Watch the Talk of the Town video from the August 2nd show: Back to School Bargains

Are you joining me after seeing my segment on Back to School Bargains on Talk of the Town today?  Don’t worry if you missed any of the tips. I’ve got all the details for you right here!

Back to School Bargains

*Office Supply Store Extreme Deals: all the office supply stores (like Staples, Office Max & Office Depot) will be competing for your business in the coming weeks by offering a lot of freebies and penny deals, so you’ll want to stock up! Here are just a few things to keep in mind:
-Sign up for their free store rewards cards
-Teachers get a special rewards card and often get extra items beyond the limit (for example, 25 instead of 2 per customer at Staples)
-Be careful of extra purchase requirements – some may say “free”, but will require a minimum purchase or it will only be free after rewards from that store. Calculate the final cost before purchase!

*Shop Consignment Sales for School Uniforms & Sports Gear
-Search consignment sales before school starts, especially for uniform essentials, shoes and sports gear
-WeeWares is a consignment sale going on this week, August 4-7, at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, with most items going half price on the 7th. (plus you’ll be helping out our family – we’re consigning there too!)

*Consider Investing in a Lifetime Guarantee
-While this may not seem like such a deal up front, knowing that you can spend money on a backpack now and never have to replace it is a smart buy! Places like Lands End & L.L.Bean offer exactly that.

*Look for Added Value
-For example, Toys R Us is offering a free lunch bag with backpack purchase.

*Shop all year long
-I know this doesn’t help you now, but be looking for deals on school supplies all throughout the year. Items you know you’ll need (like glue, pens, folders, markers, etc) will go on clearance several times throughout the year, so stock up when you can.

*Teacher Appreciation Events
-Several retailers (like Banana Republic & Ann Taylor Loft) offer special teacher discounts or Rewards Cards (like mentioned above). Some will even hold teacher appreciation events before school starts, so it never hurts to ask at your favorite store!

*Donate
-With all these deals going on, please consider picking up extra supplies and donating them to a local school, shelter or ministry. There are also a lot of back-to-school drop offs going on right now that would love the extra help!

*Mayor’s First Day Festival
-in Nashville, Mayor Karl Dean will host the 12th Annual First Day Festival at Bridgestone Arena on August 7, 2011 from 2-4pm. There will be both fun & educational events, as well as free school supplies!

*Tax Free Weekend
-TN Tax Free Weekend is this weekend: August 5-7, 2011. That means that clothing and school supply purchases $100 or less, as well as computers $1500 or less are all tax free!

Last thing to consider: spend time comparing prices online before wasting gas driving around from store to store.
Better yet, shop online through sites like Ebates & Savings.com to get cash back on your purchases and take advantage of special coupon codes!

Special thanks to Fresh Produce for my dress today (and for all my readers voting on which one I should wear!) & Robyn Rhodes for my beautiful “Amber” necklace.

Watch my other Talk of the Town segments to find more great tips!