Do-it-yourself shoe stretching
 

I am hoping someone can give me some advice, short of buying new shoes :rolleyes:

I have taken the advice of tons of friends and decided to buy a nice pair of black flats in lieu of taking heels to dress up on a trip to Europe. I'm a total "heels" girl so it's a big change for me!

Anyways, over the weekend I bought these: Womens - American Eagle - Audrey Knot Flat - Payless Shoes
(and oh my gosh, I paid SUBSTANTIALLY MORE at Payless here!!!)

Anyways, they were really comfortable in the store. On Monday I wore them to work for the day. By the end of the day they were feeling a little painful. When I got home I walked 2 blocks to town hall to vote, and then back home again. I finally took them off and there were big indents on the side of my foot (like, my baby toe "knuckle" I guess), and my heel, just on my right foot (it's slightly bigger than my left!) On Tuesday, I braved them again, and they hurt as soon as I put them on. They weren't so bad by the end of the day, but I did keep slipping my feet out of them under my desk all day :rolleyes:

So anyways... can I stretch these in any way besides killing my feet? I am leaving in a few weeks and want them to be broken in by then! I don't own a shoe stretcher and can't really afford one right now, so I'm looking for something I might have around home :) A friend suggested stuffing damp newspapers in them overnight. Anything else I could try?

I'd put on thick socks and wear them around home, especially in the evening, when feet are usually more swollen.

Of all the times I've tried to stretch out my own shoes, I've never had very much good luck. I even bought a stretcher and a shoe stretching spray liquid. Nothing works as well as just taking the shoes down to my shoe guy, he does miracles. I have small yet really wide feet, so pretty much all my shoes need to be stretched or I just buy them big. The only thing is since the shoes are fabric and man made materials, I don't know how much they will stretch. I for the most part only get leather or suede shoes bc I always need to get them stretched.

Or else, just bring a pair of your favorite comfy heels.

I thought it might have to come down to this lol.. more pain!

I have wide feet too, and I have always just tried to break them it by wearing them a lot and it usually works eventually. I know I should have bought these shoes a little sooner to give me time to break them in! Ugh.

I have the same problem with a pair of athletic shoes...Seemed fine at the store, but at home quite painful to wear.


It would fix my problem if I could get my husband to wear them around for a day.....

Lol! Last summer I was trying to break in a pair of leather heels, so I was wearing them around the house at night. After taking them off, my bf said "How do you walk in these things?" and tried to slip one on. He fell on his face :D He will never try to put on any of my shoes again.

This probably sounds crazy but I've put shoes in my freezer with a ziploc bag filled partly with water. Basically, I put the empty bag in my shoes and fill the bags part of the way with water. When the water freeze and expands, it stretches the shoes. I haven't tried it with delicate shoes, but it has worked for loafer type shoes.

I read that in my Googling today and I think I'm going to try it tonight!

I hope it works. You really have nothing to lose if you start out with a little water and make sure the bag is sealed.

Give your special little girl a kiss for me. Both of you inspire me a lot, and I always get such a warm feeling in my heart thinking about your family.

found these things for pretty cheap...
SHOE STRETCHER from Taylor Gifts

I have the same problem and usually just 'suffer' with the pain until they are comfortable. Some shoes just never get comfortable. I have a beautiful pair of patent leather loafers with chunky heels that I paid a good amount of money for and Ive had them at least 4 years now, they look BRAND new because essentially they ARE!!! I NEVER wear them bc the few times I have, they won't stretch out!!!

I only wear leather shoes too pretty much since a) I won't pay the money stores want for man-made shoes, $70 for man made flats??? I don't think so! and b) leather stretches and wears well, last longer and c) Ive seen the feet of my girlfriend who only wears man-made shoes and her skin looks like its rotting off her feet. Its painful to see, never mind to live with!

Thank you so much, that is so sweet! I will give her a kiss for you :)

I completely forgot to do this last night, I got caught up in watching tv, and then falling asleep :rolleyes: Tonight for sure!

I have never seen a shoe stretcher like that before!

I paid $36 for this pair of flats, because they didn't seem as stiff as all the others. They were so comfortable in the store! But I will also be taking sandals so maybe I'll just end up wearing sandals more. I could take a pair that looks a little dressier. I also just spend $176 on a good pair of walking/running shoes for this trip too, so my shoe budget has kind of been busted already :rolleyes:

Oh my gosh!!! Shoes are soooo expensive in Canada! Wow!!!! That stinks! :) I love shoes! I hate busted shoe budgets, those 2 words should not go in the same sentence! LOL

I hope you find a good way to stretch them. I like the ideas of wearing thick socks or 2 pairs and then wearing them around the house, also the water in a bag and freeze it idea is great too! :) GOOD LUCK!

Thanks! Not all shoes are expensive, I usually won't spend more than $30 on a pair! Most I own are $20 :rolleyes: But I did want good shoes for a month of walking, so I decided to go to the store, have my feet and my walk measured and studied, and try on shoes without looking at prices so it wouldn't play a part. I ended up with top of the line Asics shoes! They are a bit more expensive here because they're manufactured in the USA, but not too much more expensive from what I can see online. Most important is that they're comfy though, and hopefully I'll wear them for years!

I was surprised to see those flats so much cheaper in the USA though, and both through Payless! Maybe I should have just ordered them online and paid for shipping! But, it would probably end up being the same price in the end.

My only thought is that the frozen water idea might just stretch them, not necessarily stretch them where YOU need them stretched, to fit your foot.

Those are cute shoes Lindsey. I was reading the reviews and one mentions these shoes should be washable being canvas. Is there a label with the shoe that indicates washing is okay? If it is okay to get them wet, I think I would try spraying them with water, and wear them until they are dried. I would think then the shoes would stretch to be almost a custom fit and once dried shouldn't shrink. You could speed up the drying process by using a blow dryer.