So much is to be said about a man based solely upon the quality of his shoe. I think many of us get the message of buying a good quality shoe. But, few of us realize the long-term value that we should get by doing so. There is more to a $300 pair of shoes than how they look. A nice pair of shoes should last you 5-10 years and save you hundreds of dollars in the long run (verses purchasing a pair of nice looking $65 shoes).

You will only realize this value with proper care and maintenance. Below are before and after pictures of my favorite pair of Johnston Murphy shoes (already 4 years old and purchased for $295). Every 6 months, they look like they should be trash can bound, but with about 35 minutes of work, I bring them back to life.

You will notice that they look like they are on sale in the store again. I did this using just 2 products: Kiwi shoe polish and some brown edge dressing. The edge dressing is for painting the sole of the shoes. I use the Kiwi shoe shine with a touch of water. Again, getting them to look like this takes about 35 minutes, but saves a lot of money. About every 9 months to a year, I have to take these shoes to a shoe shop to get the sole replaced which costs about $30, but again this is saving money. I will easily have this pair of shoes for 10 years.

Was my $300 wasteful, or was it an investment? Definitely an investment, but only with the proper maintenance and care.