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Politics & Government

Virginia's Tax-Free Weekend Offers Savings on Back-to-School Supplies

Prepare for school supply shopping and save more!

 

Back-to-school shopping is exciting; it means we're that much closer to the new school year – a thrill for children and parents alike. However, before you and the kids get swept away by the sales, new clothes, new crayons, and cool new cartoon characters on all the necessities, take a moment to prepare and end up with more for your back-to-school money.

This weekend is THE back-to-school shopping weekend in Virginia; meaning you can buy school supplies and clothing items tax-free. According to the Virginia Department of Taxation, Virginia's Tax Free Weekend, is always the first full weekend of August (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) each year.

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During this three-day period, purchases of qualifying school supplies selling for $20 or less per item, and purchases of qualifying clothing and footwear selling for $100 or less per item will be exempt from sales tax. 

Click here to find a comprehensive list of eligible school supplies and clothing. Items not covered by the tax savings are school computer supplies such as computers, printers, printer ink and paper, handheld devices, clothing accessories (hair notions, handbags, cosmetics, watches, etc), and sport or recreational equipment (dance or athletic shoes, goggles, sport gloves, etc).

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While it's tempting to go cra-zy with all the super sales going on, first make sure you're buying the right stuff for your school. Each grade has a supply list, and while the funky three-ring binders are super cool, your school may want you to purchase a specific size and color. You can find your school's supply list by grade on their websites below:

Local School Supply Lists:

Westridge Elementary

Woodbridge Middle School  

Best Back-to-School Deals

With school supply list in hand, your read to hit the parkway with a mission to stock up for the year. Here are some of this week's deals, until the end of th eday on Aug. 4, you don't want to miss:

Swiss Gear Backpack, $10

Office Depot Brand Composition Books, $0.25 each (limit 3)

Office Depot Brand 2-pocket folders, $0.01 each

Office Depot Brand Low-Odor Dry-Erase Markers 12-pk., $4

Scholastic Standard Crayons 24-ct., $0.25 each (limit 3)

Scholastic Glue Sticks 2 pack, $1

Space Saver pencil box, $0.99

Wilson Jones 1-inch Lite-Touch No-Gap Locking round-Ring View Binders, $2.50

2-pocket paper folder, $0.01 each (with $5 purchase)

1-inch Avery durable binder, $1 each (with $5 purchase)

Staples assorted patterns composition books, $1 each

Staples jumbo glue sticks 2-pack, $2

Purell instant hand sanitizer, 8 oz., $2.99

Crayola crayons 64 ct., $3 

Kleenex facial tissue 184-ct., 3 for $4

1" clear covering ring binders, $2 each

Elmer's disappearing purple glue sticks 12 ct., $3

Cherokee ultimate tees, polos, or strappy tanks, boys and girls 4-18, $5 each

Cherokee denim, boys and girls 4-16, $12 each

Classic Crayons 24-ct, 4 for $1

Free Lunch Kit with purchase of a backpack ($12.99 or more) 

CraZArt Crayons 24-ct. or 3-ct. glue sticks for $0.25 each

Kids backpack including lunchbox, $12.88

Fiskars 5" scissors, blunt or pointed, $1.47

Kleenex Facial Tissue 4-pack 100-ct. boxes, $3.47

Mead Composition Book 4-pack wide-ruled, $7.88

Boys Faded Glory Jeans, size 4-16, $8.92 each

Girls Faded Glory Jeans, sizes 4-16, $6.92 each

Boys and Girls character tees, $6.97 

Free Haircuts

J.C. Penney salons are offering free haircuts to kids (grades K-6th) all August. Stop by your JCP salon or call 1-855-JCP-KIDS to schedule a free appointment. 

You can also give back to your community by getting your back-to-school haircut at your local Hair Cuttery. Their "Share A Haircut" program donates one free haircut to a child in need in the community for every haircut purchased for a child 18 or younger from Aug. 1-15, 2012.

So, save some time and money while you do your back-to-school shopping and spend your savings on some end of the summer fun because school is just around the bend. Let the 30-day back-to-school countdown begin!

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