Tax Free Weekiend is Here

On August 22, 2016, school is back in session for many of Houston’s over 20 Independent School Districts. This means buses on the roads, school zones active and heavier traffic for the area. Make note of active school zones in your area and be extra cautious during your morning commute or decide if an alternate route would be better or faster.

Before resuming, most families with school age children and many bargain shoppers will take advantage of Tax Free Weekend (click the link for a complete list of eligible items) on August 5-7, 2016 where clothing and school supplies can be purchased without paying sales tax. For most of our area this saves shoppers about $8.00 per $100.00 spent.

Houston area private schools, colleges and junior colleges have many different start dates but all schools should be in session by the Monday after Labor Day.

Looking for a way to help needy children start the year off right? There are various organizations in the area that have school supplies drives including:

The Rod Ryan Show

YMCA

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Most needed supplies include the basics: pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, binders, dividers, etc but some that people don’t normally think about are backpacks, lunch boxes, water bottles, headphones (for computer labs), flash drives (for saving work), combination locks, art supplies (for higher schools), planners or organizers, calculators, and uniforms.

The Houston Chronicle has done articles in the past about school supplies for needy families (you can view a story here) and the need is real. Are you looking for help getting school supplies? Information guru SheKnows has sources you can use including national organizations like Office Depot Backpack Program, Operation Homefront, and Salvation Army. Many people don’t realize that in an effort to ensure their students have the correct learning tools and environment, compassionate teachers use their own money to stock and decorate their school rooms for the upcoming year. Teachers can find some support at The Houston Food Bank but any community support would be helpful. Working together your community can make sure all students are present and ready for the first day of the 2016-2017 school year and their futures.