The displays are all over the stores, but you might want to wait on those Back-to-School purchases until the tax-free shopping periods in Virginia and Maryland. Virginia's event is Aug. 3-5 and Maryland will save shoppers for a whole week, Aug. 12-18. For both states school supplies $20 or less per item, along with clothing and footwear selling for $100 or less per item, are exempt from sales tax during these weekends.

More information about qualifying purchases is available at http://www.tax.virginia.gov/site.cfm?alias=SchoolSuppliesAndClothin... or www.marylandtaxes.com.

Great places to go for nearby one-stop shopping in the area are Potomac Mills or Arundel Mills. Both outlet centers offer all your - and your kids - favorite stores with great pricing. You can enjoy extra savings during the tax-free weekends.

Another tip to remember is that our military exchanges offer tax-free shopping every day, and will honor advertised prices. So you might want to do some comparison shopping between now and August to find the best deals for outfitting your children for school.

And for those of you like me, loading up on dorm room supplies, are you taking advantage of your Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons? If there is another store that will honor even expired coupons like they do, I'd love to hear about it.