When the weather starts to turn warmer in mid-March, fashion items we’ve all had stored away for months—light jackets, short skirts, maxi dresses—get to come out and play. But, for many of us, getting to break out out our sandal collection is the real thrill when temperatures starts to rise.

However, as much as you can justify wearing a maxi-length dress with a sweater on top, sandals are a different story—bust them out too early, and they just look weird, not to mention their ability to make your feet freeze when the sun goes down. But how early is too early?

Since no one seems to have offered up a definitive rule on the topic, here are some general rules to follow that we think make perfect sense when wondering if it’s too chilly to wear sandals.