I like to make money.

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I mean, who doesn’t right?

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But I’m talking even earning mere pennies gives me a rush. Usually, my money-making tasks are as harmless as a slug and also about as exciting. I occasionally take online surveys for a few cents. I regularly give feedback to a clothing company for credits toward purchases. I sometimes make a few bucks off of writing and producing crappy video reels for social media. Truly a few bucks. I mentioned these videos are crappy, right?

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I’m a mom blogger, and usually, it’s the posts about dirty dishes and epic kid fights that gain the most traction. The relatable stuff we parents go through.

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Oh, and I should also mention that bargain shopping is my jam. Give me some half-price, past-season breakfast cereal and you had better believe my husband is going to hear about it. Even though he will most definitely have zero shits to give about that deal.

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I share all of this to help you understand why I was at first grossed out (hello, mom blogger!) but pretty quickly all in when some dude online propositioned me to buy my dirty, worn slippers. What followed was an adventure. And I have to say, I’m not opposed to another, similar adventure in the future.

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One day I decided to take a peek into the junk folder of my blog’s Facebook account inbox.

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There was an offer from some dude with very little identifying information to buy my dirty slippers for $200 per pair. First of all, gross. Second of all, this all seemed too good to be true. Two HUNDRED dollars? I’m the woman who embarks on internet surveys with a promise of 55 cents, only to be disqualified halfway in.

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This guy was at least a weirdo and most likely a scam artist. But I had to know more. So I started Googling about the stinky slipper purchasing business. Surprisingly, there were accounts of these transactions.

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A woman wrote about selling her old shoes online to men with a foot fetish. She didn’t make much money and the work that went into shipping off the shoes was too much for her liking, so she’d stopped.

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But she did sell some shoes.

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My curiosity peaked. I’d play along with this guy who propositioned me.

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I checked to see what slippers I had on hand. They were almost all worn, stained, and covered in cat hair. They weren’t smelling so hot, either. Perfect. The stink was part of the appeal, right?

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I sent him photos of my three pairs of slippers as requested, and told him to tell me which he liked.

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It did feel a little gross sending a stranger online photos that were likely sexually gratifying to him, even though there weren’t even any body parts involved. The whole thing was a bit of a call back to the days of “cybering” with guys over AOL chat rooms back in the day.

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I waited with bated breath for a response.

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He liked the pair with the hearts on top. And could I send him a photo of my feet in them? If I did, he would send me $50 right then and there.

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At this point, I was fairly certain he was a scam artist. But I had to know more.

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I decided I had no issues parting with a photo of my feet in slippers, even if I walked away empty-handed.

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Besides, what if this dude did send me $50?

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I researched the best ways to anonymously exchange payments online and downloaded Cash App. I consulted my friend who is very open and previously worked as a dominatrix. Go for it, she said.

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I sent him my QR code for payment along with the photo of my feet in the slippers and waited.

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There was a long pause. I pictured this faceless dude furiously spanking off to my stinky slippers with my jagged, chipped-paint toenails hanging out the open tops of my slippers.

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At last, the scrolling dots appeared. He was typing.

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Could I send him one more photo, this time with the slipper over my bare crotch?

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Hahahahaha……ha!

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Yeah, no. I told him. Send me the money now or I’m out.

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The faceless stranger told me that at this very minute he was chatting with two other people who were willing to take naked pictures with shoes covering their bits and pieces.

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Well, then good for all of them.

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I was out.

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I waited a few more minutes to see if the money would come through, and it did not. So I blocked him.

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And that’s the story of how a mom blogger was willing to sell her stinky old slippers for cash. Did she get the cash? No. But maybe we sometimes judge others and their life choices too harshly. There are sex workers who take pride in that profession and are great people. There are lawyers covered in tattoos.

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Maybe we can work together to back off of attaching stigmas to people and things that don’t need it.

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Sure, this dude was a weirdo. But aren’t we all? What’s worse is he is a scam artist.

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But you know what? I had an adventure, damn it. And maybe, just maybe, I’d take another similar adventure again.

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