CLEVELAND — Remember the excitement of stocking up for supplies? And getting those great deals?
With the annual tax free weekend here, it's time to cash in again.
Melissa Garten is one of those moms planning to take advantage of the deals, even though her kids aren’t going back to school in the Fall.
She says, "If they are going to go back, maybe in the spring, it's going to be harder to find school supplies, maybe even more expensive as we have the benefit of the sales tax holiday this coming weekend.”
But it's going to look very different this year, with new clothing a no go.
Garten explains, "We're wearing leggings and shorts and sometimes pajamas."
Melissa was one of the few moms we spoke with who said they were shopping at all, although Melissa says she is not buying anything for herself.
But whether it's for you or your kids, some online savings sites are trying to make it worth your while by offering cash back on your purchases.
Andrew Gretchko, Director of Public Relations for CouponCabin, explains, "You can get that in the form of a gift card to Amazon, to some of your favorite retailers, you can get that pay directly over PayPal or even Venmo."
As its name suggests, CouponCabin also offers coupon codes to thousands of retailers.
But if you have reservations about coupon sites because sometime they don't work, Gretchko says, “We have a whole team that's dedicated to checking thousands of coupons a day, making sure that everything is legitimate.”
Shopkick also rewards shoppers, but in the form of points.
Josh Lamb, Senior Vice President of Consumer Strategy, says, "One of the benefits, is right now is they're earning ‘Kicks,' which is our virtual currency that then can be redeemed for, not only back to school, but every day expenses. They can get gift cards at Nike or Kohl's or Amazon or Walmart.”
And get this: At some stores you can get “Kicks” for just for walking in the door. You don't have to buy a thing.
You also get Kicks shopping online. The amount depends on the store, which you can combine with other deals
Lamb says, “I have a rewards card as a credit card that gives me cash back. And I have a T.J. Maxx rewards or whatever it is. And with Shopkick, I’m literally earning three different ways from everything I bought.”
So even if you're not buying for back to school, you could save on stuff you may actually need, tax free.
And if you can swing it, both of those sites let you give your rewards to certain charities.
Gretchko says, “You can donate directly through us to some of those charities. Something that many folks right now are doing to try to be part of the solution.”
Click here for more information on the sales tax holiday.