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With school right around the corner, these will be so cute to have for the first day! Jane is offering the Personalized “First Day of School” Chalkboards available in pencil and schoolbooks options for only $9.99 each. Shipping is $3.99 for the first item and $0.89 additional items.
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Here’s another great back to school deal! Head on over to Proozy.com where they are offering Champion Backpacks for only $9.99 + Free Shipping (reg. up to $59.99) when you use promo code BACK
PACK at checkout. What a great deal!
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Do you need to stock up the kiddos on uniform polo shirts? Right now JCPenney.com has Kid’s IZOD Polo Shirts on sale for $5. (reg. $20) But, the deal gets sweeter as you can use coupon code 4TOSHOP (through July 29) to save an extra 30% off and the price will drop to just $3.50 each! There are lots of color options and sizes in the shirts for both girls and boys so be sure and stock up at this low price! AND, you can choose Free in-store pick up if available at store near you!
Disclosure: I was provided with Crayola products to facilitate this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please see my disclosure policy)
Crayola Thank A Teacher Campaign
Crayola wants to give back to some of the most important people in our children’s lives…..their teachers! Earlier this year in honor or Teacher Appreciation Day on May 8, 2018, Crayola announced their “Thank A Teacher” Campaign. This amazing initiative allows your children to create and upload a teacher thank you note right on the Crayola website! If you post your photo to Instagram or Twitter, be sure to use the hashtag #CrayolaThanks so that Crayola can easily find your photo. And, Crayola has their own gallery where you can search and find thank you notes by school or teacher. I just love this idea and what a fun way to give back! Many of you may not know this, but my degree is in education, so as an educator myself, I find this such a rewarding way to give back!
Crayola Thank A Teacher Contest
In addition, through August 25, 2018 Crayola is having an amazing contest for those that thank a teacher.
In addition to the grand prizes, one lucky entrant will have his or her thank you note featured on a special pack of Crayola crayons this holiday. In addition, a weekly sweepstakes will run concurrently with the contest, offering entrants a chance to win $500 gift cards for themselves and their teachers. The contest and sweepstakes will run through August 25, 2018.
Crayola Thank A Teacher Product Line
Just in time for back to school, Crayola recently came out with a line of supplies geared for giving back to our teachers! Be on the lookout for these products when you are shopping for back to school supplies!
To find out more about the Crayola Thank A Teacher Campaign, you can GO HERE.
(All posts may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. Please see my disclosure policy)
Welcome to the viewers from Tampa Bay’s Morning Blend!
Here are the Back to School Shopping Tips for Tax Free Weekend that we discussed in the segment.
I can hardly believe that School starts next week! Where has the Summer gone? If you still need to finish up your Back to School shopping, don’t forget that this weekend (August 5-7) it is Tax Free Weekend here in Florida. There are some changes this year that you will definitely want to know about before heading out the door so be sure that you are in-the-know about the all of the details.
Sales Tax is exempt on:
You can see the complete details of what items are included/excluded this year HERE.
Before you head out the door to do your shopping, I have a list of 4 important tips to help you have a stress-free trip and to save some big bucks along the way!
1. Consider Shopping Online and Choosing the Free Pick up In-Store option. Did you know that stores like JCPenney, Kohl’s, Best Buy, Target, Sears, Walmart, Office Depot, Office Max and Staples offer this service? Not only is this a time-saver, but you can shop right from the comfort of your own home, avoid those huge crowds and long lines and pick up your items for Free right in the store. I can’t tell you how much that I love this option and use it all of the time! For those of you with little ones, this can really be an effective way to shop as well so you don’t have to drag the kiddos out to several different stores. If you do shop online, consider going through a Cash Back site like Ebates. When you go through Ebates to shop at your favorite online store, you will earn Cash Back! I don’t know about you, but shopping from home in my jammies and earning CASH back on my purchases sounds like a great idea! And, I don’t have to face those crazy crowds while saving on Tax Free deals!
2. Utilize Mobile Apps/Rewards Programs. Money-saving apps and Rewards programs are a definitely a great resource for saving big this Tax Free Weekend. A few of my favorite Apps are RetailMeNot and The Target Cartwheel App.
