With a whole bunch of kiddos, shoe shopping can quickly become NOT FUN! It can, also, be very expensive. Now my kiddos are getting bigger, and several are in the adult sizes, which means clearance and sale prices are just not the same as they used to be when they were little. Sports, running and just general hardness on their footwear, I have, also, learned brand and quality do matter.
Some things I consider:
1. If the current style worked well, meaning it held up, was comfortable and just met the need, I search online to see if the "line" is still available. I can sometimes get away with this for a time or two, depending on age and tastes. Often the color choices are different. This is a bonus because then, they still feel like they are getting something different.
2. Is anyone else, getting close to needing new shoes? Is a new sports season coming up? Most of my kids have a standard "growth schedule". Certain months of the year, they tend to spurt. Is anyone eating more than normal? I try to look ahead and save on shipping this way, many times earning free shipping.
3. Not all my kids NEED to get new shoes at the same time. If I shop the online clearance, I won't always spend enough to get free shipping. I have learned a lot of stores will match online stores and if the shoe (even clearance) is not in stock, they will order it for you and not charge shipping. So if the store isn't super out of the way and costing me more in gas, it is worth it to run to the store with my print out or screen shot of what I found online. I try to go right away, because the ease of shopping online can mean things sell out really quick.
4. Before I do option 3, I do a quick cost analysis. I check to see what discounts are available on Swagbucks, RetailMeNot, and Ebates. I also consider what shipping is going to cost. As a military family, we are sometimes able to get a military discounts at stores. This isn't always possible online. I, also, check Ibotta and see if there are any rebate offers.
5. If I am close to a minimum amount to receive a discount, for instance $10 off 60 or $20 off $100. Maybe my total is $50 or $80. I will shop and find something to fill in. If I am going to get that extra $10 or $20 off, I might as well think ahead. Is there anything I can get and put away for birthday or Christmas? What about socks? Socks are always needed! So "finishing" off my "minimum" sometimes means making my future gift shopping easier. Essentially these socks are free if they are just finishing off my "minimum". Who doesn't like "free" birthday or Christmas gifts?
(If you have multiple kids close in feet size this might help you out: The last few years we have started blessing the kids with name brand socks for Christmas. One gets "brand A" in black, another "brand A" in white, "brand B" in black, etc. It was survival. NOT one person in the house likes to match socks and it was getting impossible to know which socks belonged to who. The matching game was a huge headache. Some didn't care and would wear whatever, stretching out or putting holes in, others did care and could never find their socks, or their socks were "ruined". The sock wars needed a resolution. By assigning a brand and color, matching and identifying the owner was simplified! Another bonus, is these name brand socks are lasting longer.)
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