Sale tax holiday is soon

Ohio’s sales tax holiday is next weekend, Aug. 4-6.

These tax holidays are popular with parents who have big summer shopping lists.

To save the most money, stick to a list and look for deals all summer long at various retailers. ClarkDeals.com has you covered.

Favorite dollar store deals

It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Dollar Tree — and dollar stores in general. I’m willing to accept lower quality for a lower price. So when everything is $1, how can you go wrong?

Here are my favorite dollar store buys:

$1 steaks: For those with an adventurous palette, Dollar Tree sometimes carries $1 ribeye steaks in stores that have a freezer section. The frozen, boneless beef steaks come pre-seasoned in a brine. The steaks are from the brand Stampede, which is available in other major stores. The Dollar Tree steaks are just a smaller portion size.

Calamine lotion: For $1, you can get a six-ounce bottle of this stuff from Dollar Tree's store brand. That's a huge savings over other sellers.

Aim toothpaste: Aim toothpaste is sold in 7.2 ounce tubes at Dollar Tree. I get this huge tube of toothpaste for one dollar. Try to beat that!

Balloons: You could pay $3 a pop at a party-good store. Or you could pay one buck at Dollar Tree for the same foil balloon.

Shaving cream: Product sizes can change without a moment's notice at any dollar store. Barbasol shaving cream has gone from 14 ounces to 11 ounces and now it's a six-ounce can at Dollar Tree. But check out the Bonus Buys section of Dollar Tree's website. That's where you can find staples like household goods, food and cosmetics with extra product thrown in for free —still at $1 a pop!

Birthday candles: Why would anyone pay more than a buck for birthday candles? You're just going to light them up for a moment before tossing them out. (Hey, isn't that kind of like burning money?) Enter the 60-pack of birthday candles from Dollar Tree. The only problem is I'm 62, so I'd have to get two packs.

Visit ClarkHoward.com for more info, or get his best-selling books signed with free shipping at GetClarkSmart.com.