Buying Cold-Weather Clothes on a Budget
Being cold is one of the most unpleasant sensations we can experience. It tends to push us to make extreme decisions, like running to the nearest store and blowing next month’s rent in cash on a coat. Let’s hope it’s the best coat in the world, or you’ll wake up the next day wishing you hadn’t ripped off the tags. Bottom line, staying warm doesn’t have to drain your bank account. Here are some tips to staying financially healthy, and warm while you’re at it.
Plan Ahead
Hunt down sale items. The best time to buy winter clothes is at the end of the cold season when stores are preparing for the warmer months. Conversely, the worst time to shop for cold-weather clothes is when you feel that first Fall wind creeps down your spine. That’s when most people sprint to the mall to buy a heavy coat with a heavier price tag.
You don’t have to be one of those people. Sure, it can feel strange thinking about fleece when you’re wrapped up in summer chores. But you’ll save so much by planning your shopping when you are levelheaded and unfazed by the chill, so pencil in in your calendar.
Get Thrifty
Planning ahead is trickier when you have children outgrowing their clothes every few months. If your kids are close enough in age where hand-me-downs make sense, great. Otherwise, get to know your local secondhand stores. You’d be amazed at the quality that thrift stores carry these days. Plus, a lot of places have full sections dedicated to children and teens. Another tip to keep your little ones warm is to remember to feed them regular snacks and hearty foods, as being hungry makes their body temperature drop.
Repair and Reuse
If it’s broke, fix it! This is especially true for shoes and boots. The practice of preserving shoes by resolving them seems to have fallen out of the collective consciousness, yet it’s one of the best ways to save money. I’ve had the same pair of boots for over 10 years! They are the most comfortable shoes in the world and I wouldn’t give them up for any new pair. The leather has quite literally molded to my feet. I don’t have to go through the breaking-in process. That means zero blisters in a decade. I really can’t speak more highly about finding a cobbler and fixing up your shoes for the season. I look forward to it every year.
Insulate
The secret to beating the cold is insulation. Coats are getting lighter and thinner because technologies and designs are getting better at trapping heat. You know the puffy ones I’m talking about. You’ve been watching as your whole block buys one in every color of the rainbow. This Patagonia Canada promo code may get you one this year.
As you probably know, the rules of insulation also apply to your house or your car. Half the battle with keeping warm is trapping warm air and keeping it there. You need to make sure you are covering your extremities to keep in the heat you are naturally generating from your body. That’s where hats, scarves, gloves, and socks come into play.
Layer up
In the same way that double-glazed windows trap heat inside a home, layers provide great insulation for your body. However, that’s as far as the analogy goes. While fixing windows costs a fortune, layering is one of the cheapest activities there is. As long as you have a top layer that is made of a material that can break the wind and keep you dry, you could wear virtually anything underneath. This means you could even wear summer clothes, as long as you wore enough of them.
When it comes down to it, you want to create as many layers between you and the outside cold as possible. If that means throwing on your wardrobe from another season, so be it. Layers are also great for when you get back inside, where it can get absurdly hot and uncomfortable very quickly.
Conclusion
Don’t let the cold make you lose your cool, pun intended. Plan ahead for the cold to come, or take some time to look online for deals. There are plenty of ways to be smart about how you buy winter clothes. That being said, know that spending on a coat is a great investment. When it comes down to it, what other items of clothing can you say you’ll get as much use out of? You’ll wear your coat every day, all winter-long.
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