How To Save Money on Soccer Gear

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My frugal confession this Frugal Photo Friday: I rarely buy new soccer shoes for my children.

I have been a soccer mom for 12 years. Each season consists of 16 roughly one hour games per child. On average my children play half of each game, so they are active for around 8 hours a season.

I am a long distance runner so I know the importance of good quality shoes. I also know the average pair of shoes is built to last 400 to 500 miles of use. This means the chances of the $2 pair of soccer shoes I buy at a yard sale being past their useful mileage is minimal.

I keep a large bin in our attic full of yard sale soccer shoes, and a running list of what sizes we still need in my yard sale purse.

Using this system has only let me down two times. During my eldest son’s last two years in community soccer his feet grew beyond those average for boys his age, so alas I had to break out close to $40 a pair to get him on the field, and that was with using my clearance rack tricks. 

However should my youngest two follow in their over 6 feet tall brother’s big foot steps I will not have to shell that money out again. I will also get a bit back when I sell them, like I have on all of the other now too small  soccer shoes I have sold to date.

True I won’t sell them for the price I bought them for, which I do with all our yard sale found soccer shoes.

Yep, my chipped plastic tote full of second hand soccer cleats means my family pays NOTHING for soccer shoes (well except those 2 new pairs)

I also pick up $1 to $2 shin guards at yard sales and wash them with hot water and bleach for my kids to use, which I then resell when we are done with them.