Fall Buyer Beware: Check those boots!

There are many reasons to fall in love with fall - weddings, birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, football... but for myself, and I'm sure many of my readers, my favourite thing about the season, are the clothes. The leaves are changing and as follows, so does your wardrobe. When I think of fall, I think of copper scarves, mustard purses and cognac boots. All of which make me grab for my credit card when seen in stores or online. I thought this year I would try to get ahead of the game by planning my shopping approach. In mid-August, I found a really good deal on slip-on moccasins and a pair of cognac leather ankle boots. In September, I scoured the internet and found a great deal on a double-breasted grey full length pea coat. My approach was a paced one so that my bank account wasn't destroyed in one swipe. I decided to change my shopping habits so that I could really work on making reasonable purchasing decisions. One by one, I would weigh the pros and cons and think to myself, "Do I really, REALLY, need this?" So many times I would head to the mall with a couple hundred bucks and leave with 3s of everything, shoes, jeans, sweaters, spending way more than I had planned but to me, I was just preparing for fall. I really, REALLY needed that entire new wardrobe, right? Well lesson learned because in the heat of the moment, I ended up buying a pair of boots that ended up turning into a nightmare. Polyurethane, dreaded Polyurethane. The boots I had spent somewhere around $130 for, were made of Polyurethane and came from China. Good God what had I done? A) they were not worth $130. B) they were not made for Winnipeg winters or even Canadian winters for that matter. The entire boot fell apart after only a few weeks of wear. The sole had come off and there was no way of putting it back on said my shoe doctor. My heart was broken. Needless to say, I somehow managed to convince the manager of the store to give me a refund, well, credit, and bought some accessories in exchange. I guess my point here is: think twice about what your spending your money on. Don't go to the mall and buy forty low quality items. Spend the money and buy quality. It will last and it will look good. Let's celebrate by yelling "yay!" to the pea coat jacket I got for $100, regular $325.