Sorry, Tom: This Mama's Saving Some Serious Dough!

I like Toms. They're cute, they're comfy, and of course it makes me feel good to know that a kid who desperately needs shoes will benefit from my purchase with Tom's One-for-One promise (you buy a pair, Toms sends a second pair to a child in need). But they come with a hefty price tag. My current favorite style, Brown Metallic Herringbone, is listed online for $54! 

Well, today I found myself at Rite Aid (and I never go to Rite Aid, unless I'm like sick and on vacation and it's the only store for 200 miles...me, I'm a Target girl through and through). But I was needing to pick up some final materials for a little crafting project I'm starting (and will hopefully be blogging about soon) and needed a few "granny-ish" items like nylons and flesh colored socks...so I figured Rite Aid was my place (and Target was on the other side of town...) Amazingly, they didn't have what I was looking for (seriously?! I was pretty sure that store would be crawling in granny trouser socks and undergarments!) but I found myself on their "shoe aisle" and behold...knockoff Toms. Now I usually would have just balked at their cheap attempt to mock such a noble shoe, but these things were actually nice, I mean really nice and almost identical to my Toms, from the plaid interior print to the faux fleece lining. They even had some of my all-time favorite patterns like purple corduroy, slate grey, sage green, and what do you know: brown metallic herringbone. I just saw the real ones at Whole Foods last week  (for $54) and literally shed a tear as my inner toddler attempted mutiny with silent threats of certain imminent (fashion) death without them. Rite Aid's version were priced at just $14.99...and marked down 75%...to $3.74. 

THREE DOLLARS AND SEVENTY FOUR CENTS!!! 

Good thing I only had a $5 bill in my pocket (we're trying really hard not to use our debit cards anymore - for impulse purchases such as this) or I would have gone absolutely nuts and bought a pair in every single color...and probably a few pairs for friends too! But I didn't. I just walked up to that register all cool and collected -with one of my three year olds pulling toys off shelves and a baby trying to nurse through my shirt- and I bought my one pair of Brown Tweed Bahama Bays for exactly $3.74. 

Okay, so they aren't Toms, and unfortunately a child won't get a free pair of shoes from my purchase but it seemed like a really great -and cheap!- way to get one more stylish pair of super cute and comfy shoes into my line-up and something that actually fit into our new cash-based budget that felt like a totally luxurious splurge for just a fraction of the cost! And honestly, a big part of why we've restricted our budget so much is so we can start giving a much bigger portion of our money back to God through things like our church, Compassion International, and by supporting some dear friends of ours doing long-term missionary work through New Tribes Mission, (we were super convicted and motivated by Randy Alcorn's book The Treasure Principle  - a great, quick read) so I'm hopeful that the $50.26 I saved by not buying real Toms will actually go further than an extra pair of shoes and touch not only feet, but tummies, minds, and hearts as well! Did you know that just $38 provides a child with food, water, medical assistance, educational resources, and exposure to the truth and love of Jesus Christ for an entire MONTH through Compassion International-? 

And seriously, don't my $3 Rite Aid shoes look good?! They're über comfy, too! Not sure how long the sale lasts, so get over to that hip (replacement) store known as Rite Aid and get your very own knockoffs today!