Kids Coats

Kids are wonderful but lets face it....they are expensive!  Part of the problem is they grow so fast you have to keep buying clothes.  Well here is a tip for getting extra bang for your buck when it comes to kid's winter coats.
When it comes to buying outerwear; coats, boots etc, I like to buy from L.L.bean.  Why?  Yes, they are a tad more expensive than say Target or Walmart but you can't beat their quality.  Plus, they have outstanding customer service.  If anything goes wrong (zipper breaks for example) you can count on them to replace it with no hassle.  Also, most of L.L.bean's toddler and kids coats have "sleeve extenders," that will allow you to extend the sleeves 1&1/2 inches.  Last year, I bought my daughter the "Warm-Up Hooded Jacket."  I just got the coat out of storage and after extending the sleeves, it fits her again this year!  To get even more for my money, I opted for the red color because its "gender-neutral," so her younger brother can wear the coat in a few years.  The nice thing about L.L.bean clothing is its very classic, traditional designs and colors so its easy to find gender-neutral items.  Sure, it may cost a little bit more up front to buy a coat from L.L.bean but if you can get multiple years out of the same coat for multiple kids, I think you've more than made up your cost.  Don't forget...you get what you pay for!