Though women are happy to make savings and cut back on luxuries to ride out the credit crunch, many consider shoe shopping as a sacred activity.

This is according to the results of a survey conducted jointly in the US by BIGresearch and STORES magazine, which found that one in four of those polled said that when it comes to reducing spending, shoe shopping is untouchable.

Shoe spending even stomped all over designer handbags and facials, which 92 per cent and 89 per cent of respondents respectively said were dispensable purchases.

However, haircuts were found to be something that 40 per cent of people held dear and also refused to surrender amid the recession.

One lady who has not let the credit crunch get in the way of her footwear obsession is Carolyn Smith from Aberdeen in Scotland.

She recently owned up to having over 400 pair of shoes and confessed that she and her husband moved to a larger house to make room for her collection.

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