Mindful purchasing ~ buying the very best quality you can afford

We both hate shopping.   Frankly, I'd rather clean a dirty bathroom than shop for ANYTHING.   When we truly do need to buy something, the item that we ultimately purchase is very well researched, made as locally as possible, and is of the absolute best quality we can afford.   Generally speaking, good quality things last SO much longer and perform SO much better.  This keeps waste down, saves money over time and prevents future shopping trips (very important if you are like us and hate shopping!).   On Thursday, I discovered first hand another wonderful benefit of the "buy quality" mentality ~  customer service :)  At the risk of sounding like a paid infomercial, here's the story:

6 years ago, I bought a pair of Pajar winter boots hoping that I would get several years of use out of them.  My boots are hand made from high grade leather and shearling.  Not ONE stitch has come away even in high stress areas and the zippers still function as new after (literally) thousands of zips.  To add warmth and comfort, the soles have extra insulation from the ice and snow that blankets our region for 6 months of the year.  These boots keep my feet warm in temperatures all the way down to -70C (yes, that's MINUS 70C!).  Conversely, because the boots are made of natural materials, my feet don't get too hot even on a mild day when temperatures hover at 0C.  The grips on the outer soles are full of sticky tread and I've NEVER slipped in them (even on the slickest of ice).   I LOVE my Pajar boots and have recommended the brand to many people over the last 6 years...   Check out this link to Pajar's site where you can watch how these handmade boots are assembled by hand by REAL people IN Canada.

Today, I want to shout out from the rooftops just how GREAT this company is!  My boots are starting to wear after 6 years and as I've logged a lot of miles in them, the inner shearling soles are wearing thin.  On a whim, I contacted Pajar via email to inquire if I could purchase a new set of shearling insoles for my boots.  To my utter shock and amazement, my request was responded to the same day with the wonderful news that Pajar would like to send me a new set of shearling inserts AT NO COST TO ME.   After 6 years, I never expected to receive such a response and I'm in love with this company all over again!

I usually give my boots a little bit of TLC every few months to help them last as long as possible.  This was the most recent effort (a few weeks ago).  See how scuffed the toes were?  That's from me trudging through lots of deep snow and crunchy ice in the bush with the dog (not normal wear).  

After a few coats of shoe polish and some leather protector, my boots are ready to go again!   With my new insoles, I'm hoping that I can get another couple of years out of them.  That's usually the case with buying good quality things - you get a lot more use out of them.

I realize that it's now Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, but for those of you looking for a bargain, Pajar has a sale on their winter footwear NOW.  It's a great time to invest in a pair of high quality, Canadian made boots!  

* I've not been compensated for this voluntary review.  This post represents my own opinion based on my personal experience with this company.  It's high time that we share positive experiences about quality goods and services!