About socks and frugal living

Freedom! For more than just Dobby.

Socks are powerful.

In 2002, I did that Avon 3-Day Walk against breast cancer, and as part of that, I went to a running store to buy good socks to prevent blisters. And, lucky me, they had a bunch of DeFeet Aireator socks (Amazon affiliate link) with a Christmas theme, on clearance for a buck a pair. I snapped up six pairs. (The current retail price is $14 a pair, which the Inflation Price Calculator says was $8 in 2002.)

My usual tactic with socks is to buy several pairs in the exact same color and style. Not only does that make it easier to sort them when doing laundry, but it also saves money. If one sock gets lost in the dryer or develops a hole, I can keep its mate until another sock in the bunch disappears.

The DeFeet Aireator socks are not only good for preventing blisters, but they are perfect as a liner under wool socks in winter. I have literally and regularly been wearing socks from that initial bundle for 22 years. Then, last week, I discovered that one of the two remaining socks had a hole. It’s now time to start over.

In January, I packed hastily to travel to see my mother, who was entering hospice. I arrived in the evening, and she died the next morning. Afterward, my siblings and I were figuring out what we were doing next, and I said that I needed to go shopping because I forgot to pack socks. No worries! My sister had been doing my mother’s laundry, and there were practically new clean socks in her car, free for the taking. With that, I inherited six pairs of nice socks—not six identical pairs, but it’s okay.

Both sets of socks saved me money and reduced the number of socks that ended up in landfills. Neither saved a ton of money or a ton of carbon emissions. But better than nothing!

So buy your socks in bundles. Take advantage of bargains and freebies. Relish small inheritances. And share your frugal wisdom!