Is This Unrealistic?

[ColwynsMommy]

I went to a local store today to buy boots and snow pants for the kids because they've been dying to go out into the snow. I hate the idea of paying a ton of money for things they'll wear a handful of times (they don't really like being out in the cold much), but I saw a clearance sign outside the door, and between that and the pressure my mom's been giving me about them making snow angels and sledding and all that crap, I went in.

I ended up buying boots for the boys because I don't really like the idea of second-hand boots, don't ask me why. I spent $63. Yikes.

I went to look at the snow pants and they were marked down from $50 to $35. Is it just me, or is that WAY too much money for a pair of snow pants? Am I being unrealistic to want to spend maybe $15-20 tops on something like this? It killed me to have to spend that much on boots, but I figure they'll get more use out of the boots than the snow pants.

I'm going to check a consignment shop that's a few towns away for snow pants, but seriously.. geez.

[earthmama369]

Originally Posted by ColwynsMommy

I went to a local store today to buy boots and snow pants for the kids because they've been dying to go out into the snow. I hate the idea of paying a ton of money for things they'll wear a handful of times (they don't really like being out in the cold much), but I saw a clearance sign outside the door, and between that and the pressure my mom's been giving me about them making snow angels and sledding and all that crap, I went in.

I ended up buying boots for the boys because I don't really like the idea of second-hand boots, don't ask me why. I spent $63. Yikes.

I went to look at the snow pants and they were marked down from $50 to $35. Is it just me, or is that WAY too much money for a pair of snow pants? Am I being unrealistic to want to spend maybe $15-20 tops on something like this? It killed me to have to spend that much on boots, but I figure they'll get more use out of the boots than the snow pants.

I'm going to check a consignment shop that's a few towns away for snow pants, but seriously.. geez.

We're pretty close geographically, and $15-20 for a pair of snowpants sounds like a really good deal to me. But the way I look at it, snowpants are generously sized and don't have to fit like a second skin, so I can get 2-3 years out of one pair, which can then be resold or passed down to another kiddo, so that's only about $5/year, max, for the use we'll get out of it.

[ColwynsMommy]

That's what I was thinking, thanks. It just seemed like such a.. culture shock, or something.. that someone would pay the full $50 for a pair of snowpants. Sheesh.

[Eman'smom]

I think a lot depends on brand and timing. Two years ago I got the kids snow boots at Target for 1.24 a piece, I got a few pairs in different sizes Now that was hitting just the right sale at the right time. For where I live I don't need the heavy duty stuff, but if you are getting quality, from a local store ect, yeah you might pay more.


I also like to occationally outlet shop, we have one about an hour away. If I can hit the Osh Kosh sale at the right time I can really clean up.

[rainyday]

For really good quality stuff, that seems reasonable. We don't live in a cold winter climate, though, and we don't go skiing like a lot of people here do, so we don't really need the best quality stuff. I actually got DS's snowpants and boots at Walmart : for $17 for both - $7 for the pants and $10 for the boots. I hate going to Walmart, but it's the only place to buy that kind of stuff when I visit my parents, and that's when I got it - and I was pretty happy with the prices, and they've held up just fine. I'll be able to hand them down to someone else because they still look new. I'm going to keep my eyes open at Target for stuff on sale for next year because he'll have outgrown this stuff by then.

[loitering]

I actually never bought "snow" pants for ds, but "splash" pants. I'm not sure if they come in bigger sizes, but I've bought pairs in sz 2 and 3 for about $7 each. At ds's daycare, most kids wear them over their pants every time they go outside. It might not be as warm as snow pants, but when I took ds out for a long time in the snow he wore baby legs, pants, and then splash pants.

[EmsMom]

I would be surprised to pay $50 for snow pants. But $15 seems reasonable. I have always been able to find them at yard sales (I buy waaaayyy ahead on sizes) and they are usually between $1 to $5 that way. I ALWAYS go into shock at new prices on anything because I never buy anything new. Snow pants, though, at least generally fit for several years.

