Weekend Back to School drives ahead of students' return

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Some Central Texas students will return to class this coming week, and school districts and communities are hosting Back-to-School events and school supply drives in preparation.

Here are the events giving away free backpacks and school supplies on Saturday:

• 4:12 Kids' annual Back to School Giveaway Event, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at 521 North Pecos Street, Lockhart;
• Georgetown Cultural Citizens Memorial Association's drive, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at 1200 West 17th Street, Georgetown;
• Round Rock ISD's Back to School Bash, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at 1801 Tiger Trail, Round Rock;
• Del Valle ISD's Back to School Bash, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 5201 Ross Road, Del Valle;
• Barton Creek Square's supply drive, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 2901 South Capital of Texas Highway, Austin; and,
• Back to School Market Day, from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. at 5750 Williams Drive, Georgetown.

Round Rock ISD's Back to School Bash will also have sign-ups for school sports teams, health screenings and a vaccination clinic.

"It's just going to be a fun event, a time to celebrate and also to share the excitement about this coming school year," said RRISD Superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez. "We know this is going to be an amazing year -- our entire district staff, community members, the foundation have all been working very hard to prepare for it. It's going to be an amazing year, I have no doubt about it in my mind."

In addition to these events, Austin Creative Reuse (ACR) will will host its annual back-to-school sale at 2005 Wheless Lane, Austin, from August 5-13. Shoppers can fill up an H-E-B bag with supplies for $5, or pick up a backpack and fill it up with supplies for $10.

ACR is also holding an event for teachers this weekend. During the "Educator Extravaganza" event with a "pay as you can, fill your classroom" sale.

Know about a school supply drive? Please send information about it to ReportIt@KXAN.com.

Feeling a Back to School money crunch?

You're not alone, according to a survey of Americans by YouGov for the consumer website CNET Money.

CNET Money Senior Editor Nick Wolny wrote an article examining the results of that study. He claims that the results show that 43% of Americans will use a credit card to pay for school supplies, with 12% opening a new credit card for that purpose.

86% of Americans said they will use some method to save money. The most popular way is through coupons, sales and discounts, with price comparison close behind. Roughly a third of respondents said they will buy fewer supplies or cut spending in other areas to save money.

Only 14% of respondents said they will not make an effort to save money on back-to-school shopping.

KXAN has asked CNET Money for the data behind these results to verify the claims.

Tax-free weekend is August 11-13

One method to save money on school supplies is by shopping on tax-free holidays, such as Texas' tax-free weekend. That event starts on August 11 and runs until the end of August 13.

According to CNET Money's reporting, 23% of Americans plan to take advantage of those savings.

Kevin Lyons, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Spokesperson, said that while the weekend is often billed as a back-to-school event, the savings go far beyond school supplies.

"If you don't have kids, or you're not in school yourself, you're thinking 'How does this benefit me?' There are a lot of items on the list...[that] have nothing to do with going back to school," Lyons said. "This holiday has been around since 1989, so most of the businesses in Texas understand this weekend."

The savings also include online purchases made in Texas. A big caveat with the holiday is that it is limited to purchases under $100, including shipping and handling.

Lyons said that if you are charged sales tax, ask the business for a refund on the tax amount or save your receipt and submit this form to file a claim.

"If you have kids, [its] the perfect weekend to go shopping," Lyons said. "We think total savings for [Texans] from state and local sales tax will be about $136 million for the weekend. So get out there, stuff those shopping carts, save some money."