How to Find Affordable Shoes for Kids

While I absolutely love being a parent and couldn’t be happier with my boys, one of the things that I dread is shopping for shoes. I should rephrase that to say that I like shopping for shoes, but I dread spending the money for the shoes. I know that everything costs money, but the price of shoes can be astronomical and while I don’t mind paying for a good pair of shoes, when it comes to my children, I have to keep the prices reasonable because they grow out of their shoes so quickly.

When my oldest son was little I didn’t do a lot of research regarding where to shop for affordable, yet still durable, shoes for him. I stuck to the main department store shoes and didn’t stray too far from there because I knew those shoes were going to be within my budget. While this was fine when he was just starting to walk as he got older I noticed that these “cheap” shoes didn’t hold up at all.

Let’s just say that this time around with baby #2, I’ve learned a lot about finding high-quality shoes that my kids and I both love while sticking to my budget! Below are my suggestions for finding the affordable kids shoes that you are looking for:

• Give online shopping a try. I was very skeptical about shopping online for my boys’ shoes for a couple of reasons. First, a lot of the brands that I was considering were brands that my boys had never worn before so I was unsure about how they would fit their feet without them being able to try them on first. Secondly, I was nervous about the actual process of shopping online and the return policies if the shoes didn’t work out.Eventually, I got over my fear and ordered my son’s first pair of shoes online. The whole process is a breeze and I’ve only had to return/exchange one pair of shoes and it was easy. The key to online shoe shopping is to make sure you read and understand the seller’s return policy. Don’t order from a place that doesn’t accept returns.

  Why shop online for children’s shoes? The reasons I shop online for my boys’ shoes is because it is super convenient and I can shop anytime I’ve got time and there is a better selection of shoes online too. Most of the time, I’m also able to find better deals on shoes for the boys than I can locally, which is the main reason why I prefer to shop online.

• Visit consignment sales. I also make time to go to the consignment sales when they are local. Our town has two big consignment sales every year. One is during the spring and the other is during the fall. Most of the time I can find some great deals on slightly used shoes. Obviously, most of the items you will find at consignment sales are used, however, sometimes you will find a couple of new items. If you are looking for a pair of shoes that your kids can wear to school or out to play in, but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, consignment sales are a great place to look.
• Family and friends. If you have friends or relatives that have children slightly older than yours, don’t be afraid to ask for them to save their kids’ footwear when they’ve outgrown them. Obviously, you won’t want the shoes that are super worn and scuffed up, but if they have shoes that don’t have much wear and tear on them, ask them to give you the opportunity to buy them before they donate or sell them.

Shoes are something that our children have to have…in other words, they are a basic necessity. However, we don’t have to go broke providing them with adequate footwear. What are some of the ways you save on your children’s shoes?