How To Shop a Tax Free Weekend

How To Shop a Tax Free Weekend

A great way to save on Back To School expenses is to know how to shop a Tax Free Weekend (hurricane and energy efficient appliances also have tax free weekends).  The list of states that participate in a Tax Free Weekend is shrinking so if you live in one who does you are fortunate! I live in Virginia and our tax free weekend for 2019 is August 2-4.  We also have hurricane preparedness stuff free that weekend and select energy efficient appliances.

Shopping online? Many large online retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target should be participating in Tax-Free Weekend, which means that you can shop without paying tax!

How to Shop a Tax Free Weekend

1.  If you have time go from store to store.  Different stores have different deals.  If you have the time and can plan ahead hit a few stores with a plan to grab certain items.  It will help you save in the long run.

2.  Buy a few extra and hide them.  Everyone knows by December some of these school supplies will have mysteriously disappeared.  Grab extra pencils, notebook paper and anything else they might  need to take back in January.

3.  Stock your home office.  Tax free weekend isn’t JUST for school.  If you have a home office grab some extra supplies.  I usually grab extra pens and pencils this weekend (my cat hides them from me slowly over the year).

4.  Don’t forget to buy ALL the clothes.  At least in the state of Virginia some unusual items are included in the clothing category (lingerie, bathing suits, insoles, rain boots etc) so take a good look at your needs for the next year.  This weekend isn’t just for jeans and t-shirts with pop stars on them.

5.  Price Match.  If you don’t want to go from store to store, price match.  At Target you can take an ad from any competitor and they will match the price.  This can cut your shopping time down and help you get everything you need in one place!

Here are the rules for the Virginia Tax Free Weekend

When is it?

August 2-4. The 3-day sales tax holiday starts the first Friday in August at 12:01 am and ends the following Sunday at 11:59 pm.

What is it?

During the sales tax holiday, you can buy qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness items, and Energy Star™ and WaterSense™ products without paying sales tax.

What items are eligible?

• School supplies, clothing, and footwear 
  • Qualified school supplies – $20 or less per item
  • Qualified clothing and footwear – $100 or less per item
• Hurricane and emergency preparedness products  
  • Portable generators – $1,000 or less per item
  • Gas-powered chainsaws – $350 or less per item
  • Chainsaw accessories – $60 or less per item
  • Other specified hurricane preparedness items – $60 or less per item
• Energy Star™ and WaterSense™​ products 
  • Qualifying Energy Star™ or WaterSense™ products purchased for noncommercial home or personal use – $2,500 or less per item

Detailed lists of qualifying items and more information for retailers can be found in the 2018 Sales Tax Holiday Guidelines.  It appears it has not updated for 2019 yet.