Please don't let my title offend if you have larger feet and this does not apply.
This blog post was thought up by me due to my serious need for new running shoes. As I have told you readers in the past, I am an Asics girl, but darn if some are not expensive! I don't usually like the cheapest women's Asics because it just does not seem to fit comfortable, so usually the midline ones are just about right for my needs. Don't get me wrong, my last pair is still in decent shape for everyday walking, but I started working out again and have been running 1 hr a day, I need some shoes with support*.
So, I headed to Academy to try on some shoes. I like to try the shoes, find the style I like and then HUNT out the deal on that shoe, either in another store or online.
Well I tried on all the Women's in the price range I was looking, but just did not like the fit of the cheaper ones and did not like the price tag on the more expensive ones. I ended up really liking the one pictured in this post, but I was NOT willing to pay $95 bucks for a pair of shoes(hey I'm frugal! BTW, this picture is taken from the Academy black Friday ad) About ready to give up I remembered once a few years ago getting a shoe that was labeled Jrs, so I headed over to the kids shoes and guess what? They had the SAME model shoe but for Jr sizes.* And guess the price? NOT $95! NOT $70, like the women's on Black Friday will be. ONLY $40!!!!! For the SAME shoe! SCORE!
Of course the sad thing was they did not have my size in the girly color but I tried on black pair the same model and confirmed it fit. After talking to the sales guy, he checked and sadly the 3 stores closest to me were also sold out of the shoe in my size:(
Well, I came home and looked at Academy online and not only did they have my size, but they are offering FREE shipping right now on footwear, WHOOP!!!! I ordered my shoe and saved myself a ton of money, all by shopping the kids shoes!
There are several resources out there to help you find your kids shoe size but it is important for you to try on the shoe as the measurements are guidelines and can vary quite a bit between manufacturers. But if you have a small enough foot (I wear a 7.5-8 womens) you might be able to save yourself some money the next time you are looking for shoes! Here are two great resources for finding you kids size:
Livestrong.com
Nordstrom
Good luck!
Readers, I would love to hear your secret frugal tips. We can all benefit from one another's knowledge on living frugal :D
Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for this post nor do I have any affiliation with Academy, Livestrong or Nordstrom.
*Edit to add: If you are a regular runner or using these for high impact workouts, you might want to look into NOT using this method. The shoes might have a slight different design for weight impact based on how women carry their weight vs how girls do. This is a GREAT savings idea for everyday casual wear though. My friend who runs marathons personally suggests going to Fleet Feet to have them help determine your proper shoe for more intense training, to avoid injury.
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5 comments:
I've been doing this for years. Glad to know i'm not the only one! lol
I wear a 6 womens and it puts me at a 4.5 little girls. Plus now, they are making more and more kids shoes "grown up" looking so you can never tell! :)
Love your blog, and this is a tempting idea. But I have been told by several runners who have tried this that it makes you more prone to injury. One had to lay off running for a month due to injury after wearing kids' shoes for a while.
Kids' feet are different than adults and adults carry their mass differently. So the shoes are not exactly alike as far as cushioning, etc. If you are a casual runner, it might be OK. But if you're racking up an hour a day, I don't think the savings is worth the potential injury.
Buying kids' workout clothes, though, is a smart idea. Nike thermal wear, for example, is about a third less in kids' sizes.
Anon, if you are a marathon runner or intense runner, you are correct, this is not the best idea. Before recently I bought my running shoes mainly for regular wear. Recently I am working out for weight loss and I did purchase these kids shoes as a replacement to my current pair that is beyond help in the cushion department.
I will add a note to my post warning that this is probably better suited for personal and not workout use.
And because I am overweight, I sometimes look at men's running shoes, in their smaller sizes, for walking, just because the cushioning seems more durable than women's. But for every day wear, I'm wondering...just what is the largest girls' size of shoe? Size 8 women's doesn't seem that small really!
The particular shoes I bought only go to size 6 which is equivalent to 7-1/2 or 8 in Womens.
Some shoes go up to a 7 which should fit your size :D
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