For most of my adult life i worked in and bought the clothing for skateboard and "streetwear" shops. The kind of store kids drag their parents to and the parents are shocked by the prices.
Now i'm a parent and i realize what all the shock was about! Buying Back To School clothes for multiple kids is a huge tightrope walk, getting everything they need without going completely broke!
So I recently had to buy shoes for my son Griffin who's going into kindergarten, i want him to look cool but not spend a lot. Heres how i go about it....firstly NEVER PAY REGULAR PRICE!
As someone who works for years selling clothing/shoes thats my rule, it all goes on sale soon enough.
My first stop on the shoe shop was earlier in the summer when websites are clearing out last years styles.DC Shoes is a favorite in our house and they often have good sales on their website, usually 50% off.
Keeping in mind the deals I found there I stopped at two places here in Charlottetown, Winners and for fun Walmart. I say for fun at Walmart because i don't usually shop there but I saw that they have the Tony Hawk shoes there and wanted to check them out.
Got there, and the Tonk Hawk stuff was cleared out and the other shoes were about the same price as the discounted DC Shoes so whats the point. I like brand name stuff, so sue me!
Finally Winners. They had the same prices on DC Shoes as the website and some cheaper options under $20 (which Walmart did not Have) also with a bunch of other name brand options i found a great pair of UnderArmour running shoes which he loves! So DC at $25, Under Armour at $40 I saved about $85.00!
It pays to shop around!
I grew up in Toronto and after a couple of family vacations my parents decided to buy a cottage here on Prince Edward Island instead of an expensive one in Ontario. We all enjoyed the island and the break from the crazy hustle of city living. As an adult i actually moved here and back to Toronto several times until I met Mary and we started our life together here. In case you ever thought of escaping the city and felt like moving out east to a peaceful little island heres 5 reasons to do it!
1. SEAFOOD!
Getting fresh affordable seafood is a huge draw for me, family cookouts and relatives dropping off lobster when they have too much is amazing! Mussels are another thing PEI is famous for and going down to the mussel plant, buying a giant bag that were picked that day and boiling them up that night....can't get any fresher than that!
2. BEACHES!
Being an island there are tons of beaches. The ones in public parks and if you explore enough, one of the locals beaches. If your looking for other people and socializing the public ones are where to go but the local beaches are usually empty except for beachcombers and the late night bonfire and beer folks. So you generally have them to yourself for the most part, which is a great!
3. MUSIC!
There seem to be an abnormal amount of musicians for the population on PEI, there are always shows and concerts by local groups playing everything from folk to Metal! Places like the Trailside Cafe in Mount Stewart, is an intimate spot that features loads of local singers a laid back atmosphere, great food and lots to drink!
4. SUMMER WEATHER!
Summer weather on the island is generally warm and breezy, not overly humid with high temps. As someone who grew up in Ontario with crazy hot, humid summers this is a huge draw for me as i usually would be hiding out anywhere there is AC!
5. THE BRIDGE!
After spending awhile on the island a city kid like myself gets a tad stir crazy, luckily we're one of the few islands with a bridge to the mainland! Just hop in the car and you'll have access to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, a fun day trip to get a little excitement!
Hello! And welcome to our first blog post!
With twin girls on the way and three kids aging 2, 5 and 8 we figure we have a thing or two to share about family life, kids stuff and parenting!
We live in Canada on Prince Edward Island, a beautiful little place on the Atlantic coast known for its potatoes, mussels and lobster!
Mary and I are eager to share the story of the birth of our twin girls which should happen within a month or so! So if you like cute babies, stay tuned!
We are also very open to working with companies who have family friendly products that they want reviewed, so if your a business owner drop us a line at kidsequipped@gmail.com and hopefully we can work together!
