Help The Grandchildren With Back-To-School Shopping In Citrus County

Ivana Dragojevic
08/05/2015

The grandkids are going back to school so check out our tips on getting the best deals for everything they need.

Back-to-school shopping is one of the most difficult times financially for families with school-aged children. 

Now would be a perfect time for you to lend a hand and help out with some of the back to school shopping if you have grandkids back home that are still in school.

Luckily, the great state of Florida has a program in place to help out with this a bit! 

This is the perfect opportunity for you to pick up some of the items your grandkids may need this school year for less than their out-of-state parents would have to pay, and ship it to them in time for the start of school. 

Florida’s Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday 

In order to help out back-to-school shoppers, the Florida Department of Revenue has created a holiday from charging sales tax for one special week in early August.

From the morning of Friday, August 7 through the end of the day on Sunday, August 16, residents will not have to pay sales tax on many of the clothing, school supplies, computers and accessories that they purchase for students. 

There are some exceptions though. In order to qualify, clothing items must cost less than $100 and school supplies must cost less than $15. And only the first $750 qualifies for most computer purchases. 

So those new basketball shoes, football jerseys, and MacBook might not qualify, but you can still get plenty of great stuff that does and save yourself quite a bit in sales tax! 

Where to Start? Wal-Mart & Office Max!

If you are going to take advantage of the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, you might as well start close to home. The Villages of Citrus Hills is surrounded by three different Wal-Mart stores and two Office Max stores. 

These are great places to start your search for basic school supplies that will often have great deals on things like notebooks, pencils, and other fun school supplies just to get people in the door.

Outlet Shopping: Finding the Coolest Clothes

No matter where the students you are buying for happen to be from, finding the clothes they’ll want to wear is always the goal.

 One of the best ways to do this is to check out some of the great shopping we have talked about in Tampa and Orlando! Both areas contain great outlet shopping less than two hours from the Villages of Citrus Hills. 

Pro Tip: Stick to whatever stores their parents recommend so that they can return things for store credit to get the perfect fit and style! 

Shipping Your “Caring” Package

Once you get together a great collection of clothes and school supplies, the next step is getting it delivered to your favorite students.

 To get this done, you can start by stopping at any of the local post offices surrounding the Villages of Citrus Hills. There are also UPS Stores in both Inverness and Crystal River. 

All you have to do is pack everything up neatly in one big box and take it to the post office or UPS Store with the destination address in hand. They’ll take care of the rest. 

The Easiest Route: Amazon

In case you’re pressed for time, there is also the option of doing all of your back-to-school shopping right on Amazon! 

Amazon actually makes back-to-school shopping easy by having lists of recommended products for each grade level. You can also use their zip code search feature to see if there are any specific recommendations right from the school. 

If you are an Amazon Prime member, you will also get free two-day shipping on anything you purchase! 

No matter how much you want to spend for back-to-school shopping, any amount will likely be appreciated by both the students and parents in your life. 

And with Florida’s sales tax holiday coming up, you might want to take advantage of this being a great time to lend a hand in getting those kids ready for the new school year.

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No purchase necessary to enter or win. One (1) entry per tour will be provided upon completion of an in-person tour of The Villages of Citrus Hills between May 1, 2026 and July 15, 2026, regardless of the number of tours completed.
Prize consists of a trip for two (2) to the 2026 U.S. Open, including event tickets for one day of play, round-trip coach airfare, and standard hotel accommodations. Drawing will be held on or about July 17, 2026.
Winner will be notified via phone and/or email and must accept the prize within 5 days or an alternate winner may be selected. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.
Travel dates, event tickets, and accommodations are subject to availability and may be determined at Citrus Hills’ sole discretion. Prize is non-transferable, has no cash alternative, and cannot be substituted except at sponsor’s discretion. Taxes, upgrades, and additional expenses not expressly included are the responsibility of the winner.
Employees, affiliates, and immediate family members are not eligible. Offer subject to change or termination at any time without notice. Additional terms may apply.
The US Open is a registered trademark of the United States Tennis Association. This promotion is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the USTA. 

Terms and conditions:

Offer valid on new construction homes purchased through Citrus Hills Construction with a fully executed purchase agreement between May 1, 2026 and May 31, 2026. Citrus Hills Construction will pay the buyer’s customary lender and title closing costs when the home is closed through Manatee Title, LLC. Closing costs must be verified by an official Closing Disclosure prepared by Manatee Title, LLC. Citrus Hills Construction will provide a credit at closing for eligible closing costs as reflected on the final settlement statement. Offer does not include prepaid items, property taxes, homeowners insurance, optional upgrades, or non-standard lender fees.
Offer is non-transferable and may not be combined with other incentives unless expressly approved in writing. Offer subject to change or termination at any time without notice. Additional terms and conditions may apply. See Sales Executive for details.

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