Ugh, kids and shoes. We've gone cheap, not cheap, they still wear the crap out of them. I used to go Stride-Rite online clearance, or local outlet mall, and got some super amazing deals there. My two younger kids (6 and 8, 1 is a girl and 1 is a boy) both got new shoes at Christmas and they're already looking pretty awful. Those were both Skechers, bought cheaper online than we saw in person, $25 for one (clearance, exactly what she wanted) and $40 for the other. My daughter has a few pairs of shoes, but my son only has two: Skechers slip on shoes (he won't tie his shoes even though he knows how, and we've stopped fighting that battle daily for now) and a pair of basketball/running shoes. I'm already looking to replace his shoes because they are in rough shape. Seriously, I don't know what kids do to their shoes, but my oldest (now 17) was the same way!