Decluttering Shoes

One of my new year’s resolution is to get organized. In the days to come, I will be sharing with you, excerpts or lessons learned from reading a book on ‘decluttering’. Today, I started with my collection of shoes. According to the book, the best way to go through your shoe collection is to try them on. I found at least 10 pairs of shoes that no longer fit me. Instead of tossing them out, I will donate them to charity. If you are interested in donating running shoes, check out this link and choose a worthy organization to donate your used running shoes to. For other type of shoes, the Salvation Army or Goodwill will take your old shoes off you.

Talking about shoes, I dropped in to the Las Vegas Premium Outlets over the Christmas week. I had to try on the golf shoes at Ecco to see what the hype was. All the guys at Golf Town wear Ecco shoes and recommends them so I had to find out for myself whether they were worth the money or not. They were comfortable but I couldn’t get myself to pay more than $150 for a pair, even at outlet prices. Instead, I would choose a pair of Nike or Adidas shoes for comfort and value. From now to January 15th, click on the green banner on our site for “more than golf balls” and enter WINTERSALE as the promo code to save additional money.

In with Outlets

As the Americans are preparing to shop on Black Friday, we Canadians are gearing up to shop for Christmas. I visited Deerfoot Mall this weekend and noticed all the outlet stores there. Among the few I visited, the Mexx outlet and Liz Claiborne outlet are the two that really stands out. I always liked the fashion and quality of the stuff that Mexx makes and at the outlet, you can save up to 70% off retail. Same goes for the Liz Claiborne where you can save some serious money on activewear, casual and golf wear. If you need ski or snowboard fashions and equipment, checkout the SportChek outlet which is clearing alot of its winter gear.

Another good stop at Deerfoot Mall is the Winner’s. I always enjoy going through the aisles where the electronics and gadgets are kept. It looks like there is stuff from the failed Sharper Image stores in the US. There you will find a great selection of iPod accessories and iHome sound systems. There are also golf balls, framed photographs of Mike Weir, Tiger Woods and more, and golf ball monogramers, putting practice cups that returns your ball automatically, golf towels, divot tools, utility belts and more.

For the big kids in us all, there are two robots to check out. iQue and a red mobile robot that can respond to your voice commands. At $79, it’s worth checking out. For the smaller kids, Thomas railway sets and accessories are an abundance there, starting at $6.99 and a mountain track set for $9.99 (selling for more at Wal-Mart). Dora, Disney princess, Hannah Montana are all waiting for little girls and plenty of craft kits are there too.

Not just for Stormy Weather

I love factory shopping when there are an abundance of deals to be had. When in Vancouver, I love shopping at the StormTech outlet where you can stock up on previous year’s golfing and outdoor wear. There you will find everything from winter jackets to shoulder sling bags. For the avid golfer, you will find StormTech’s fleece vests, golf shirts and rain gear that are sold at Golf Town and proshops for a lot more. In the back room, you will find a rack where they have logo’d items at clearance prices. I found a convertible windshirt with Banff Springs Golf Course logo on it that sells for $59.99 at the Banff proshop, but only $9.99 at StormTech. The windshirt allows you to zip off the sleeves, converting it to a vest.

Last time I was there, I picked up a bunch of StormTech pouches that fold out as rain ponchos. They sold at $9.99 each and are great for day trips. I used one in Rome when there was a downpour and it kept me dry. Also we picked up a duffle bag for $19.99 that has a separate compartment for shoes. This is a great duffle that I use to put my golf shoes in and extra windshirts for out-of-town golf trips.

Aside from the StormTech brand, you will also find Champion gym wear at substantial factory prices. If you are looking to stock a golf tournament, I would highly recommend you go there and check out their specials. They are open 7 days a week and take all the major credit cards.