So this is a post about removing your shoes. I have no idea how to relate this to personal finance but it has just been on my mind. I recently visited two of my friends at their apartment and they asked me to remove my shoes.

(If you are not reading this post at www.howisavemoney.net or in your feed reader, it may have been stolen from my site.)

Let me preface by saying they are Asian and it is common in the Asian culture to remove shoes upon entering the home. To further this practice, all of the other Asians that I know also provide guests with cheap foam or paper slippers if they are not comfortable with the practice. So in my experience, I am never barefoot in someone else’s home.

I remove my shoes at home but I keep a pair of flip flops that I wear in the house since I don’t like my feet to touch the floor, even if it has just been cleaned.

So back to my friends.

They asked me to remove my shoes and I was waiting for the offer of paper slippers but none came. I asked if I could have a pair of (my female friend’s) socks or a pair of flip flops since I don’t put my feet on the floor. I was given a pair of socks but they found it very interesting that I wanted something to wear while inside the house.

I just repeated again that I did not walk without shoes, all the while looking at my friend who was indeed wearing a pair of ‘inside’ flip flops!

They thought it was funny since I was the only non-Asian who requested footwear when they asked guests to remove shoes.

How do you feel about this? Do you remove your shoes at other people’s homes?

If someone asked you to remove your shoes and you were not comfortable would you ask for alternate footwear?