If you had three pair of well-made leather shoes, you could potentially keep them for decades by not wearing the same shoes on consecutive days and treating the leather every few months.

I'm a fan of low leather boots. Good looking low leather boots can be worn in just about every situation except weddings, and last a hell of a long time. It's rather liberating not having to worry about your shoes before deciding to walk through a soggy looking field or climb up a hill.

Move to South or SouthWest.

You'll be golden.

I've given the south west some thought, though it seems the north west is in my immediate future. Should definitely be an improvement over the east coast at least.