In honor of back to school season, I’ve decided to do a haul of some school supplies I bought recently.

The first thing that I bought was a small backpack.

Under normal circumstances, I keep the same backpack until it literally has holes in it. However, the one I used last year seemed unnecessary for this fall since most of my classes are online. I’ve wanted a Fjallraven backpack for years (I know, I’m basic), so I finally purchased this one in “frost green”. When I drove up to college, I used this backpack to transport all of my school supplies, my laptop, and even a few outfits. I’m honestly still kind of shocked that I could fit so many items into this one bag.

Anyway, here’s what I’m planning to keep inside my backpack this semester:

1. Cloth Masks!!!

I actually didn’t own any cloth masks until I went online shopping for school supplies, but now I wear these cotton masks all the time. They’re super soft and cute, and most importantly, they keep me safe! (Please wear your masks, guys!). I’m planning to keep an extra one of these in my backpack in case whichever one I’m wearing gets damaged.

2. Lots and lots of pens

I love writing pretty notes and doodling all over my notebooks during my classes, so I always make it a priority to buy a lot of pens. The two boxes of pens on the left were gifted to me by my mother and I’m really excited to test them out this year. My favorite pens of all time, though, are the G2 Pilot Gel Pens pictured on the right. I always use these pens for my bullet journals and for note taking. They come in a lot of different colors (such as pastels and metallics), but I just purchased a basic set.

3. Pencil case

Of course, I needed a pencil case to store all of my school supplies and keep them from getting lost in my bag. I typically put my chargers in the bottom pouch and my pencils, pens, stapler, erasers, whiteout, sticky-notes, etc. in the top pocket where they are less likely to get damaged.

4. Notebooks

When I started college I realized that binders/folders were unnecessary, so I started to only buy notebooks. I used to be really picky about what brand of notebook I got (I was obsessed with Five Star notebooks), but I’ve been trying to save money recently, so I opted for some slightly less expensive notebooks from Staples. A rule of thumb that I follow for buying notebooks is that if I think a class will be easy, I get a 1 subject notebook, but if I think a class will be hard, then I buy a 3 subject notebook so I can take more notes.

5. Moleskine Dotted Bullet Journal

I have tried to start bullet journaling multiple times, but I always seem to have trouble sticking to it. I bought this bullet journal (a notebook for tracking my goals and habits) over the summer and I wrote in it on and off for a couple of months. I’m hoping that I’ll use it more often at college when I’m bored in quarantine and want to be healthy and productive.

6. Planner

MY PLANNER!! I’m telling you guys right now, I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT THIS THING - trust me I’ve tried. During senior year of high school and freshman year of college I didn’t think I needed a planner, but I ended up being super disorganized and behind on my work. This year, I bought a planner so that I can stay on track and so I don’t forget what day it is while I’m stuck in my room (LOL).

I hope you all have a productive and safe year! Also remember to wear your masks! (Seriously.)