I recently praised Apple for putting out a $599 MacBook laptop. One of the richest companies in the world was doing the average Joe a solid by offering a sleek and capable machine for a good price. But, even Apple isn’t immune to the AI-driven memory chip shortage. At the end of June, the company raised prices on many of its products. The same base MacBook Neo is now $699, for example.
Apple’s actions illustrate the broader problem with consumer tech inflation, and it probably won’t get better for a while.
Sales tax holidays are a laptop savings hack
But what if you could offset some of that extra $100 on a MacBook Neo, or save on another PC? One way to do it is to buy during your state’s sales tax holiday (if it offers one and includes computers). Tax-free weekends typically occur in July or August, in conjunction with back-to-school season, and can save you money.
Tennessee’s tax-free weekend, for example, is July 31 through August 2. Computers priced up to $1,500 are eligible. Laptops are also fair game for savings during Florida’s extended tax-free season, which runs July 20 to August 20.
These dedicated savings days are a great time to grab new outfits for the kids and round out school supply lists, too. If your state doesn’t participate, can you drive to one that does? Retail road trip!
Spencer Tierney writes for NerdWallet. Email: spencer.tierney@nerdwallet.com. The article How I Earned $8,000 in Interest in Less Than 4 Years (And What I Wish I’d Done Sooner) originally appeared on NerdWallet.
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Gregory Karp writes for NerdWallet. Email: articles@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @spendingsmart. Sara Rathner writes for NerdWallet. Email: srathner@nerdwallet.com. The article 10 Credit Card Benefits That Are Often Oversold originally appeared on NerdWallet.
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