[Knittin' in the Shade]

I have never paid more than $10 on snow pants. (Then again, I've never bought them from a department store, only from consignment or ebay) Now boots, my mom got boots from Land's end for my boys last year for Christmas, and she paid $150+ for three pairs. They're AWESOME!

[savithny]

I've paid $50 for snowpants, and I'm not particularly ashamed to say so.

EDIT: Actually, I haven't paid that much - Lands End, new, are less than $50 in kids sizes.

Snowpants are required by both our elementary school and the preschool DD goes to. They wear them daily from December through March. Or April. They go out every day unless the temperature is below 10.

SO last Fall I bought DS a pair of Lands End snow bibs and a coat. The quality and warmth issues on Lands End, Bean, and a few other manufacturers are head and shoulders above other stuff. I've found them on overstocks in the past, but he needed them and there were none in his size.

Thing is, the way their coats and snowpants are sized, he's on his second year of wearing them, and when he is done, they'll still be fine for his sister to wear for two years, and they'll probably *still* be fine to hand down to someone else after that. The times I've bought cheap, in snow pants or boots, I've regretted it. They either disintegrated or turned out to have absolutely no warmth value to them.

This is actually an example of something I was thinking about -- until the wide availability of cheaply made, MIC stuff, people paid those kind of prices (relative to their incomes) for coats and shoes all the time. But they bought less stuff in general, and the stuff they bought lasted longer. Rather than buying really chintzy shoes and having 6 dozen pairs and throwing them out after a year or two, they had shoes repaired, they bought galoshes to protect them. They had them shined and polished.

[akwifeandmomma]

Yikes, that sounds spendy!

I always buy generously sized Winter wear in advance, when it goes on sale in the spring. I just got both my kid's snowpants for next winter, originally $35, marked down to $21 and $22 plus 50% off, so they were $10.50 and $11.

I saw some at Penney's for under $15 (I think) last week, too...

[girlmama28]

I agree with buying better quality snow gear. We've always lived in winter places and the better stuff not only works better at keeping the kids dry and warm, but last longer and can be passed on to another child. That said, I almost never pay full price. Lands End and LL Bean both have fantastic sales in the spring on snow gear. Ebay is also a great resource for much lower prices, especially for snow pants, which usually get used much less than a coat.

[sweetcheeks]

I have no problem spending that amount on snow pants and other snow clothes, for that matter. However, snow/cold weather is a fact of life for approx. 5-6 months of the year up here (the prairies of Canada) so they get used alot. Personally, I would rather pay more money for a quality snow clothes that'll last all winter instead of buying some lower quality/cheaper ones that'll I'll more than likely have to replace at least once during the winter (we go outside to play daily, as long as it isn't too cold). I've lucked out the last couple of years and have managed to snag some great quality snow clothes for 50% off or more.

[TattooedMama]

See I can't ever find that kind of stuff on sale or later into the winter even. In past years my kids have needed new boots and snowpants (midwest city here) but I didn't have the money to buy them in October or November when they started showing up in Target stores etc.
Then when I had the cash and it was snowy and they NEEDED them they were not available in the stores in early December. WTH?? There sure was VALENTINE CANDY THOUGH!!
I don't have very good luck thrifting for cold weather gear here, like a PP said we tend to hang on to that stuff and pass it on to family and friends.
This year I bought oldest DS's coat on Ebay earlier in the fall season and got a great coat.

[Ruthla]

I have no problem with seconhand boots for little kids. They just don't get the kind of wear (and foot moulding) that other shoes tend to get. Plus we don't typically get THAT many snowy days in a winter.

My older girls tend to wear boots even when it's not snowing, just as warm weather footwear (especially with skirts) so I don't mind paying more for their boots.

