How much did your teen boy's shoes cost?

[Anonymous]

My son is DYING for a pair of Nike LeBron basketball shoes. He has gone so far as to say it is the ONLY thing he wants for Christmas and if he just gets these, that will be enough. They are $175. He says he is the only kid without cool shoes at his school and it's embarrassing.

I"m thinking this is crazy but it got me wondering... how many kids actually have shoes like this? He's 13.

BTW it's not like he currently has cheap shoes -- he needs a wide width so I routinely spend $100 on New Balance for him.

[Anonymous]

my 14 year old has 100 dollar shoes (he wears a size 10 so they are definitely mens shoes). I really am trying not to go higher than that because he also likes to have a couple of pairs (specific for basketball, every day kicks, vans, etc). Its a slippery slope!

[Anonymous]

Absolutely ridiculous to pay this much for a teens shoes. He is only 13 and will outgrow them in now time flat......and people wonder why Americans don't save more money. Seriously?

[Anonymous]

It ireally, really is a slippery slope. I find that if you search online you can find deals under $75. But no way can you buy LeBron James shoes for a reasonable price. I would not buy a kid anything like that unless they had made some great achievement in school or some other behavioral thing. That is just too much money. I would also be horrified if my kid wanted anything so craven as shoes that cost that much. It seems so shallow. I have a 12yo, fwiw.

[Anonymous]

Give him a piggy bank for Christmas. Not to be snarky. This is a honest response. He needs to save up - you give him what you'd spend on the shoes and he pays the excess out of money he's received or earned. He learns something about opportunity cost when he does that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely ridiculous to pay this much for a teens shoes. He is only 13 and will outgrow them in now time flat......and people wonder why Americans don't save more money. Seriously?

OP here. Let me be clear. I'm not going to get him those shoes.

I was just wondering if his claims are true, that most kids have really expensive shoes.

[Anonymous]

Many but not most kids would be accurate. But if he wants them for Christmas and its in your usual price-and-frivolity range, I don't see the problem.

[Anonymous]

The problem is that buying kids these ridiculously expenses shoes is not teaching them realistic money management. Are we trying to raise fiscally responsible children or another generation of entitled brats? This is a perfect time to do a cost/benefit analysis with a child and teach them basic money skills.

[Anonymous]

I think we normally spend $80-100 for shoes, whether it is topsiders or running shoes. Exception is soccer cleats, where $200+ is the norm. Does he want the shoes for sports or just to wear around? If the former I would spring for it, if the latter then I wouldn't.

[Anonymous]

I don't see what's the big deal about giving something like this as a gift. I certainly wouldn't buy them for one of my kids as part of their wardrobe. But if that's all my son wanted for Christmas, I'd buy them - but as a caveat, that's within our gift budget. I wouldn't go over my gift budget for them.

As to money management, when my kids wanted heelys, I gave them the amount of money I would have spent on shoes and they paid the rest using their allowance. I'd do the same in this case if my son wanted these shoes. If my kids choose to forego movies, snacks, video games, etc., I figure it's their choice. I'm not going to increase their allowance or loan them money, but living with the consequences of their decisions regarding spending is a good lesson. And, if they made that type of choice, I would have to acknowledge that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I always pack lunch and forego most happy hours so I can use my spending money for shoes and jewelry.

[Anonymous]

I don't spend more than $80 for shoes for my 15 yo DS

[Anonymous]

Mom of a 6 yr old. I spent $50 on his sneakers and I thought that was a lot. I guess I should start saving now!

[Anonymous]

The prices definitely go up over size 8. I try to stay under $70. I have also stopped routinely buying a dressier (non-sneaker) pair. Now I wait for an occasion to come up. If my son said made that request, I would give him cash or a gift card for Christmas (up to what your budget is) and let him buy them. If he spend the $$ on the sneakers than they are what he really wants. Why get him something he wants less

[Anonymous]

My 13 yo son's shoes usually cost around $80. Seems outrageous even at that price.

[Anonymous]

I'm going to go against the grain here... if your son really wants these shoes, and he has agreed that they could be his only Christmas present, I would get them. My DS is a "sneakerhead" (now 17) and for years, I have been negotiating with him over sneakers. I have agreed that if he needs a new size, I'll spend $100, and he pays the rest. If he just wants new ones, I'll put up $50, twice a school year. He usually gets Jordans, that are $150-175 in adult sizes. You have to let them buy unreasonable things sometimes. It's important to him, even if you don't necessarily see its value.

I'm also going to say... your son is wearing wide width New Balance, and those are NOT cool. NB makes some cool sneakers, yes, but the ones that come in wide are not them. Let the poor kid get a pair of cool kicks for once--maybe they will pinch his feet and he will decide he'd rather be comfortable than cool. But one pair... for Christmas... come on, he deserves at least that.