Shop Now Through Saturday for School Supplies Tax Free

For Peachtree Corners students school is already in session so the big shopping crunch has passed. But if you still need to do some more shopping, you've got a chance to shop from now until midnight Saturday, August 11 and shop tax-free.

The sales tax-free holiday was reinstated under the Georgia Jobs and Family Tax Reform Plan and it's the first time since 2009 that Georgians have been able to participate in a tax-free holiday for back-to-school items.

School items that may be purchased tax-free include:

• Clothing and footwear (sales price $100 or less per item)
• Single purchase of personal computers and personal computer-related accessories (sale price $1,000 or less per item)
• General school supplies (sales price of $20 or less per item)

Exemptions:

• Clothing accessories, jewelry, handbags, umbrellas, eyewear, watches, watchbands, cellular devices, furniture, computer-related accessories designed for recreational use, items used in a trade or business or for resale or rental.
• Sales in theme parks, entertainment complexes, public lodging establishments, restaurants or airports

And if you're still shopping for a backpack, below is advice in selecting the right one for your child.

You may buy your child a backpack because it has his or her favorite super hero or princess on it, or maybe it has your child's favorite color. However, improper use of the backpack can lead to back pain in your child and start habits of bad posture that carry on into adult life.

According to KidsHealth.org, doctors recommend that children carry no more than 10 to 15 percent of their total body weight in their backpacks. 

Inform your child on the importance of keeping a light backpack and to store uneccessary items in a locker or desk. And stress to your child the need to wear both shoulder straps on the backpack; although it may look "cool" to sling it over one shoulder, improper wearing of a backpack, even one with a proper weight, can throw off a child's posture and lead to shoulder and neck pain.

Many packpacks now come with back-friendly features. According to KidsHealth.org, some of these features are:

• A chest belt to help spread the load across the body
• Wide, padded shoulder straps to prevent uncomfortable friction between the straps and the shoulders, and
• A padded back, which can prevent your child from getting poked by a sharpened pencil or the edge of a ruler.

As always, proper wearing of the backpack is essential to preventing pain. Make sure your child uses both shoulder straps. Additionally, ensure that the straps are tight enough on the body that the pack rests at the middle of the back; backpacks slung too low, or that come to rest near the buttocks, will lead to back pain.

See also: Back to School Guide on Peachtree Corners Patch