Back-to-school holiday begins, simple ways to make your trip quicker and easier

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — We’re sharing some ways to make your shopping experience an easy one, as you find the best deals on school supplies.

Today’s the beginning of the back-to-school tax holiday in Florida, which means you can start saving on your child’s supply list.

The tax holiday ends in two weeks on Aug. 7.

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“Excited, but nervous,” 9-year-old Mackenzie Moore said about how she feels with school around the corner. It’s the same way many parents feel about shopping for back to school.

“I mean, it’s not like we have a choice. It’s the things that we need,” said mother Candice. “Do I ever wanna spend more? No. Do we have to? Yes.”

Candice planned their shopping trip, not realizing the impeccable timing.

“I didn’t know it tax-free until last night,” she said. “And I’d already committed that we were coming. But that’s good, we’ll save a little money.”

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Over the course of the next two weeks, the back-to-school tax holiday is expected to save Floridians $100 million, according to the nonprofit taxpayer research institute, Florida TaxWatch.

And on this first day of savings, Candice came prepared.

“We’re very lucky, our school has a list and they go ahead and put it on their website and they said go ahead and print it from there,” she said as she signaled to the printed list she brought with her.

This year, she wanted to come early, trying to avoid the chaos she experienced last year.

“We couldn’t find a lot of things without going to a lot of different places,” Candice pointed out. “I want to go to one place and get everything where you can get it.”

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If you’re ready to go with your cart, but you don’t have your list on you, you can still load it up virtually online!

Walmart and Target both have app features where you can find your school supply list, then tailor it based on your child’s grade, and purchase everything on the spot. Then, simply pick up or have them delivered.

And like Candice, you can always check your school’s website for its own posted supply list.

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