How poet Geoff Goodfellow spoils himself.

Geoff Goodfellow has made a living, albeit a modest one, as a working-class poet. So it was with some consternation that the former Adelaide builder found himself splurging on fashionable footwear.

Goodfellow's sponsor, Pervert clothing, dressed him in a pair of three-quarter pants, which would have rendered socks a fashion disaster. His preferred $3 rubber thongs just didn't seem to go with his trendy new garb.

"I went from shop to shop, looking for a pair of sandals that would match," he says.

"If I was one of those capitalists who loves going shopping every day it would be fine, but I hate shopping. It was a horrible experience."

Eventually, Goodfellow splurged on a pair of imported chocolate Doc Marten sandals, costing him $159 - more than he's paid for his last three pairs of shoes put together.

"Personally, I reckon that's a bit much for a pair of sandals. I have chosen to live as a poet, which is more or less taking a vow of poverty. Then again, I have a quality of life most people couldn't hope to achieve. If I was working for a boss I wouldn't be going for a swim at the beach this afternoon, then meeting my daughter after school to talk about her day. I'd be getting home at seven o'clock each night."