive shoes in the first place. The most expensive ones are Michael Kors and they were about $120 at the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale. And -- this is a big "and" -- a lot of these shoes were bought for $1 to $5 at the oh-so awesome Macy's employee shoe sample sales, which used to make me giddy with delight and my friends who wear size 7 mad with rage. The models wore sizes 6 and 9. I am a size 6.

A lot, however, were frivolous buys. I'll admit it.

Fifty-one pairs of shoes? That's insane. Want to know what's even more insane? When I need a pair for yet another special occasion, I usually consult someone else's stock, meaning the store's.

Truth be told, I used to be a whole lot worse and have scaled back a bunch in the past two to three years. So these are the remains of a bad habit of purchases past.

It's an important thing to think about, though. Especially when the holidays this year are going to be so tough for so many people. What will truly make you and your family happy these holidays? It probably won't be another thing that will end up -- maybe not soon, but some day -- in a cubbie.

Spoken from someone without kids, right? Good luck out there this year, guys. Just remember to ask yourself, do I (or they) really need this?

..........

(BTW, the shoes in the pic are chocolate.)