Five money savings hacks for back to school season

GM. Welcome to Work "After" Work, where we spill the tea on side hustles and saving money because who said your wallet can’t do the moonwalk too?

It’s Taco Tuesday! Let’s boogie:

• 📚 Money saving hacks for back to school supplies

• 😂 Meme of the day

Before the heat: To the 183 new readers since my last email - Welcome to the WAW fam 😊

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IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME

Wassup everyone! This edition of WAW is going to be a little different.

For those who don’t know, I have a little sister, and she’s starting school in a month.

I was put in charge of buying her school supplies and being the financially savvy guy I am, I researched a whole bunch of ways to save money on these supplies.

Some of them I used, some of them I was too late to (so I’ll use them next year), and some weren’t applicable in my state (Illinois) but that doesn’t mean they won’t be for you!

I know a lot of you are parents, students, or know people in school so I figured why not share all the research I’ve done with you? After all, we are one big happy family!

So here’s 5 money savings hacks when buying school supplies:

Hack 1: Tax holiday savings

This one I didn’t even know existed until last week.

Turns out, some states have “sales tax holidays” meaning you pay zero sales tax on certain items. To no one’s surprise, Illinois doesn’t have these…

Here’s how it works
For example, Missouri’s is coming up. From Aug 2nd - 4th you can buy school supplies, clothing, and computers (up to $1,500) and pay no sales tax. Pretty sweet.

And there are a ton of states that are about to have their sales tax holidays including Arkansas, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia!

To see if your state has a sales tax holiday check out this site.

Hack 2: Wednesday’s the day

Here's a trick I picked up from my retail days: Wednesdays are the golden days for shopping. Why? 'Cause stores restock their shelves and roll out the best sales midweek.

I know it might sound random, but trust me, it’s a real thing. If you're curious, this article breaks down the whole midweek eating out and shopping phenomenon.

Hack 3: Student discount galore

If you’re eyeing a new piece of tech before school here’s a quick PSA: Don’t pay full price! 

Here's how:

• Search the web for the brand name you're looking for, like "Apple" or "Samsung"

• Then, add "education store" right after it. Like this: "Apple education store" or "Samsung education store"

• Hit enter and you'll be brought to a special website only for students

These stores offer special prices that are often much lower than retail.

For example, this iPad is $999 on the regular Apple website but only $899 on the student website. That’s 11% off!

You can pick up laptops, tablets, and all sorts of gadgets for decent discounts. You will have to prove you're a student though so make sure you have your ID handy (or use someone else’s… I won’t tell 🤫)

Hack 4: Cashback magic

When buying stuff online, take advantage of cash back portals like Rakuten.

Sites like these automatically earn you cash back. It’s pretty much like getting free money for things you were already going to buy. And you get $30 free when you sign up using my link!

Once you earn cash back, you can actually cash it out unlike other sites, and wire it straight to your PayPal account. So if you’re thinking about using it (and want $30 free) check it out using my link.

Hack 5: Credit card perks

Whenever you know you’re going to make big purchases, it’s never a bad idea to open a new credit card to qualify for the sign on bonuses.

Most, if not all, offer you cash back or travel points (shoutout to your free vacation) if you spend a certain amount within the first few months. So if you know you’re going to be spending anyways, you might as well make some money off it.

If you’re interested, here’s a list of my top travel cards that offer great bonuses.

And I wouldn’t be doing you justice if I didn’t mention this: play smart and use it responsibly. There’s no point in saving on back-to-school if you're gonna pile up credit card debt.

And there ya have it. 5 hacks to save you a little money this back-to-school season! I hope you enjoyed. And don’t forget to share this with your friends! 😊

MEME OF THE DAY

😂😂

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That's a wrap ladies & gents!

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.