Back-To-School Shopping Doesn’t Have To Break the Bank

Shopping and Saving

Pencils, notebooks, and laptops aren’t immune to the rising inflation.

Back-to-school shopping for elementary school and high school students will run U.S. households a whopping $875 on average this year, the second-highest figure on record, according to the National Retail Federation. The cost goes up to $1,365 for college students.

Tax-Free Strategy

But sending your kids — or yourself — back to school doesn’t have to break the bank.

Several U.S. states waive sales tax on certain goods during select dates in August to provide relief to students and parents preparing for the new school year. Most of these states already held their tax-free shopping dates, but for Americans living in Maryland or Connecticut, there’s still time to take advantage of it.

Maryland’s seven-day sales-tax holiday started on August 11, and applies to most clothing and footwear under $100, as well as the first $40 of backpack sales. Connecticut’s sales-tax holiday runs from August 18 to 24 and applies to qualifying apparel under $100.

You can find a full list of sales-tax holidays here.

Discount Discipline

For Americans not living in those states, there are other ways to save.

Plenty of retailers offer attractive sales throughout the back-to-school shopping season. Look up deals ahead of time, and don’t feel pressure to get all your shopping done in a single trip, as the best deals may occur on different dates.

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