Geeze people, what other people spend their money on and what their kids skate in is none of your business. If a rich person looks down on you because your kid isn't wearing the latest fad, turning it around with reverse snobbery about how you save money etc is just as bad. You're being just as judgemental as the people you think are judging you.
Believe me, kids and other adults pick up on this when you're at the rink. Give it a rest. Do you think the coaches care what your kid's wearing? They do not. They don't care what the rich kid wear's either. And if the rich parent doesn't bring the kid to practice sessions....none of your beeswax.
And I say this as one of those 'awful people' who wear full custom harlicks and I'm only at FS1. And one pair is in TAN! (OMG, I hear in the background, She's wearing TAN boots, only COACHES can wear tan, it's like a PSA RULE OR SOMETHING ISN'T IT!)
LOL!
people will be people.
There will always be the ones who believe that the gear will buy success.
Some will be jealous that the fruit of their loins won't be as successful as the kid with the scrappy gear.
There will be those who are frugal, by choice or necessity. Some will happily be so, many will look at the more spend happy people and wonder why (or how*).
In the end, it's live and let live. Hopefully the more ambitious parents won't take out a hit one the more successful kid and her parents...
* back in the day my cousin was competing with our old mares, that had done their time on the track. She got beaten by a girl with a fancier horse and complained to her dad about that.
He asks her "what is it you rather want: a not so fancy horse and a dad who pays his bills, or a fancy horse like that and a dead beat for a dad?"
I think the tone of the 'rail birds' (Is board birds a term?) when they observe the OP's child relevant, if they are kind or ride in on a broom.
In any case, kindness is the best way to approach them. It's a judged sport after all!