Cost of Good Feet

[QuarterMillionMan]

I just needed something light weight & cheap for going jogging around my neighborhood 5 days a week, $34.99 Fila. Amazing how light weight these shoes are. I also do 100 sit ups every day among other weight lifting at home, no gym membership needed. It became a chore driving 4 miles to 24 hour fitness not to mention the $39 a month expense which was eliminated.

[myrdale]

It became a chore driving 4 miles to 24 hour fitness not to mention the $39 a month expense which was eliminated.

Gym membership cost can vary wildly. Currently I am paying $320 for an annual membership. Over a decade ago I was a member at AnyTime Fitness, they had good rates but were on the other side of town so I switched. Last year I was price shopping and their cost were around $650 for an annual membership.

[disneysteve]

I just needed something light weight & cheap for going jogging around my neighborhood 5 days a week, $34.99 Fila. Amazing how light weight these shoes are. I also do 100 sit ups every day among other weight lifting at home, no gym membership needed. It became a chore driving 4 miles to 24 hour fitness not to mention the $39 a month expense which was eliminated.

Be careful about running in cheap sneakers. Running is high impact and it's important to have good support and cushioning. You just don't get that for $35.

I just got a new pair of running shoes yesterday. They were $109 on Amazon which is about $40-50 less than at the running stores.

We belong to Planet Fitness which is about an 8-minute drive from our house. With tax, it's $10.66/month for each of us plus the $49 annual fee for a total of about $14.75/month. Studies have shown that the main determinant of people using their gym is distance from home. Anything more than 5 miles and usage drops off sharply. The closer the better.

[disneysteve]

Another thing to keep in mind with sneakers, especially if you run, is to replace them regularly. Most people keep their shoes way too long. Rule of thumb is to replace them every 300 or so miles. If you are jogging 5 days/week, let's say 2 miles/day, that means a pair will only last you about 7 months, and possibly less for the cheap ones as their padding likely isn't as durable. And if you're doing more than 2 miles/day, the replacement time is even shorter.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Disneysteve you nailed it on the lack of cushioning with the cheap $35 Filas that I bought above. I used it today for a 1.5 mile jog around my neighborhood which is my normal route that I do 5 days a week after work. It is extremely light weight so I found myself going at a faster speed but when my feet hit the pavement the lack of cushioning made my feet sore and I could feel the jolt. My old Nikes seemed to have better cushioning but wasn't as light weight as these Filas so I couldn't go as fast I did today but the cushioning with the Nikes seemed a lot better.

As for the $39 a month gym membership, I calculated it further down as $10 a week, and I'd go twice a week so $5 a visit but not every week I could go twice a week and if I only went once a week it would be $10 a visit per week. So I would force myself to try at least twice a week or more in order to get my money's worth but often couldn't make it so at that point it became too much of a chore and I told myself forget-about-it and cancelled and ever since go jogging around my neighborhood and lift weights at home and been doing so since maybe 2016. At the gym though I'd do weights, cardio, sauna, pool, and shower and used the lockers so I tried to use everything to maximize my usage per visit. But I don't miss it one bit driving and looking for parking, having to deal with rude people, smelling the sometimes stink locker room, touching the filthy machines or weights, etc.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Typically every 6 months I replace my sneakers.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Am I the only one who keeps my shoes for years? 2 - 4 years to be exact until the soles flap open or when I can feel rain water seeping into my socks.

[kork13]

My shoes have life in phases. New shoes start as my running shoes for 300-400 miles (gratefully Strava keeps a tally for me), then they become my daily walk-arounds, then finally the ones that survive & don't have holes or worn out soles become my yardwork shoes. I move them all down the line each time I get a new pair of running shoes, which is normally around every 9 months or so. After ~2 years of noble service, they're always definitely ready for retirement.

[ua_guy]

My trail/everyday shoes get moved to "yard work" status too for a second life. A new pair of shoes typically last 6-9 months but I wear them almost every day, and I'm a big/tall guy.

Some of my nicer casual shoes last for 2 years or so.

Now that I rarely ever dress up (business semi-formal), dress shoes last for a really long time. Glad I haven't had to buy any, I really hate wearing them.

[disneysteve]

Am I the only one who keeps my shoes for years? 2 - 4 years to be exact until the soles flap open or when I can feel rain water seeping into my socks.

Unfortunately you’re not the only one. Most people
keep their shoes way too long. A great many foot and joint problems result from poor foot ware. The cushioning and support is shot long before the sole is flapping.

[ua_guy]

Well, how are are the Good Feet soles working out?

[myrdale]

Well, how are are the Good Feet soles working out?

I still have mixed opinions of them.

For the last couple of years, I kind of hobble around for the first hour of the morning, then get better throughout the day. It hasn't been debilitating, just an annoyance is what led up to this.

Over the last couple of weeks, my feet have not hurt in the mornings at all.

For walking around through out the day, the inserts are still noticeable in the mornings, but by afternoon I don't realize they are their. It does feel like you have golf balls in your shoes.

Looking at my feet, I swear it looks like my toes are spread out a little more rather than being stacked on top of each other.

I would not recommend spending $1,500 on their full system, but so far I am not regretting the $500 for this one set.

I am planning on going back around October 15 to do another imprint. I think there is some good stuff here, mixed with snake oil to justify the price.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I am another mover down to dirty work person and 2 years is also my timeline. I say about 6-9 months and then it lasts maybe another year. But I'm hard on my shoes and i use them daily. Even if you didn't spend $500 but $X on new shoes and inserts and i buy new inserts every time as well at $50 a pop it does add up. But gosh it feels good to have new shoes.

[rerod]

superfeet

[myrdale]

superfeet

Whats that?