Summer gives us the excuse to do the things we love way more often: drink wine when the sun is still up, eat popsicles in place of meals, and take impromptu afternoons to go to the beach (or our air-conditioned apartments to watch a Millionaire Matchmaker marathon).  The best thing, though, is that we’re forced to get more regular pedicures, what with all of the super cute sandals we plan on wearing this season.

Unlike our Diet Coke, we like our sandals flat.  In the summer we spend a lot of time walking: from one store to the next, from one bar to the next, and from one guy’s apartment to the next.  All of that trekking around would be a total nightmare in heels (not to mention flat sandals make for a much stealthier early morning exit).

Styles with bright colors, metallic details, and geometric patterns will all complement even the simplest of summer looks, which is key when it’s so unbearably hot the only thing you can think of putting on to go outside is a glorified cotton slip and the largest pair of sunglasses you can find.

Since we’re clearly here to make your lives easier, we’ve hunted down the most adorable and relatively affordable sandals for summer.  Yeah, we know that sentence rhymes, we’re kind of like rappers.  In fact, we actually have a lot in common with rappers: we’re good at rhyming, we love over-sized necklaces, we regularly sip on gin and juice, and we’re often afraid of getting shot.

Top to bottom, left to right: Elizabeth and James, $198; Matt Bernson, $75; J. Crew, $155; Belle by Sigerson Morrison, $140; Sam Edelman, $100; Dolce Vita, $60; Calvin Klein Collection $210; Whistles, $210; Rebecca Minkoff, $165.