Ten Tips for Tax Free Weekend: Back to School Shopping

by | Jul 21, 2014 | Children, Community, Education, Fredericksburg, School, School Supply Drive, Spotsylvania, volunteer | 0 comments

1. Take an Inventory, Reuse, and Recycle

Look to see what’s left over from last year. It is likely that there are many binders, pencils, pens, calculators, and other supplies that can be reused. Let kids use stickers or paper to decorate and add a personal touch to reused binders or notebooks to make them seem new again.

2. Make a list

After you have figured out what you already have. Make a list of what items still need to be purchased. Each school has a list of recommended or required supplies by teacher or grade level. Often this list is posted on the school website. If it is not, contact your child’s school to find out what supplies will be required for your child’s grade level.

3. Avoid Gimmicks

Help your child to sort out wants from needs by sticking to the recommended list. Buy basic supplies instead of fancy or flashy versions. They are more likely to break or cause a distraction. Definitely avoid anything that lights up, makes a noise, or could be distracting to your student or others.

4. Back-to-School Swap

Get together with a group of parents and host a back-to-school swap where kids trade school supplies and clothes that they are tired of or have outgrown for ones that are new to them.

5. Consider Color-Coding by Class

Buy a binder, notebook, book cover, and folder that are the same color for each subject. It will make it easier for your student to grab the correct items quickly from their locker.

6. Shop Smart

Browse the circular before you leave to check out deals at local stores. Many stores offer price matching like: Staples, Office Depot, Office Max, and Walmart, where you can show them a sale price from another store, and they will match that price. No time to plan ahead? Use your smartphone and an app like the ShopSavvy app to compare prices in the store and ensure that you are getting the best deal.

7. Buy Backpacks with a Warranty

Companies like L.L. Bean offer a 100% warranty on backpacks. If it wears out, they will replace it. You can save a lot of money by not having to buy a new backpack for each kid every year.

8. Buy Basic Supplies in Bulk

Basic supplies like loose-leaf paper, pencils, and pens should be bought in bulk when they are on sale. This will make it much cheaper in the long-run than buying small quantities when your kids need them.

9. Shop on Tax Free Weekend

Tax Free Weekend is coming up August 1st-3rd. To see what is and is not tax-free check here: http://www.tax.virginia.gov/site.cfm?alias=STHoliday. In addition to products being tax-free, many stores also offer additional discounts on school supplies and clothing during this weekend.

10. Help your Community

volunteering community service

Please join us next Friday Aug. 1 to help out our community!!

Many local organizations have school supply drives this time of year. While you are out shopping, pick up a few extra supplies for kids who otherwise would not have any on their first day.

Parrish Learning Zone and Spotsylvania County Public Schools are having a Stuff the Bus School Supply Drive on Friday August 1st from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Southpoint Walmart. Please drop by to shop and donate some school supplies that will go to the Spotsylvania County Treasure House which provides supplies for homeless and needy students in Spotsylvania County.



-Nina Parrish, M.Ed.
Owner | Parrish Learning Zone, LLC
540-999-8759

                                       ~Nina

Nina Parrish, M. Ed.

Nina Parrish, M. Ed.

Co-Owner and Director of Education

Proud mom of two adorable girls. Teacher who has developed an education business that started at a kitchen table and has grown into a thriving small business... Click here to Learn more about Nina.

