Best Barefoot Women Shoes Less Than $50

Wanting to try barefoot shoes? Without breaking the bank?

This post shares my experience with minimalist footwear and the best shoes to start with!

Maybe it's that I am approaching 30... Or maybe it's because I had terrible foot pain during my first pregnancy and needed a solution.. or maybe I got one too many ingrown toenails and had enough.

Whichever was the ultimate motivation-- I am so thankful I ventured into the world of minimalist footwear. I wanted a new shoe that was going to support my body, was versatile enough for everyday wear and was comfy (while not giving dad shoe, orthotic vibes.. ya know??)

What is minimalist footwear?

Minimalist footwear is a term used pretty interchangeably with “barefoot shoes”. These are some of the standard assumptions and common features when talking about minimalist shoes or "barefoot shoes"

• zero drop -this means that the heel is not raised in comparison to the rest of the shoe

• a wide toe box- this means the shoe does not taper in the front and instead has a shape that resembles the shape of a foot (go figure right?) 

• minimal to no arch support

• flexible sole that allows and accommodates for natural foot movement

When I was first looking to get a pair of minimalist shoes I couldn't help but notice how expensive they were. Shouldn't I be paying less money when I am paying for less of shoe?! Some popular brands were upwards of $200... And I just wasn't wanting to commit to that kind of expense when I wasn't sure this style of shoe would work best for me...

So I ended up purchasing a cheaper alternative off of Amazon-- and now, nearly 3 years later they continue to be my favorite! So much so, that I have bought 3 different pairs from the same brand. If you are thinking about moving towards a more minimal shoe-- I think these are the best shoes to try for the first time. You get that ground feel and foot freedom, without spending tons of money and having them end up in the back of the closet. 

What did I notice wearing minimal footwear?

So many changes!! For starters--

• i had reduced foot pain. We used to have tile in our kitchen and after even 20 minutes standing barefoot and washing dishes, my arches would be aching. For a long time I blamed this on the tile.. But later I learned that is was probably due to weak feet. After wearing more minimalist footwear and spending more time being barefoot, I started noticing less and less foot pain. Now, I hardly ever notice foot pain (even when walking 20,000+ miles on our Italian vacation)

• Traditional shoes are not worth the squished toes-- I am now slowly in the process of replacing all my different styles of shoes with more minimal shoes. No more high heels, or pointy-toe boots around here anymore. I am at a point in my life where I much prefer the function of my shoes versus the aesthetic (although there are starting to be a lot more cute options with a minimalist design). 

• One of the most noticeable differences was with workouts- strong feet led to strong ankles, knees, and overall stability. Feeling the ground and having a super flexible sole, helped my feet to engage. This created better balance and motion control both in and out of the gym. I've lifted weights for years, but it wasn't until I started wearing shoes with a flat sole that I really noticed a big shift in my compound lifts like deadlift and squat. 

• Foot shape- As I have worn these shoes on a regular basis, i have noticed my feet becoming slightly more wide. This is not something that bothers me but it is something to be aware of. On the special occasion where I do wear a "normal shoe" or one that is a bit more narrow, my wide feet feel a bit more pinched. 

Beyond just me, I have slowly converted several of my family members to the barefoot shoe club. My parents (one struggling with plantar fasciitis and the other with a bunion on her big toe) noticed relief when transitioning to shoe with more minimal design.

My Favorite Barefoot shoe for less than $50?

Looking for the best minimalist shoe without  breaking the bank?? I found this shoe brand on amazon a few years ago and have since bought 3 diffferent pairs. The cool thing is that the price of all three still is less than your major brands offering barefoot shoes. Here are the 3 different shoes I have:

My favorite "trainers" - these are comparable to your typical workout tennis shoe in terms of design! I have these in the army green color and love them soo much. Truly this is my favorite shoe for wearing to the gym. 

The best shoe for everyday use- I have this style in both fully black and fully white. I can wear them with jeans or a dress for a casual look, and love how versatile they are. 

My Other Favorite Minimalist shoes

I was consider myself an intermediate/ novice when it comes to minimalist shoes. And one of my favorite people to reference- who really is an expert- is the blog AnyasReviews.com. She always shares the newest brands and styles, and it helps take the research out of it! The ones below are brands I have personally tried..

peep my fave barefoot sandals-- Earth Runners have been my favorite thing to pack no matter where we are headed!

Earth Runner: My favorite favorite favorite minimalist sandals for 3+ years. Probably my favorite shoe of any I have actually. I wore these pretty much exclusively through my second pregnancy and never had any foot pain. I wore these walking 20,000+ steps a day in Italy-- still no foot pain. I have hiked in these, crossed streams in these, and literally wore a hole through the sole. 

I will now be on my second pair of these sandals and don't foresee myself venturing from this brand anytime soon. I appreciate that they offer different sole thicknesses-- My first pair, I chose a very thin sole. And while it was great, I did end up literally wearing a hole through the bottom. This is by no means a fault of the company-- I literally wore them for thousands of miles over hikes, rocks, cobblestone, sand, etc. That said, I might pick a thicker sole this next time for the sole purpose of longevity. 

Xero shoes- Gracie minimalist rain boot! I love a cute rain boot in the fall-- and this was my favorite one that I found. I have had these for a full fall and winter season and am so happy I got them. I personally ordered them a size up to accommodate for a chunky sock in the colder days. 

My one serious struggle with the barefoot shoe thing has been finding cute chelsea boots-- until I saw the Mukishoes Chelsea boot (again, thanks to Anya!) I just ordered these for the fall and I will report back! From pictures, they look to have the most classic boot look that I wanted without an extremely wider toe box (just enough to be comfy while still cute and flattering IMO). 

latest on the blog…