When All Else Fails (and Is Too Expensive) While Christmas Shopping

Christmas was much easier and far less expensive when my boys were into Tonka trucks, wooden puzzles, and plastic balls. My teenagers want guitar amps, video recording equipment, microphone stands…

We see these items as useful toward their careers someday, but the price tags are frightening. Doesn’t anyone in this house want a hot wheel or a pez dispenser? Anyone??

Three out of four of our boys need tennis shoes. (Yep, the shoes are going under the tree. I buy all sorts of practical items the boys need this time of year. I have to buy them anyway. Might as well give them the pleasure of opening them as a gift.) My teens have adult feet and need quality shoes for their athletics. Target won’t cut it for my teenager shoes. But for Malachi, who is almost 11, I can still skimp on the everyday shoes. I look for quality, but try to pay less than $20.

This morning I clicked and clicked and clicked over all the sites I typically shop. I mostly shop Amazon, Target, Eastbay, and Kohl’s online – clicking back and forth to compare prices. All the shoes I found were ridiculously priced for kid shoes (or didn’t come in his size). Knowing he’ll outgrow them quickly or bust out the soles, I just couldn’t bring myself to pay $30+.

Finally, I remembered Zulily. I don’t know why I forget to look there. You never know what they might be featuring from day to day, but typically I’ve found our family’s essentials and almost always, their prices are competitive if not really, really good.

Look what I found for $12.99!!

It’s not the finest shoe on the block, but it’s definitely not the worst either. Perfect for my youngest son. (Hey, Malachi. Probably not but just in case you get on Mama’s blog and see that shoe – that’s not the pair I got you. I posted a different pic just in case. Keep the magic alive, buddy.)

I snatched up the shoes and paid for shipping, which still cost less than all the other shoes I had looked at. Once I’d paid shipping, I qualified for free shipping on every other order today. Therefore, I went back and ordered a realllly nice coat for my oldest son, a pair of silly socks for another son, and this fun t-shirt for my boys to put their grandpa’s stocking when we go visit:

Today I checked Zulily as a “when all else fails” option. It has now bumped itself up on my list of “always check when shopping around.” I can almost always find a steal on something we need. At Christmastime, they always feature even more goodies.

Do you do most of your Christmas shopping online or in stores? Have you shopped Zulily before?