How much is too much to spend on shoes?

They can make us cry, wince and go delirious through the pain of blisters - but high heel pumps are so pretty that we forgive them their sins against our feet.

But a new survey has found that uncomfortable shoes account for £2.5 billion a year in wasted money, because we may wear a pair once and then give up on them because they are too painful.

The average female spends £136 a year on five new pairs of shoes, but three of these pairs will end up squashed in the back of the wardrobe because they are too tight or a size too big.

Lisa McCarten of Hotter Comfort Concept said: "Shoes really can change your life: they have an impact on the health of your feet, can influence how you feel and play a significant part in how much you enjoy your day. Not only do uncomfortable shoes make for a bad day today, squeezing your toes into ill-fitting footwear can also damage your feet, causing pain and discomfort in later life."

If you find that you've wasted too much of your precious paycheck on skyscraper heels that do your feet no favours, why not look for some flat styles to give your tootsies room to breathe? These black and leopard print brogues by My1stWish are bang on trend, while the pink and silver two-toned pair pay tribute to the Louis Vuitton spring/summer 2012 collection.