When Everything Needs Replacing

Maybe I'm just grouchy because I'm getting tired of winter and of snow, but lately it feels like too many things in my closet are breaking down or in need of replacement sooner than I anticipated.

My two and a half year old "everyday" boots have a hole in the leather upper and are probably unsalvageable. One of my "everyday" earrings, a nearly three year old pair of modestly priced pearl studs, keeps falling off the post and superglue is no longer doing the trick. My fleece lined tights are showing their wear because they're my only pair and they're two years old. Alas, it is not a good time of year to find a reasonably priced pair online. Neither my size nor my color are generally available for less than $20 a pair. My almost three year old down coat (vaguely similar to this one in price and design) has some really annoying design defects (the cloth gets stuck in the zipper and the hood has never stayed up) that feel increasingly obvious.

I'm sad about the boots. I paid $20.00 to resole them in November, declining a $45.00 deal that would have included cleaning and weatherproofing in addition to resoling. I thought the boots were too beat up (very noticeable salt and water stains) to be worth the maintenance costs. I was thinking yesterday that I might like the boots enough to go through with the cleaning and weatherproofing after all. I examined them and realized there I had worn a hole into the side of one. No wonder it still leaked despite the recent resoling. 

I really shouldn't complain. Winter will still be going strong for another month or two, but I have a pair of rain-boots and a pair of riding boots (which went through the $45.00 treatment) that will see me through the season. Replacement for the boots might need to wait until the fall this year. I might like a pair of waterproof duck boots then, but now is not the time. I can replace the earrings and that fits in my budget. If I get desperate, I can probably figure out the fleece-lined tights situation. The coat can definitely wait until winter next year, and maybe longer. 

Still, it isn't a great feeling when a lot of things seem to need replacement all at the same time. I am forced to wonder if spending my money more carefully on the boots and the coat would have helped me avoid the need for replacement this soon. Do you have anything in your closet that's crying out for a replacement? Was it a surprise? Or was it something you already anticipated and accounted for?