Tax Free Holidays

It's that time of year again! Children everywhere are groaning while their parents are giddy with excitement! Back to school time! With the upcoming school year quickly approaching it's time to get out there and find those deals. If your kids are anything like mine, it seems that they have outgrown all their school clothes from the previous year and have no problem letting you know exactly what shoes and clothes are "totally awesome" as my eight year old puts it. With two school aged boys in the house keeping up with everything totally awesome can get pretty pricey quickly. In addition to finding them new clothes through swap meets I encourage parents to take advantage of the Tax Free Weekend. Virginia has several tax free holidays that consumers can take advantage of. Back to school tax free shopping begins today August 6th and runs until August 8th. Most every store is taking part in this tax free holiday and it applies to most all school supplies as well as clothing and shoes. You can check with your stores ads to see which items are included. Each individual school supply item must be $20 or less and clothing must be $100 or less. This can save you a good deal however you must be prepared to spend some time in lines. Every other parent out there is going to be hunting the same deals as you are, so patience is key!

Virginia also has other tax free weekends throughout the year that could save you money on things that you may all ready be planning to purchase. This past May 25th through May 31st was Hurricane and Emergency Preparedness Equipment Tax Free Week. This tax free week includes emergency equipment such as first aid kits, flashlights, weather radios and even generators. I realize that this tax free week has all ready passed but it will be definitely something to keep an eye out for next year.

If you are looking to purchase new energy appliances be sure to hold off until October 8th through October 11th. Appliances must meet the Energy Star and Water Sense qualifications and must be $2500 or less. Keep an eye out in your local home improvement stores circular ads for additional information on which makes/models are included.

Again, with tax free holidays there are bound to be longer wait times at your local stores but if you looking to keep some extra cash in your pocket take advantage of your tax free days!

For further information on all your 2010 tax free holidays be sure to check out the Virginia Government Homepage.

Happy Shopping!