Just a quick reminder since we are in Back To School Shopping mode that it’s important to keep in mind that you can take advantage of Tax Free Back to School Shopping Weekends in many states. This years Missouri Back to School Tax Free Weekend is August 1st – 3rd.
Missouri’s Tax Free Weekend applies to the following items:
•Clothing under $100
•School supplies under $50
•Computer software under $350
•Computers/computer equipment under $3,500
Visit Mo.gov for the list of non-participating counties.
Here are a few other Tax Free Weekends across the country. Keep in mind that the rules differ for different states and products.
Alabama– 8/1-8/3
Arkansas– 8/2-8/3
Connecticut– 8/17-8/23
Florida– 8/1-8/3
Georgia– 8/1-8/2
Iowa– 8/1-8/2
Louisiana– 8/1-2
Maryland– 8/10-8/16
Mississippi-7/25-7/26
Missouri– 8/1-8/3
New Mexico– 8/1-8/3
North Carolina– 8/1-8/3
Oklahoma– 8/1-8/3
South Carolina– 8/1-8/3
Tennessee– 8/1-8/3
Texas– 8/8-8/10
Virginia– 8/1-8/3
PLUS here are a few tips to help you save even more:
1. Use savings apps:
•Checkout 51– Offers rebates you can redeem as soon as you purchase select items.
•ibotta– Offers rebates you can redeem as soon as you purchase select items.
•Shopkicks– Offers coupons for many stores even at the mall. Get points for just walking into a store.
•Target Cartwheel– Offers Target store discounts which can be combined with a manufacturer coupon & a Target Store Coupon.
•Target Mobile Coupons- Text “Offers” to 827438.
2. Follow the Back to School Shopping Lists – and Weekly Price Comparison Spreadsheet – so you can track the best prices weekly on STL Mommy
3. Shoppers should think outside of the Box:
Try consignment shops, Salvation Army, and even the mall! You can get like-new designer clothing at consignment shops, the Salvation Army, and Good Will – so those are smart places to shop for families without a lot of money, or who have several children to clothe.
At the mall, check clearance racks for previous season discounts.
4. Get some of your Christmas shopping in! Clothes, electronics, and stocking stuffers are a few great buys during the tax holiday.
5. Take advantage of lay-a-ways. Qualifying items placed on or picked up from layaway during the Sales Tax Holiday are exempt from sales tax. This is another great way to get some of your Christmas shopping done.
6. Use coupons to save yourself money, but know the rules. While coupon use is allowed during the tax holiday, coupons are not allowed to be used to reduce the price of an item so it will meet the guidelines of the tax holiday rules. The only exception to this is if the coupon is a store coupon – If a retailer offers a discount to reduce the price of an eligible clothing item to $100 or less, the item will qualify for the exemption. This applies to all discounts even if a retailer’s coupon or loyalty card is required to secure the discount.
7. Be sure to make a list and know what you need to get before you go. This will prevent impulse buying.
NO-NOs:
1. Do not buy a laptop or computer without knowing exactly what your needs are compared to what the machine you are looking at offers. If you are going to spend a lot of money on a computer it needs to meet your needs.
2. Hold off on purchasing electronics if newer models are about to be release. Unless you do not mind having older versions of electronics like the Kindle Fire or iPhones, you should hold off.
3. Don’t assume something is on the allowed tax-free list. Make sure you visit the official state websites and print the list of allowed items. It would be a big disappointment if you spent a lot of time trying to find the best price on a specific item only to realize afterwards that you still had to pay taxes.
4. Don’t forget, back to school deals are very predictable. The almost 10% tax savings today may not be as great a savings as when the items go on clearance at the start of September.
Follow along with all of the Coupons, Freebies and Deals by Subscribing to STL Mommy’s once daily e-mail or following along on Facebook!