Does your state offer a tax free weekend?  If you order discount gift cards from Plastic Jungle, you might be able to save even more on back to school supplies, clothing, and more during sales tax free shopping days.

(To expedite having discount gift cards for tax free shopping, buy electronic discount gift cards which take 2-3 business days to arrive.  If you have more time, ordering physical cards will be just fine as they ship within a week.)

Over 40% of the United States provide a special tax free couple of days, or a tax free weekend, once or twice a year for certain purchases.  Most of these states offer tax free shopping in August.  Participating states include: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia.

This year, many states have made their tax free weekend even earlier to allow students, parents, and teachers to save on back-to-school supplies in time for the earlier starting school year.

Does my state have a tax free holiday?

Believe it or not, tax free shopping started back in 1999.  Texas was actually the first state to host a tax free weekend to help offset the cost of school supplies.  Since then, several other states have jumped on board.  If you’re not sure if your state is having a tax free holiday, check out this handy 2012 Tax Holidays list put together by the Federation of Tax Administrators.  Another way to be sure your area is having a tax free holiday is by typing “Tax Free Weekend 2012″ and the name of your city and state into your browser’s search bar.  Some cities choose to opt out of sales tax free holidays, so be sure to research before you shop.

How much can I save on tax free purchases?

Depending on the tax rate in your area, you can save 6-10% simply by making qualifying purchases during tax free holidays.  You can increase your savings up to 33% more by paying with discount gift cards.  Stack these savings on top of special tax free weekend sales and your savings will grow even more!

Which stores honor tax free purchases?

Many popular stores, including several Plastic Jungle retailers offer tax free shopping.

For instance, in participating states you can use discount gift cards to save an additional…

10% on clothing and shoes at Macy’s stores!

2% on school supplies, personal computers, and clothing at Walmart and Sam’s Club!

5% on clothing, school supplies, and more at Target!

And many more of your favorite stores.

What items can I purchase tax free?

The category and total value vary by state.  Sales tax may be waived on a variety of items such as school supplies, clothing, footwear, and computers.  Do note, tax free savings are not limited to only one item.  For instance, if your state waives tax on computers $350 or less, you can buy one computer from WalMart and another from Best Buy and get both without having to pay tax.

My friend, Sara, has been wanting to get a new laptop to replace her dying one.  We almost went shopping together to find her new laptop a few weekends ago, but one of our friends suggested she wait until August for our state’s tax free weekend.  Sara is looking forward to getting herself a new laptop tax free in just a few days.

What will you save on during tax free shopping days?

*Frugal Shopping Tip*

If your state does not have plans to have a tax free weekend, consider traveling to a nearby state that does or asking a friend or relative in a tax free state to shop for you.  Neighboring states may waive sales tax on additional categories of items that your state does not provide (i.e. electronics, energy efficient products, etc.).  The drive just might be worth the savings.

Tax free shopping varies by date, state, city, and shopping area.  Be sure to research first to maximize your savings.

• In-store only
• Valid through September 17, 2011
• While supplies last

• Free shipping on kids purchases over $50, including shoes
• Promo code “SCHOOL”
• Extra 15% off
• Extra 10% select departments
• Valid through August 8, 2011

 
THE CHILDREN’S PLACE

• 25% off Uniforms and Backpacks
• Limited time
• Online only

 
KOHL’S

• Biggest Back-to-School Sale
• 200 Power Hour Specials
• Friday, August 5th and Saturday, August 6th
• Online and In-store
• Get $10 Kohl’s Cash for every $50 spent

APPLE STORE

When you buy a qualifying new Mac with Apple education pricing, you’ll get a free $100 Back to School Card to use on the Mac App Store, the App Store, the iTunes Store and the iBookstore. Valid through September 20, 2011.

Who qualifies?

• College students or students accepted to college
• Parents buying for college students or students accepted to college
• Faculty or staff members at any level

Where are you buying shoes for the new school year?

Step into shoes for the whole family at JCPenney.  Over 1,400 pairs of shoes are currently priced at the lowest this season. Couple this $10 off $50 coupon with Plastic Jungle discounted gift cards for JCPenney at 14% off and you’re sure to find a deal you can feel good in.

Shop at home with Kohl’s and get free shipping on your purchase of $75 or more (use code: SHOPNSHIP). Buy discounted Kohl’s gift cards from Plastic Jungle to get an additional 15% in savings.  Be sure to visit RetailMeNot for the most current Kohl’s coupon codes.

If you’ve got teens and tweens, Buckle has a broad selection of sole mates which you can get at 11% off when you link up with Plastic Jungle discounted gift cards. For those in middle school and high school who prefer a little more funk in their shoe style, check out the 791 ways Urban Outfitters can decorate feet and bring style with trendy prices by matching a pair with 10% off thanks to discounted Urban Outfitters gift cards found at Plastic Jungle.

And don’t forget that they’ll need sneakers for gym class and rain boots to stomp in the puddles!

If you have kids, you’ve probably been running around, helter-skelter, trying to get everything bought and organized for the start of a new school year. By now you are probably ready to pull your hair out. And even though school has already started in many places around the country, it’s entirely possible that you may have forgotten some essentials. Or just as likely, your child came home on the first day of school with a list from the teacher of extra school supplies he or she will need.  You’re not alone!

Don’t fret!  We’ve got your covered.  You can buy a Target gift card and save up to 4% on back-to-school supplies (many of them are on sale right now too, so add that to your gift card savings and you will have money left over to treat yourself to a movie with an AMC Theater gift card, which are listed at up to 14% off on PlasticJungle.com).

If your back-to-school budget has already been spent and then some… We have a solution for that dilemma as well:

We’d be willing to bet that you have a gift card or two in your home.  Maybe you received it for your birthday, or perhaps you won a gift card online.  Sell it to us!  We’ll give you cash (or you can exchange it for an Amazon.com Gift Card which you can use to finish your back-to-school shopping).

With a little creativity and effort, you can turn back-to-school shopping into a savings adventure!

Did an item on your back-to-school list catch you by surprise this year?

A few weeks back if you remember, The Children’s Place released their latest coupons including Save 30% when you spend $60…so quickly you could have easily turned the 30% Off Savings into 40% Off Savings if you had purchased the card above from Plastic Jungle. You could turn that into more savings thru shopping their sales and clearance and using their Rewards Program Perks Points*