-
Step 1
~~Shop on your state's tax free holidays on school supplies~~
Not all states offer a tax exempt period on school supplies but you can find a quick list of states and their tax free holiday dates online. During these periods, certain items are exempt from sales tax. For example, in Virginia, school supplies and clothing are not taxable during the first weekend in August (August 7-9). Look to the first resource link below for such a list. -
Step 2
~~Make a list of school supplies needed~~
A lot of schools now are putting out school supply lists which are required for every student. Check with your child's school to ensure that you're getting the items required first - no sense saving money if you only have to go back out and buy school supplies you didn't know your child needed. -
Step 3
~~Shop online or at internet auction sites for school supplies~~
You can save money on school supplies by shopping online although it may not build the memories that we have about going to stores in the weeks before school started to pick out new supplies. If you do choose to shop online or at auction sites, pick out generic items (such as lined paper, copier paper, etc) and leave the personalized items (like pencils, erasers and book bags) for your child to pick out. Way more fun that way. Beware of shipping costs though... -
Step 4
~~Buy school supplies for the whole year~~
Your child will certainly be using up those pencils, erasers and pads of paper during the school year so go ahead and buy larger quantities while the supplies are on sale (or during the tax-free period as noted above).
Comments
ScarlettOHairy said
on 8/4/2009 Great tips for saving money for back to school. That can get expensive. I had no idea about the tax free days!