A few weeks ago I was running late, and was hearing “we’re late!!!!!” by time I was trying to locate my new black heels. I ended up going through box after box looking for my shoes, and yes, I did not put each box back nice and neat and safe after I checked it. I accidentally kicked one of the boxes, the shoes came tumbling out, and I left them there to pick up later. When I came home, I found that that lovely pink slide that would make Lilly Pulitzer proud got a bad scuff in my frantic shoe search. And I haven’t even worn them yet. I’m a bad shoe owner!

So here’s what I’m now doing to save myself time and keep my shoes in better condition:

1) Keep your shoes in their original box. It is the right size for the shoe, and it comes with those little silica packets to keep moisture away from the shoe. If the box is damaged or the shoe is delicate, you may want to consider a tupperware container – especially if they are fabric shoes, since they are more prone to mildew. Check around for dust bags (or make your own) to keep each shoe from scratching the other one if it is a delicate leather.

2) OK, your shoes are nice and safe in their box, now how do you tell which pair is which? Take a digital picture of each pair (the quality of the picture doesn’t really matter – this is just for your own reference) – either a cell phone camera or regular digital camera (even a cheap one) will work fine.

3) Upload your pictures to Snapfish.com through this link and use the code PRINTFREE to get 20 free prints with free shipping. So basically, this whole thing is free is what I’m saying. 🙂

4) Once your prints arrive in the mail, tape each picture to the corresponding shoe box so you can quickly scan the pictures for the pair of shoes you are looking for. Your shoes will safe and you’ll save yourself a ton of time when you are getting ready.