Ohio’s sales tax holiday starts Friday, August 2, which means you can stock up on some clothing and school supplies this entire weekend tax free.
Its safe to say there will probably be quite a few crowds at your favorite stores.
“I may, you know, pop out here or there,” said Rachel Krych, a mom and coupon blogger.
Krych lives in Elyria, so if she shops there or anywhere else in Lorain County, she will save 6.75 percent in sales tax.
Cuyahoga County has the highest sales tax in the entire state at eight percent.
“The evidence is in the data that shows that consumers do benefit, especially children, and especially children from low income families,” said Jack Kleinhenz, an Adjunct Professor of Economics at Case Western Reserve University.
Here are some numbers you should remember.
Starting Friday at midnight until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, any clothing items $75 or less or school supplies $20 or less are exempt from sales tax. You can get however many of these items you want as long as each individual item fits within that criteria.
“On average, a household’s going to be spending somewhere close to around $700, for back to school for K-12. So on clothing, you know, you're going to get that 8 percent tax savings or it's a reduction, effectively somewhat of a reduction in price and certainly on school supplies, so it can add up,” Kleinhenz said.
Krych runs a couponing blog called "Couponing with Rachel" and she recommends going to the shops during tax free weekend with a couple of them in your back pocket.
“Just going haphazardly in the store will leave you frustrated and maybe even spending more money. So definitely go in with a plan, bring your coupons, know what's on sale at different stores. And that means doing a little bit of research earlier in the week,” Krych said.
Her back to school shopping is done, but that doesn't mean she's stopping yet.
“But you know, sometimes mama needs a new dress also, so I'll probably go out and do a little tax free shopping for me,” Krych said.
