Newspaper Page Text
Page 8C, The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tax-free holiday, sales combine for big savings
Shop during tax-free holiday and save more than sales tax
(JrtsY (antiques
process. University of Geor
gia experts say designating a
time and place for homework
are the keys to student suc
cess.
“Homework should rein
force a love of learning,’’ said
Don Bower, a Cooperative
Extension human develop
ment specialist with the
UGA College of Family and
Consumer Sciences. “Too
often, it becomes a major
headache for the student and
parents.’’
Bower recommends parents
provide a place to study, give
some basic guidelines and
be available for questions.
When selecting a student
study area, choose a place
that is free from distractions.
Even in the early grades,
Bower said, students will
benefit from having a quiet,
well-lit, comfortable place to
study.
“An area with minimal
distractions and necessary
supplies should be devoted to
homework,’’ he said. “Small
homes may not have enough
room for a separate space,
so kitchen tables or even a
quiet corner of a room can
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Special to the Ledger
By Sharon Omahen
University of Georgia
Chances are your child
will need clothes, school
supplies and maybe even a
computer before the school
year rolls around. To lessen
the budgetary blow, purchase
these items during Georgia’s
Back-to-School Sales Tax
Holiday, says a financial
expert with the University of
Georgia.
The holiday will be July
31 - Aug. 4. During this tax-
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free window certain pur
chases will be exempt from
state and local sales taxes.
Clothing, personal computers
and accessories and school
supplies are on the tax-free
list.
Clothing, including shoes,
is exempt from sales tax as
long as the item costs $100
or less. Jewelry, watches
or watchbands, eye wear,
handbags and umbrellas are
not exempt.
For computers and acces
sories for personal use, the
tax-free limit is $1,500 for a
single purchase. UGA Coop
erative Extension consumer
economics specialist Michael
Rupured urges consumers to
take a tally of their com
puter-related items before
heading to the register.
“If the purchase exceeds
$1,500, the entire purchase
is not exempt from the sales
tax,’’ he said. “Aside from
that limitation, practically
anything needed to setup and
operate a computer at home
is exempt.”
To avoid missing out on
the tax break, Rupured sug
gests purchasing computer
hardware at one store and
software and other accesso
ries at another. And, before
you make any computer
purchase, do a little window
shopping to see which re
tailer offers the best bargain.
School supplies up to $20
per item are also exempt
from the sales tax during the
holiday. Make a list of the
school supplies your child
will need to avoid making
unnecessary purchases.
Saving 6 or 7 percent on
purchases may not sound
like much, but coupling this
break with retail sales can
result in a substantial sav
ings, he said.
“Do a little research and
check advertisements and fli
ers for sales,” Rupured said.
“The sales-tax holiday has
become so big now that most
retailers offer big sales to
attract more business.”
Don’t bring your children
along for the shopping excur
sion, unless you are purchas
ing their clothes.
“Most of the time you’ll
spend less without the kids
around,” he said. “Go out by
yourself to purchase school
supplies and computers and
accessories. While you are
out, make note of any par
ticularly good clothing sales
and return to those stores
later during the holiday with
the kids.”
The tax-free holidays are
designed to help Georgians
save, not spend, money. Ru
pured discourages consumers
from buying items on credit
during the tax-free days.
“Unless you pay the bal
ance in full with each state
ment, the interest you pay on
Photo: April Sorrow/UGA
Shop during the tax-free holiday, July 31 through
August 4, to outfit your students with the clothes
and supplies they need to start the new school
year.
a credit card balance can be
high enough to offset any
savings,” he said. “To avoid
temptation, leave your credit
cards at home.”
For an entire list of which
items will and will not be
exempt during the tax holi
day, see the Georgia Depart
ment of Revenue Web site at
www.etax.dor.ga.gov/.
(Sharon Omahen is a news
editor with the University of
Georgia College of Agri
cultural and Environmen tal
Sciences.)
Provide students with a place to study
Give homework help with a well-lit, low-noise space
Specicd to the Ledger
By April Sorrow
University of Georgia
Although dreaded by most
students, homework is an
essential part of the learning
Photo: Sharon Omahen
Give kids a well-lit place to study that is free from
distractions and equipped with the supplies they
need to complete assignments.
suffice.”
Background noise may
help some students focus.
But, noises that are distract
ing should be eliminated.
“The idea is to minimize
distractions and to support
attention to the task,” he
said. “Different people find
different things distracting.
Some need absolute quiet.
Others prefer soft back
ground music. Some say that
TV, instant messaging and
MP3 players are not distract
ing, but they usually are.”
Enforce a study period so
all students in the family can
concentrate.
“Some parents establish a
certain amount of time that
must be devoted to home
work. This eliminates stu
dents rushing through to get
done and on to something
more fun,” he said. “With
after-school and evening
activities for many kids, a
standard time often does not
work — but an amount of
time may.”
Bower says waiting until
right before bedtime is not a
good choice.
If a study space is
equipped with a computer,
little more than paper and
pen should be needed in
terms of supplies. However,
some organizational tools
like folders, files or draw
ers can help the student stay
organized.
Organization products “can
help him see his progress
on big projects, too,” Bower
said. “Seeing a project take
shape can give him pride in
his achievement.”
Reliable online sites have
largely eliminated the need
for print versions of ency
clopedias and dictionaries.
Traditional print sources,
like Merriam-Webster and
Encyclopedia Britannica,
maintain updated online
versions. Bower said Wiki
pedia is popular but is not
recommended as a reliable
academic reference.
Setting up a study area can
make studying easier. But
it won’t solve all studying
problems.
To help your student learn
study skills, ask classroom
teachers and school counsel
ors for tips. Or consult pri
vate companies and online
sources, like howtostudy.org.
While homework is neces
sary in some cases to aid in
learning, too much home
work can be detrimental to
a student’s success, he said.
“More is not necessarily bet
ter,” Bower said.
Ideally, homework should
flow both ways with teach
ers assigning creative ways
for students to learn outside
the classroom and students
bringing interesting things
they have learned into class.
“Watch your child as he
studies and ask him to tell
you what he’s studying and
learning,” he said.
Bower reminds parents of
the fine line between helping
a student with homework
and doing the homework.
“Help them, but don’t do
their work for them,” he
said.
(April Sorrow is a news
editor with the University of
Georgia College of Agri
cultural and Environmen tal
Sciences.)
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