Top Shopping Tips For Texas Tax Free Weekend 2013

Ready to do a little tax-free shopping this summer?  The Texas Tax Free weekend has been scheduled for August 9 - 11, 2013.

Those three days, Texas shoppers can skip paying taxes on clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks priced at $100 or less!

Here are a few of my favorite shopping tips to help you successfully navigate your tax-free shopping:

• The tax free exemption counts toward any valid item under $100, even if you wind up spending more than $100 in a single transaction.  For example, if you buy three kids each a new pair of $50 sneakers, your $150 worth of purchases are all tax-free.
• Items over $100 are still charged sales tax -- so you can't buy a $200 coat and only pay sales tax on $100 of it.
• Lay-away plans can be used to help spread costs out across several paycheck cycles, so check and see if your store offers it!
• Messenger bags and backpacks with wheels qualify for tax free exemptions, as long as they can be worn on the body like a traditional backpack.  Wheeled luggage sadly doesn't qualify.
• Baby clothes and diapers are tax free as well -- so this is a terrific weekend to coupon for baby gear!
• See more money-saving tips here!

You can read the entire Texas tax free holiday guidelines to get you up to speed as the weekend approaches.  Plus, check out a loooong list of tax-free sales and deals before you hit the stores.

What do you plan to buy during the Texas tax free weekend?  Share your shopping strategies in the comments section below.