RetailMeNot is a great app that you can utilize for shopping at any store or even restaurant. Plug in the store and the app will tell you if there is a coupon code whether in-store or online. I use this app each time that I shop and it has saved me hundreds of dollars!
The Target Cartwheel App is Target’s Savings App. You choose the offers you want to use and add them to your list. Show the cashier your barcode at checkout, they will scan it and your savings will come off. Voila, it is that easy! If you don’t have a smartphone, you can also access Cartwheel from your computer and print your barcode to take with you to the store. I have saved almost $200 to date with the Target Carthweel App! I noticed that there are lots of offers right now for Back to School Supplies and Clothing so be sure to check out this app before heading out this weekend to shop.
Utilize Rewards Programs to your favorite stores. Many stores now offer rewards programs that will give you points for each purchase that you make. Those points quickly add up and can be traded in for gift cards, cash and more!
3. Use Coupons. If you receive the Sunday Newspaper there have been some awesome manufacturer’s coupons the past few weeks for School Supplies. You can use those coupons in conjunction with the Tax Free weekend to get some really great deals. Consider looking at the Grocery Store for School Supply Deals. I feel like the Grocery Store can sometimes be a hidden gem when it comes to finding school supplies. Stores like Publix and Winn-Dixie offer Buy 1 Get 1 Free deals on items. This allows you to buy what the kiddos need now and stockpile the other items away for future use or donate them to someone in need.
Use Store Coupons to save Big! I love the JCPenney $10 off $10 purchase coupons as they allow me to get items for Free or very inexpensive. Sign up for Email/Social Media Offers and Coupons to Your Favorite Stores. When you sign up to receive these offers to your favorite stores many times they will email you a coupon for your next purchase. This can be a huge savings especially if you are making a larger purchase. For example, my son Drew wanted a pair of Nike Shoes for school this year. I knew that we were going to Champs Sports so I signed up for their email club. They sent me a coupon for $10 off my purchase of $50 or more!
4. Price Match/Compare Prices– If you will be doing a lot of shopping this weekend, I am sure that you will want to compare prices to make sure you are getting the best deal out there. It may also be beneficial to price match. Many stores will price match competitor’s prices if they sell the identical item. Just keep in mind that many times you will need to have the physical newspaper advertisement with you to do so. Some stores will also price-match to Amazon.com.
Make sure that you keep all of your receipts! If the items that you purchased go on sale within the next 1-2 weeks, many stores have a price-adjustment policy that will allow you to receive a credit for the difference. This could be a big savings!
If you plan on shopping this Tax Free Weekend, I hope that these tips will be a help to you! Just remember to Be Patient and Be Prepared! And try to have some FUN along the way!
Back to School shopping is now in full swing! I wanted to give you the dates for Back to School Tax Free shopping so that you can plan ahead. You can check out the full details of what items are included in the Back to School Tax Free shopping HERE.
ALABAMA August 2-4
ARKANSAS August 3-4
CONNECTICUT August 18-24
FLORIDA August 2-4
GEORGIA August 9-10
IOWA August 2-3
LOUISIANA September 6-8
MARYLAND August 11-17
MISSISSIPPI July 26-27
MISSOURI August 2-4
NEW MEXICO August 2-4
NORTH CAROLINA August 2-4
OKLAHOMA August 2-4
SOUTH CAROLINA August 2-4
TENNESSEE August 2-4
TEXAS August 9-11
VIRGINIA August 2-4
(All posts may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. Please see my disclosure policy)
Here is a list of states (and dates) participating in the Back to School Tax FREE Shopping this year.
Most states offer $100.00 in tax free clothing, $100.00 in tax free school supplies & $1,500.00 in tax free technology (computers and such) but be sure to check your specific state for information. Some states offer better deals than others!
Alabama
Arkansas
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Iowa
Louisiana
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
New Mexico (dates aren’t set yet but we assume it will be the same week as it was in 2011)
New York
North Carolina
Oklahoma (dates aren’t set yet but we assume it will be the same week as it was in 2011)
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont (Vermont will not be hosting any tax free back to school holidays this year)
(thanks for the list, Family Frugal Fun!)
