TYLER, Texas — It's tax-free weekend in Texas, and whether you are in the first week of school or getting ready to start soon, this weekend is a great time to go grab some of your supplies! Friday morning was the start of tax-free weekend.
"We’re shopping back to school because as college students we’re trying to save up and right now is a good opportunity to save up since it’s tax free weekend," said Michelle Ovievo, a UT Tyler student shopping for supplies at Target.
Whether you’re a student or shopping for your family, you’re able to save on items essential to back to school, including shoes, clothes, backpacks, and school supplies through Sunday, Aug. 11.
"We waited for tax-free weekend so that we could take advantage of that," said Traci Monroe Lewis, another back-to-school shopper at Target.
Waiting for tax-free weekend is a great idea, because shopping for back to school can get pricey. The National Retail Federation predicts total back-to-school spending in the U.S. will reach $39 billion this year. Monroe Lewis said between her children and now her grandchildren, she’s seen the prices continue to rise.
"We don’t have as much competition so we don't have the pricing competition that we had. It was a lot less expensive 20 years ago," Monroe Lewis said.
An even more affordable and still tax-free option is shopping supplies from a donation based nonprofit, like Hangers of Hope.
"We have a big table here with all of our back to school clothing. We have seen tons of people coming in and we know this weekend is going to be a big blow out as it is every year. We have clothes, pencils, we even have your school supply list if you need to double check that," said Cindy Trimble, a production manager for Hangers of Hope. "We have any and everything and we never know what's coming through that back door."