So your kicks are looking kinda rough. Maybe the white parts are more of a yellowish-grey now, or there’s a hole in the toe where your big toe is literally trying to escape. Maybe the soles are still good, but the fabric has seen better days. Before you toss them in the trash or beg your parents for a new pair, stop. You can actually fix them yourself and make them look even cooler than before. And the best part? It costs almost nothing. You already have most of the stuff lying around your house. This is what we call swag on a budget, and it’s the ultimate flex.

First up, let’s talk about cleaning. You don’t need some fancy sneaker cleaner that costs twenty bucks. Grab a toothbrush that your mom was about to throw away, some dish soap, and a little bit of baking soda. Mix the soap and baking soda into a paste that looks like weird toothpaste. Scrub that onto the dirty parts of your sneakers. The rubber edges, the mesh, the canvas – everything. Let it sit for like ten minutes while you scroll through TikTok. Then rinse it off with water. If they’re still dirty, repeat. You’ll be shook at how much grime comes off. Suddenly your sneakers look like they’ve been resurrected. That’s already a win.

But what if there’s a hole or a tear? No big deal. You can patch that up with something called iron-on patches. You can buy a pack of them at the dollar store or even cut up an old piece of clothing you don’t wear anymore. Like that shirt with a stain you can’t get out? Perfect. Cut a piece of fabric larger than the hole, put it inside the shoe underneath the hole, and use fabric glue or a hot glue gun to stick it in place. If you want it to look intentional, put the patch on the outside. Make it a weird color like neon green or pink. Now your sneakers have a custom look that nobody else has. That’s not a flaw, that’s a flex.

If the shoelaces are all frayed and gross, don’t just replace them with boring white ones. Use the laces from an old pair of boots or some thick string you found in the garage. Or better yet, braid three different colored laces together to make one thick, chunky lace that screams “I’m creative.” You can also paint your laces with a fabric marker if you want a pattern. Polka dots on your shoelaces? Why not. Stripes? Go for it. This is your chance to make your shoes actually yours.

Now, painting. If your sneakers are canvas or leather (or fake leather), you can use acrylic paint mixed with a little bit of fabric medium. You don’t even need the medium if you’re just doing a small area, but it helps stop the paint from cracking. Paint a design on the side, like a lightning bolt, a star, or just splatter paint like a Jackson Pollock wannabe. If you mess up, you can paint over it. No one is grading you. The whole point is to make them look dope and save your money for something else, like snacks or video games.

What if the soles are separating from the upper part? That’s the worst. But you can fix it with shoe glue. You can buy a small tube at any craft store for literally two dollars. Squeeze it into the gap, press the sole back down, and use rubber bands or tape to hold it tight overnight. The next day, your shoes are back in business. Even better, you can add a layer of glue all around the edge of the sole as a design element. Make it a thick line of clear glue that looks like a protective border. Now it’s intentional.

Don’t sleep on the idea of adding charms or keychains to your laces. Remember those little plastic beads from summer camp? Thread them onto your laces. Or clip a tiny carabiner onto the back of your shoe. You can even sew a small patch of faux fur onto the heel. Yes, furry sneakers are a thing now, and you can make them for free if you have an old faux fur scarf or collar from a thrift store.

The whole vibe here is that you don’t need to be rich to be fresh. You just need a little bit of time and some creativity. Your old gear has potential. It’s like a dusty diamond. When you rock those fixed-up sneakers, you’re not wearing a problem, you’re wearing a story. People will ask where you got them, and you can be like, “I made them.” That’s way more swag than buying some overpriced hypebeast shoes that ten thousand other kids have.

So dig those old sneakers out of the closet. Get your hands dirty. Make them ugly on purpose, or make them clean and fresh. Either way, you win. And your wallet stays fat. That’s the real power move.