[zersha]

For where we live, it's definately worth it to spend the extra money on snow gear. Unfortunately, we have usually not had the extra money to stock up a season in advance when there are clearances. So this year, the snow started in November, and it was really hard to get new snow boots & pants for the kids. My ds still had pants that fit, but not boots. But...when the snow came sorta early, we didn't have much money and got cheapo snowboots from walmart. HUGE mistake. They didn't even make it 2 months before the insides started falling apart and ds said his feet were cold. So a few days ago I bought some really good snow boots for $40 with money I had to borrow from my dad. These will definately last, and if he outgrows them, I'm sure they can be resold. Wish I didn't waste money on the cheapos. My kids walk home from school, plus I think they go outside at school as long as the windchill isn't below 0, so it's definately a need to get good quality stuff.

In October I asked at about getting used snowpants at our local OUAC, and they said you have to get them in August or they are all sold out. That is so crazy. In August, that is when we are finally getting our hottest weather here, so we are swimming & camping.

I hate the way stores advance the seasons so much. I'm sure the swimsuits are out now, yet we are experiencing the coldest weather so far this year.

But, to answer the OP's question since I probably went off on a tangent... I don't think it's too much to spend on quality winter gear if it's needed. If you really don't go outside and don't live in the colder regions like we do, I can see how it would seem like a waste of money to make a snow angel 2 times or go sledding once. My mom did get my dd some snowpants in November at jcpenny's on sale for about $15. So maybe you just have to be lucky to hit the right sales/clearances.

[savithny]

Originally Posted by zersha

F But...when the snow came sorta early, we didn't have much money and got cheapo snowboots from walmart. HUGE mistake. They didn't even make it 2 months before the insides started falling apart and ds said his feet were cold. So a few days ago I bought some really good snow boots for $40 with money I had to borrow from my dad. These will definately last, and if he outgrows them, I'm sure they can be resold. Wish I didn't waste money on the cheapos.

What chaps my hide is that there really isn't much correlation, necessarily, between expensive stuff and quality, either. Three years ago, we asked FIL for boots/coat for DS for Christmas. He got the coat from LLbean and it is still practically pristine and is waiting for DD to grow into it.

The boots? He got at Gap. Gap is not cheap. But the stupid boots were. They were "fashion" boots, apparently -- they weren't warm enough, and they fell apart before the season was over. Based on the tag price, they were *more* than the boots from Bean would have been, but they were unusable for a 2nd season or as a handmedown. And the "winter" coats I used to see at Baby Gap (when we had one and I was shopping the clearance racks) were really only "winter" for california.

OTOH, I haven't had the reverse happen - I haven't found anything really, really cheap that could handle the bitter cold and daily use. But if you don't have our climate and you don't go out much, its obviously *much* less of an issue.

[sanguine_speed]

I live in a part of Canada that sees very cold winters. So there is snow about 5-6 months out of the year, and it often goes to -20 degrees (and the kids still go out to play). I try to buy good quality stuff on sale at the end of the season for the following season. That said, even with buying on sale, a good-quality snowsuit with appropriate mittens, hat and boots easily runs $200-$300. And I pay it because life was miserable when I was a kid and freezing, praying for the bell to ring so I could go inside from recess. I also pass down these outfits, and they last 2 years per kid.

[nascarbebe]

That stuff is just expensive, especially if you get good quality. I didn't get snowboots for DS this winter because I was just being cheap but I wish I had. Now I can't find any. However I did buy an LL Bean snowsuit on eBay for $22 with shipping sometime in late Oct. It has been an excellent buy for when DS just wants to go outside and play. I'm keeping it for the next LO.

[stacey0402]

I've bought snow pants and snow boots at Target for very little $$. If the consignment stores don't pan out I'd check Target

[mrmansmama]

I got bib snowpants at JC Penneys for under $15..they do not seem any different to me than the more expensive OshGosh ones he had last year. He can also wear the bib kind for 2 years...i just keep the straps really short the first year and then lengthen them the second. I think the quality of the boots matters a bit more..he has had the walmart boots and they were very stiff and didn't open up at the top. This year he has OshGosh boots which were $20 at an outlet ($50 original). They open really wide so they are easy to get on and they are very warm and more flexible...Also, I have always got winter coats at OshGosh and I love them.