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Ms Brown was wonderful with tutoring my child in Algebra ll.
Pam Cantrell Burton
Pam Cantrell Burton
2020-10-14T16:15:51+0000
Parrish Learning Zone helped my daughter with on-line SAT and college essay preparation. She not only scored in the top 90 percentile on the SAT after working with Lauren Cannavo, she especially benefited from the tutoring she received for her admission essays. My daughter was accepted at Notre Dame, UVA, William and Mary, and received scholarships to George Washington University and the University of Alabama. She was initially deferred at the University of Chicago and waitlisted at University of Michigan and Emory University. She eventually chose not to remain on the waitlists and committed to UVA.Lauren also advised our daughter regarding her submission of a 20 page essay on community service for DECA, a high school business club. Our daughter, along with her partner, won second place in her category at the DECA state competitions in 2019 and 2020, and received second place at the DECA international competition in 2019.Lauren was not only a top-notch professional, she really cared about our daughter and was so pleased about her accomplishments. We are so very grateful to her and Parrish Learning Zone.
Marijayne Kruus
Marijayne Kruus
2020-05-11T21:51:37+0000
Mr. Chaves is an extremely gifted chemistry teacher. It's such a difficult subject--my son was drowning by the time we found PLZ. This was truly a last ditch effort on our part. Mr. Chaves was able to turn that ship around after only 4 lessons and my son passed the SOL! He was able to distill difficult concepts in a way that made them comprehensible and he was patient and kind and gave my son the confidence to succeed. His actual eacher expressed surprise and made a point of telling him he didn't know how he did it but he was impressed. It takes a gifted teacher to get results like that.I only wish we'd found PLZ and Mr. Chaves in the beginning of the school year.
Wendy Zelazny
Wendy Zelazny
2018-06-08T02:05:15+0000
Highly Recommend
Anne Kater Reeves
Anne Kater Reeves
2018-06-07T22:46:05+0000
I highly recommend Parrish Learning Zone. My daughter was able to achieve the SAT score she was aiming for with the help of her Math (Mr. James Slane) and English (Mrs. Lauren Cannavo) tutors. Not only did they help her with practice tests but they also boosted her confidence in taking the SAT. The owners (Nina and Jay) were always prompt in answering my emails. They are very accommodating and worked around my daughter’s schedule (thank you Shiela for all your help in finding available dates for my daughter to meet with her tutors). Thank you Parrish Learning Zone for helping my daughter achieve her goal!
Beth Yankovich
Beth Yankovich
2018-03-23T20:29:18+0000
I can't say enough good things about Parrish Learning Zone. My son has historically suffered from low reading comprehension. I felt he needed a little extra help so I contacted Parrish Learning Zone. The owners at Parrish matched my son with the perfect tutor for him, they developed a rapport almost immediately. He is now in 8th grade and doing well in all his classes. My son is very active in school sports and the staff at Parrish are always very accommodating. They always reschedule with no problems. My son even likes to go early to chat with Sheila.
Beth Kent
Beth Kent
2017-11-08T18:59:11+0000
Awesome! Very structured and student focused - they identified the areas of weakness and turned those into areas of strength in a very short amount of time. I loved the communication from the tutor and the company. I received a specific report of my child's tutoring session including improvements and areas that needed continued work. I received reminders of upcoming tutor sessions - which I needed!! I felt the individual attention and service was worth every penny AND found the prices to be much more reasonable that other tutors in the area. I would HIGHLY recommend Parrish Learning Zone to any parent that needs to find highly competent tutoring help for their child. Parrish is simply the best!
Michele Hiltbrunner Freemyers
Michele Hiltbrunner Freemyers
2017-03-14T15:53:50+0000
An excellent place to take your kids for any tutoring needs! PLZ is a very personalized and hands on service! Both of my teenage boys have been through here for various reasons and I know we will continue to make use of them!
Tammy Elms Mosco
Tammy Elms Mosco
2016-06-02T12:20:59+0000
I am extremely thankful to Parrish Learning Zone. I have a son that is a freshman in college majoring in mechanical engineering. I am so glad that we found out about the Parrish Learning Zone because they were very caring and really worked hard around my sons high school football schedule to ensure that he received all of the needed instruction in order to do well on the SAT testing. It was a great investment for his future. I believe this experience prepared my son for the transition to college life. He was able to attend a top engineering college and to play football there. My daughter is a senior in high school now and was admitted into two of the top ranked public schools in Virginia. She will be a freshman at one of these schools next year. She also was enrolled in the Parrish Learning Zone for preparation for the SAT. I am again thankful to the Parrish Learning Zone and feel that this was a great long term investment into their futures. I would strongly recommend the Parrish Learning Zone to anyone looking for an environment that offers a caring and knowledgeable approach to educating students. They are the best.
Angela Jackson
Angela Jackson
2014-05-15T00:39:39+0000
Andrew Powers
Andrew Powers
2014-02-09T12:32:29+0000

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