In my day job, I work with a lot of low income families who, by golly, have this thrifty thing down to a science!  I am constantly learning from them tips on how they keep their family afloat and happy.  Their ingenuity in times of struggle never ceases to amaze me.

One tip I got today was from a gentleman, who, when asked if his children needed to sign up for a new backpack for back to school (yep, we’re already workin’ on that), said that none of his kids will need new backpacks this year, or next, or next…

See, he was smart.  He bought his kids more expensive backpacks at the get-go – but ones with a LIFETIME WARRANTY.    EastPAK, JanSport, North Face – they all have these warranty’s – just read the tag.  He said that once their bags start to get worn down and things like zippers break, he sends them back in and they send him a new or fixed pack.  No joke!

It reminded me of one year in high school I took advantage of the JanSport Warranty and while my beloved pack was gone, I got a postcard in the mail saying that my backpack was enjoying his stay at JanSport Summer Camp.   Bueno.

Now, I did a little online searching to see the truth of the matter.  I ran into a few disgruntled purchasers who said that they sent their packs in with some holes and other wear and tear type issues, and they had their packs sent back all disheveled with a note that said that “normal wear and tear not covered under warranty.”  Huh?

So, I’m leaving this one to you readers – does anyone have any experience with said Lifetime Warranty?  It seems like an awesome trick – one making the extra money for the pack well worth it.

Ellen