The customer at the counter is doing one calculation in their head: is $45 for a resole worth it when new shoes are $160? Put it in months. A resole that adds 18 months costs $2.50 a month; the new pair that lasts three years costs $4.44 a month. Two divisions and a comparison, and the cobbler has a number on the ticket that makes the case for them.
$45 over 18 months is $2.50 a month; $160 over 36 months is $4.44. The repair wins by $1.94 a month.
The example
Three jobs. The cheap flats are the one where replacement wins — a $30 repair that only buys six months is more expensive per month than the $90 replacement.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job | Repair | Months added | New price | New life (mo) | Repair /mo | New /mo | Better |
| 2 | Full resole, boots | $45 | 18 | $160 | 36 | $2.50 | $4.44 | Repair |
| 3 | Goodyear welt rebuild | $85 | 24 | $240 | 48 | $3.54 | $5.00 | Repair |
| 4 | Heel tips, flats | $30 | 6 | $90 | 24 | $5.00 | $3.75 | Replace |
The formula
Two divisions and one IF:
How it works
Both sides are the same shape: price over months of wear.
B2/C2is the repair price over the months of wear it buys. A resole on a welted boot adds a year and a half; a heel tip adds a few months.D2/E2is the new-shoe price over its expected life. Be honest here — a $160 boot that gets resoled twice lasts far longer than 36 months, and that argument is a second repair.IF(F2<=G2,"Repair","Replace")compares the two. Ties go to the repair because it is less waste and less money up front.- Round both per-month figures to cents for the ticket. The comparison should use the unrounded values.
The comparison assumes the repaired shoe is as good as new for the months it adds. For a well-made shoe that is true; for a glued sneaker it is not, and the honest thing is to shorten the months-added figure until it is.
Try it: interactive demo
Enter the repair price and months it adds, and the new-shoe price and expected life.
Variations
Savings over the repair period
The per-month gap times the months the repair adds is the dollar saving the customer actually keeps.
Break-even months
How many months the repair has to last to match the new pair per month. If your honest months-added estimate is above this, repair.
Pitfalls & errors
Months added is a judgment call and it is the whole answer. A cobbler who inflates it to win the job loses the customer six months later. Quote the low end.
Add a third column for a second repair. A welted boot that can be resoled twice at $45 has a real life of 36 + 18 + 18 months on a $160 base, which is the comparison that sells premium footwear.
Do not compare the repair price to the new price directly. $45 versus $160 is the customer's instinct and it is the wrong comparison — the months are what make it an answer.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
What is a fair life for new shoes?
Should I include the cost of the customer's time?
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