Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Shoe Dilemma

I hate clothes shopping. I really hate shoe shopping. With 4 boys I feel like I have to buy shoes every couple months. My 2 younger children especially are extremely hard on shoes. And they both have really smelly feet. I'm sorry but they do.

I usually buy cheap Wal-Mart or Target shoes. I spend somewhere around $15 typically. However the last 3 pair I have gotten from Wal-Mart the kids have burned through pretty quickly. They just don't last.

So last night we took the kids to the mall to try and find shoes for my husband as well as my son. We checked out a few stores and ended up at Kohl's. I finally found a pair that seemed to fit him good and was a much higher quality shoe. But when I saw the price I about fell over $49.99. Seriously? For kids shoes? Ugh.

So there came the dilemma. Should I spend the $50 bucks and get the higher quality shoe and hope that they last more than a couple months? Or should I just go back to Wal-Mart and get the cheaper shoes. I can get 2 maybe 3 pair of shoes for the price of these ones. Finally my husband made the choice for me and we bought the $50 shoes.

Thankfully I had a 20% coupon so that brought my total cost down to $40. I am hoping these shoes last for a while. I guess we'll find out.

How do you save money on kids shoes?

21 comments:

  1. SCHEEL's. Serious sales right now on kids shoes, service is good in the kids shoe area, we've gotten Ella's last two pairs there.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I stick with Target or consignment/garage sale shoes. We keep 2 pair on hand. One pair is for play only, one pair is for going places. Usually the "going places" shoes wear longer so when the play ones are worn out the going places ones move to play shoes and we find new going places shoes. Wow, that was a lot to say. I have never spent more than $10 on a pair of kids shoes and that is on the high side. Can't justify it when they grow out of them so quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pamida sells decent kid shoes for $25 a pair. We do winter boots from second hand stores. They each get a good pair of tennies and cheap church shoes, whic can also be second hand.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Julie never looked at Scheel's. We just don't get out that way very often.

    Maria, I try and keep 2 pair as well. One for outside/play and one for going places. Second hand shoes don't really do well for us because within a couple days they stink so bad! Where do you buy new shoes for less than $10?

    Danelle, I also do boots second hand when we can find them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have five boys and I can feel your pain. It really isn't worth it to me to buy the cheap shoes. They just fall apart. I watch for sales and coupons, especially a two-for-one deal. The more expensive shoes are better quality and sometimes can be passed down to the next boy.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Cheap shoes make my feet hurt. They have little cushion and support. So I would never buy them for my kid no matter how much money I would save.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Try the Sears Kidvantage program. If they wear out any clothes or shoes before they are outgrown, Sears will replace them free!! You have to provide receipts for items that are not Sears exclusive products, just to prove you bought it there.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I buy ahead when they are on clearance at Target, and other places. I put them in a shoe tote and keep a list on the computer of what's in it. I also scour garage sales for stride rite shoes because they last a really long time. If there is a deal online I will usually buy one in each size for the next few years up and if we never use them that is ok because I can always sell them in a consignment sale/online/CL/etc. Plus, it never fails the item will sell out and my neighbor will want one! So, it's best to stock up! I buy everything from garage sales and the like except underwear unless it's new. -Christel

    ReplyDelete
  9. I hit the Famous footwear bogo sales, or do Kohl's when they have a sale AND I have a coupon and/or Kohl's cash.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have heard putting baby powder in shoes is suppose to help with the smell

    ReplyDelete
  11. Had the same problem with Wal Mart. The shoes I bought for my girls barely made it through a season without falling apart. Because of the economy, Goodwill & consignment stores are always picked over. The hassle of dragging three kids there every week and not finding anything is not worth it. I've had some success with eBay. I actually buy all my running shoes from eBay.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Check websites like www.6pm.com and www.overstock.com as well.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have started waiting for a good coupon from Kohl's and have bought quite a few pairs from them as well. I think the quality is pretty darn good. I don't buy anything from Kohl's unless I have a 20-30% off coupon.

    ReplyDelete
  14. We have started opting for the more expensive, better made and better fitting shoe for my kids as well. I usually shop at Famous Footware. I joined there rewards program and they send me all sorts of coupons. Plus I have hit the jack pot on their clearance rack ($80 shoes for me for $7!). So we go for the more expensive shoe and try to find the best deals we can on them.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks for all the great tips. I agree that watching for sales and using coupons I can afford to get the more expensive, better quality shoe. I know this will be better for my kids feet in the long run as well.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I bought a pair of Sketchers that literally lasted me 15 years! Through college, overseas trips, hiking, etc. I cannot believe how long I wore them. I really feel it's worth it in the long run to buy a higher quality shoe. I tried Wal-Mart cheap shoes and burned through two pairs in 2 years. Bummer! We saw a sale at Sears and I got some great shoes on sale for $20, normally $40!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'd watch vonmaur.com. It is my favorite store and their clearance section has great deals. They ship for free anywhere in the states. They also mark things down on Wednesday.

    ReplyDelete
  18. JC Penney is a good place to get a deal on kids' shoes. By combining sales with the coupons they offer I was able to get Nike athletic shoes for my son for $20. I too have found that the cheapo shoes don't last long, and I would rather spend a little more right off the bat and have them last.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I try to buy overstock at lands end. They guarantee their products no questions asked. I have three boys so I love this. I buy for my oldest son and when it gets worn I send it back and they replace as close to product as they can. The customer service lady even told me when I called "It is a great program especially if you have multiple boys." Last year I bought his winter boots from there and he wore the toes part off so I sent them back and they sent me a new pair with a 9.99 refund since they went on sale since I bought them.

    ReplyDelete
  20. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete