In most places of the northern hemisphere, winters icy grip is starting to relent as spring is almost here. This is also true of many stores and internet retailers. As such, this is the right time to look at your cold weather gear and assess its performance.

• Did it get torn or wear out or break?
• Was it not exactly as wind/water proof as you thought?
• Was is not as warm as you thought or would have preferred?
• Does something need mending or another coat of waterproofing?

What ever the situation is with your gear, you should have a good idea as to what worked, what didn't, what broke, and what needs fixing or replacing. If any of these issues ring true with you after this winter, you should be shopping the end of season sales at your chosen outfitter or supplier. Things to keep in mind:

• If you're prepared to purchase (money in hand), go online and "Google" the store you're considering buying from and print an applicable coupon. This works for online retailers too.
• Don't knock grocery stores, not only do they tend to have 'points' cards, but they are also prolific coupon generators. Combine all of these perks with end of season sales for a wide variety of useful products.
• Check those camping, ski, and snowboard gear stores too as they are great places to find extreme weather gear.
• Don't be afraid to 'barter' and ask for a deeper discount than is listed. The worst thing they can say is 'No'. 

For example, I was in my local grocery store the other day and they were unloading several bins of these "HotHands Hand Warmers". With my points card, they ended up being about $0.50 apiece. Best price I could find online was at Amazon at about $0.60 per.  

I use these in my boots when I go duck and pheasant hunting... they fit right under my arch and do the trick every time. My daughters like to sneak 'em out of my pack when they go to sporting events with friends and the weather has already turned to fall or when spring hasn't quite arrived yet.

I figured why not, I had an extra $20 so I bought forty of them.

And this is whole point... keep your eyes open, ask for discounted prices, ask for deeper discounts when things are on sale. Use these methods to your advantage. By doing so, you'll be able to build your resources and gear pile and/or replace existing worn out items on the cheap.