Buy Now, Budget Later: 11 Chic Sandals You Didn't Know Were Cheap AF
All year long, we torture our toes, mashing them into too-tight leather boots and sneakers just too narrow for our feet. Balmy summer days are the only time most of us let our poor feet free, but it can be hard to do them justice.
Summer brings along with it a deluge of sandals unworthy of their sky-high price tags. Either they're an odd shade of brown or a trendy style bound to be a "miss" next season.
Since sandals don't often take a lot of wear and tear before they're replaced, it's one of those buys where you can easily save a few hard-earned dollars on. In the budget aisles and sale racks of your favorite stores, adorably-affordable espadrilles and wedges are waiting to be taken home.
Save the cash for a weekend away and choose the cheaper option. You won't regret it.
Huarache Peep Toe Flats
Buy: American Eagle, $25 Wear them to: Brunch with your grandmother, who sometimes slips you $50 under the table. What you'll give up to buy them: Two overpriced salad lunches, but you don't like arugula anyway.
Lace Up Espadrille Sandals
Buy: ASOS, $33 Wear them to: A backyard barbecue hosted by your former college crush, just skip the ketchup on your burger. What you'll give up to buy them: Three bottles of trendy nail polish colors that'll be out of style come fall.
Leopard Slide Sandals
Buy: Lulu's, $15 Wear them to: Do your laundry at the place around the corner where your cute neighbor hangs out. What you'll give up to buy them: One Thai takeout dinner, which you'll willingly sacrifice in the name of potential love.
Holographic Cross Strapped Sandals
Buy: Stylenanda, $43 Wear them to: Happy hour at a rooftop club you can't afford, sipping drinks purchased for you by an overeager accountant. What you'll give up to buy them: Tickets to the concert of a band you've seen twice before.
Platform Wedges
Buy: Zara, $40 Wear them to: An underground art show you found out about through Tumblr. What you'll give up to buy them: Another pair of clompy, punk rock Doc Martens.
Sandals With Buckled Ankle
Buy: Clarks, $50 Wear them to: The hottest boutique yoga class, which you found via Groupon. What you'll give up to buy them: Highlights from a luxury salon, where you promised to be a hair model in exchange for a hefty discount.
Two Part Sandal Espadrilles
Buy: ASOS, $27 Wear them to: The beachside bar manned by a bartender you once accidentally befriended while intoxicated. What you'll give up to buy them: The group surf lesson you'd been saving for, even though you really can't swim.
Funki Reef Sandals
Buy: Topshop, $40 Wear them to: A self-guided tour of your new neighborhood because they're flashy but comfortable. What you'll give up to buy them: Curtains for your bedroom -- you don't mind waking up early.
Braided Suede Sandals
Buy: Mango, $50 Wear them to: Your vacation to the ever-Instagrammable coast of Greece. What you'll give up to buy them: One night in a hostel. Couch surfing is the next best thing to a five-star hotel, anyway.
Caramel Wedges
Buy: Modcloth, $55 Wear them to: An interview with the trendy startup you love. What you'll give up to buy them: five weeks of your coveted New York Times digital subscription. It'll be on the house once you land the big job.
Birkenstock Single Strap Sandals
Buy: Opening Ceremony, $30 Wear them to: The new age meditation class you've heard about. What you'll give up to buy them: Well, you can only really afford to attend one class. Meditation wasn't really ever your thing, was it?
