Ready, Set, Shop!
I know that we are all gearing up to get our children’s school supplies and gear ready for the 2009-2010 school year, and in this economy, we could all stand to save some money here and there! The State of Georgia is offering tax free shopping this coming weekend starting on Thursday, July 30th and ending on Sunday, August 2nd.
However, don’t go to the cash register expecting all your purchases to be tax free. There are limits to everything, but your dreams of course! This tax break applies only to the following items:
• School Supplies
• Clothing
• Footwear
• Computers
(Note: Clothing has to be $100.00 or less in order for the discount to apply. Personal Computers should be under $1500.00. School supplies would cap off at a price of $20.00)
If you are on Macy’s mailing list, or know someone who is, you may want to team-up the 15% off coupon on their mailer with the two-day sale on Friday and Saturday for extra savings! Don’t forget to watch the fine print on any advertisements that you receive or on the websites of your local retailers. The fine print will get you ev-ver-ree time!
Go prepared! Know what you need ahead of time and map out a course of action so you can take full advantage of all the savings offered without rushing around. Check out your target stores in advance and write down what you are interested in. If possible, do your best to stick with you list – though I know we often see a few little things that we didn’t know we needed, *wink, *wink!
Stores like 
Best Buy will be opening early and some retailers are bumping up their inventory on computers to prepare for anticipated shopping over this tax-free holiday. If you shop at Kohls, in addition to the tax break, you will also receive cash coupons for later redemption based on your purchase price.
If you’d planned on taking that one last vacation before school starts, check the dates of neighboring states (see below)
| Georgia | July 30 – Aug. 2 | Clothing and footwear selling for $100 or less; personal computers (and/or related accessories) bought in a single purchase of $1,500 or less; general school supplies costing $20 or less per item. See below for future tax saving dates |
| Alabama | August 7-9 |
Clothing costing less than $100; school supplies selling for up to $50 each; books that cost up to $30; computers and software costing $750 or less. Click here for cities and counties that are not participating |
| Louisiana | August 7-8 |
Maybe one of the most flexible states, Includes most items purchased for personal use that do not exceed $2,500 each. |
| Mississippi | July 31 – Aug. 1 | Clothing and footwear priced at less than $100 per item. Do they not use school supplies in Mississippi schools? Huh |
| South Carolina | August 7-9 |
Clothing, clothing accessories, footwear, school supplies, computers, printers, printer supplies and computer software, the list is somewhat exhaustive to recount here but that should be a good thing, that’s more savings. One thing I did notice was there were no price caps! There’s also a 2nd date for SC, check the website |
| North Carolina | August 7-9 |
Clothing, footwear and students’ school supplies costing $100 or less per item; school instructional materials of $300 or less per item; sports and recreation equipment priced at $50 or less per item; computers of $3,500 or less per item; and computer supplies of $250 or less. Check for second date later in the year. |
| Tennessee | August 7-9 |
Clothing with a price of $100 or less per item; school supplies selling for $100 or less per item; computers for personal use with a price of $1,500 or less. Art supplies for school work (clay, glazes, paint, paintbrushes, sketch pads, etc.) also are tax-exempt as long as they meet the $100 limit. |
| Texas | August 21-23 |
Clothing and footwear priced less than $100 per item. The Lone Star state got the picture and this year included school supplies as well, Hooray! |
| Virginia | August 7-9 |
Clothing and shoes priced at $100 or less per item; school supplies that cost $20 or less per item. Look for 2nd date later in the year |
I hope this helps you get your shopping done for the back to school season and maybe even get a few things for yourself! Enjoy!
***ADDED BONUS***
There are several states that will be offering a separate tax free week for the purchase of energy efficient appliances! Check the table for more details.
etiquette! Notice all the signs that are posted in places of business regarding turning off or silencing your cell phones. Everywhere you go there are beeps, tweets and musical tones and an array of chattering conversations going on. 
that when wasted, you cannot recapture. Ask anyone who has had their entire day thrown off by a late appointment. Do your best to arrive at least fifteen minutes prior to your scheduled time. It shows that the meeting is important to you and you could also take that time to mentally prepare for your meeting.
assurance or confidence! A loose grip and weak shake usually puts people off immediately and will not make for a good connection. 
