Shoes!

This is an area where I have fallen into the trap!  I have 4 boys to outfit in proper foot gear.  And while that doesn't seem like such a difficult task to some, others will remember going through shoes as quickly as underwear!
Generally, we wait for shoes and sandals to get marked down.  End of season clearance is our favorite time of the year!  We would buy a pair, sometimes two, for each of the 5 children.  Even on clearance, this can add up quickly.  We can't just do this twice a year.  They need additional shoes!  The youngest boy, especially, can tear up a pair of shoes so quickly that all of this shoes are "play shoes".  He has no town shoes!  So let's just look at the quick math.  Boy #4 goes through at least 4 pair of sneekers every year, plus a pair for church that we have forbade him from wearing in the yard.  That's 5 pair at roughly $15 per pair.  He goes through $75 worth of shoes each year without being able to pass down any of them.
Then a friend showed me something that has changed the way I look at little boys' feet forever!  Good quality cowboy boots.  By the way, my kids are going through a cowboy phase.  They all want big belt buckles and goats to ride.  These beautiful, sturdy, wonderful, real leather boots cost a shocking $65!  Oh my goodness!  That is just too much to spend on children's shoes.  I don't spend that much on my shoes.  But then, I don't drag my toes across the dirt while swinging from a tree.  I don't wallow on the ground or climb trees.  So I can't really compare what they need to my dainty little ballet flats.  (if you can call a size 10 little)  But when we compare these boots to the $75 alternative, they are quite affordable.  And, hopefully, they will be able to be passed down.  The boys love them.  There are fewer shoes to keep up with.  They are weather proof, and are perfectly suitable for going into the muddy yard or gross chicken yard. 
Yes, I have learned that sometimes we must step back and look at the whole picture.  In being cheep, I was actually spending more money on lesser product.
Liz Price 13% off of a better product!