3 Money Traps of Back-to-School Shopping

Shopping without a budget or a list can send consumers into a shopping frenzy that leads to overspending. Parents in one of the 16 states that offer a sales tax-free holiday weekend should also be careful not to purchase items at full price, says CPA Howard Dvorkin, an accountant and author of “Credit Hell: How to Dig Out of Debt.”

“Just because people are getting items tax-free doesn’t mean they need to forget about a shopping list, a budget, coupons or coupon codes and hunting around for the best prices,” Dvorkin says.