The Best Boot Shapers are FREE: Tip-of-the-Day #279

For a long time I treated my boots like I do all my other shoes - thrown in a big heap in the closet destined for dust and debilitation. But then my bf built me a shoe closet for Christmas last year and I was given an opportunity to revive my beloved boots and extend their lifetime dramatically. How? With boot shapers! Boot shapers hold the shape of your boot (as if your leg were in it) and eliminates cracks and creasing which over time will kill the leather.

I assumed I'd have to buy a pair of shapers for every pair of boots I own (which generally hovers around a dozen) and they aren't inexpensive. The Container Store sells a pair for $10, so for 12 pairs of boots, that's $120.

Whilst complaining about this cost to a colleague, she (a millennial with vast online shopping and research experience) told me about a little-known trick to accomplishing the same goal. Instead of a rigid plastic shaper, take a sturdy magazine, like a Nordstrom Christmas catalog, roll it, and achieve the exact same benefits - FOR FREE.

I was awed by the idea. It was downright brilliant. And so, I saved myself $120 by doing just that. And, it's the perfect season to employ this tactic because all the retailers are sending out their biggest, beefiest catalogs at the moment and given the deals on boots (Black Friday and Cyber Monday are not be missed) it's a perfect moment for new boots to meet their new friend.

Enjoy!