How My Closet Full of Shoes Becomes the Reason I Started Investing?

I never anticipated that shoes would be the first thing I bought when I started investing. Not a book on money, not a seminar, not a mentor—just a wardrobe full of shoes that I hardly ever wore.

On a peaceful Saturday morning, I was looking for a pair of heels to go to brunch when I saw something: boxes heaped on top of each other, shoes still in their boxes, sneakers I had only worn once because they pained my ankles, and boots that had gone out of style before I ever got to wear them.

I sat on the floor, surrounded by leather, suede, and designer logos, and it hit me: here was a tiny fortune right in front of me.

The Math in the Closet That Shook Me

As a marketer, I started doing the math. One pair ran $120, another $250. I dropped $600 on stylish heels for my cousin’s wedding. When I tallied everything, the shoes amounted to more than $7,000. That figure hit me like a punch. I imagined all the vacations I could have taken, the credit‑card interest I could have avoided, or the wealth I might have built if I’d invested that money in the S&P 500 over the past five years (roughly a 10 % annual return). A Fidelity study notes that contributing $100 a month to a basic index fund can blossom to over $15,000 in ten years. Those shoes left me feeling terrible and cramped.

The Emotional Call‑to‑Action

It wasn’t just the cash. I tied my purchases to my identity—treating myself after a rough week, or snapping up a sale because it felt like a win. Yet I barely remembered most of what I bought; the excitement of unboxing faded quickly. I was left with the nagging sense that I was stuck in a loop of spending to get a fleeting mood lift.

“What if I stopped doing that?” I concept to myself. What if, in place of spending money that doesn’t paintings for me, I should have the same excitement as when I bought some thing new?

At that factor, I made the decision to begin investing my cash.

What Made Investing Seem More Dangerous Than Purchasing Shoes

The initial response was, unsurprisingly, “I am completely ignorant about making an investment.” It turned into a stable healthy for the footwear. After hearing memories of humans losing lots of bucks, the notion of making an investment in stocks regarded daunting.

The selection to do nothing additionally exists, though, I got here to examine. My savings were being eroded by using inflation because I became storing them in footwear as opposed to property. Without doing whatever, my savings were dwindling due to the three.4% inflation predicted by way of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2023.

I desired to revel in the impact with out putting too much strain on myself, so I purposefully began small—$100 into a low-price index fund.

Going Heel to Share

I turned into underwhelmed by means of the primary  months. Nothing unexpected came up. What changed for me, though, turned into seeing the account’s fee upward thrust over the years. Just like I used to get a hurry from unwrapping a brand-new pair of footwear, now days I get a comparable rush from accessing my investment app and seeing little increases.

When I felt the want for brand new shoes, I would prevent and ask myself, “Do I want footwear that will accumulate dirt or stocks that might develop over the following decade?” This helped me rewire my habit loop and face up to the need to buy greater excessive heels.

I commonly select the stocks nowadays.

My View on Life After Los Angeles

It regarded like wherever I went in Los Angeles, human beings had been speakme approximately packages, organizations, and financing rounds. People I knew inside the layout, improvement, and startup communities have been often mentioning the subjects of “returns” and “long‑term cost.”

The town’s timeless devotion to era quick altered my focus. I’d walk by a mobile app development Los Angeles coworking space in which a few people have been making packages and tools for coping with cash. “People are developing code to repair issues similar to mine,” I pondered.

I felt much less alone once I found out that my financial issues have been a part of a bigger tale, and that others all the world over have been working to enhance their habits and access to resources.

What I Can Learn From My Shoes Even Now

Shoes are nonetheless my favorite, do not get me incorrect. I nevertheless haven’t end up a hoarder, however I do examine purchases in another way now.

• I won’t trouble with it if it will be simply stored in a box.
• When some thing gives me a brief enhance but no lasting value, I stop doing it.
• Whenever I can put that money into my future self in place of a closet, it truly is after I purchase.

I started keeping tabs on my wealth within the equal way that I used to file sales at work. Even a little ascent is exciting to peer.

A Foundation of Numbers

A whopping 57% of Americans could be absolutely unprepared to deal with an unexpected $1,000 cost, in step with Bankrate. Had I persevered in overspending, I should have joined their ranks.

• A Millennials could require round $1.3 million to retire quite simply, in line with a document via Charles Schwab in 2024. I even have began the voyage, but I haven’t arrived yet.
•  A According to NerdWallet, if you save $50 a month and positioned it into an investment, you may have almost $a hundred,000 in 30 years. There’s lots of padding there.

Where I Am Right Now

It’s been roughly a year since my closet fell apart. I have cut my impulsive spending in half, set up an emergency fund, and put a few thousand dollars into a combination of index funds and ETFs.

I won’t act like it’s cool. Some days I still want to buy the sparkling shoes. But I tell myself that having a lot of shoes in my closet didn’t make me feel better. It does, though, my burgeoning portfolio.

When I think about what actually important, like freedom, options, and stability, it’s evident that this road, even if it’s slower, is the one that feels right.

Last Thought

I felt fashionable in shoes, but I feel safe when I spend. Maybe your closet moment is when you feel guilty about how much you’ve spent.

We all need something to wake us up, that’s the reality. Suede boots and leather heels were the things that did it for me. It might be something else for someone else. But the message is still the same: the sooner you start putting your money into things that will help you flourish, the sooner you’ll be able to live the life you want.