back to school 2015 :: book bag reviews + what's in my bag!

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So for the month of August I'll be participating in a Back To School linkup with http://thecalicocatblog.com/ and many other fantastic bloggers! I hope you're all ready to get your back to school hype on because I have been for like... three months now.

For me, classes start in a little over 5 weeks. Every year before this I was dreading school starting, but I'm really anxious for this semester. Maybe I've spent too much time in the studyspo tags on tumblr? Whatever caused my change of heart, I'm perfectly content with it. And so today's post will be two book bag reviews and a 'what's in my bag' / school supplies haul, because I don't plan on keeping all of this stuff in my bag.

*this post is picture heavy!*


 TARGET: I got this bag halfway through last year because it was on sale and my VS drawstring bag was severely disappointing.  Thankfully, like the VS bag, this was on sale because even though I really enjoyed it, one strap and the little hand holding strap on top broke at the end of the semester. Honestly, I'd expect better from a bag that was originally around $30.

MEIJER: I picked up this bag a couple weeks ago at Meijer's for $14.99. They were one of the only places with a nice selection that also had bags that weren't 30+. It's the same material as the Jansport ones I always used in HS, so I have high hopes for it lasting. It's big enough to hold my laptop (charger + mouse included), 3 binders, 2 planners, and a bunch of other random crap. Basically, it's perfect for when I take 2 water bottles, lunch, and my entire apartment with me.


CASEMATE HIGHLIGHTERS: I bought this 8 pack of highlighters on accident. I had already picked up my go-to Sharpie highlighters when I saw these without a price, so I wanted to scan them. I forgot and went to check out, and by the time I realized I was too nervous to ask the cashier for the price before buying them. They ended up being about $5, I believe, They're very nice quality and come with a nice array of colors!
STABILO: And here *gestures to these pens* is where we see the studyblr community taking over my choices. I got these for $12 at Michael's. Did I need them? No. Do I love them? Yes. Michael's has been having 50% off one full-priced item coupons, so I used mine on these. Totally worth it. They're 0.4mm, which I love, and come in an amazing selection of 30 colors. 
DIXON: I like mechanical pens for their ease, but I prefer writing with wood pencils. These were .47 at Walmart. 
SHARPIE HIGHLIGHTERS: I always buy these. They last forever, but I end up losing all but the orange one for some reason. These were .97 cents at Walmart.
CASEMATE STAPLES: These were like $1? I just buy the mini staplers from the dollar tree and they work great!

FIVESTAR FOLDER: I never buy Fivestar because they're expensive, but every year I buy one or two "pretty" folders. Meijer's had this one on sale for $1, so I decided it would be my special folder this year.
NOTEBOOKS: I got the pink notebook and floral comp book from the Dollar Store! The pink one has a folder on the front, which is actually really smart and useful.
THREE RING BINDERS: I usually only buy one binder, but Meijer's had theirs on sale for $1 each. I picked up a couple so I won't have to buy more anytime soon, haha.

CASEMATE 3 HOLE PUNCH: I underestimated how much I used these until I didn't have one. I haven't used it yet, but it was only $3 at Walmart, so you can't beat that.
MECHANICAL PENCILS: This pack of 50 multicolored pencils was about $5 at Target. They write nicely and are weirdly smooth. The colors are so pretty, too. I won't want to lend these out!
CRAYOLA MARKERS: Because they were $1 at Walmart. And I love coloring.


HEIDI SWAPP PLANNER: This planner is gorgeous. I've posted a lot of pictures on Instagram, so if you're interested, take a look! Each month you fill in the dates, so you could buy it today and use it in 10 years. It's originally around $30 at Michael's, but mine was only $10 thanks to sales and coupons.
16 MONTH PLANNER: This one is a smaller planner that I got for $3 from Big Lots. It'll be nice for major deadlines and appointments while the other is more for daily homework. The front and back are a map of Paris, which I love. :)

Not pictured:
- plain spiral notebooks for .17 cents from Walmart
- plain two pocket folders for .30 cents from Walmart
- $1 pencil sharpener


Go check out some more awesome back to school posts!!

The Calico Cat
{ http://thecalicocatblog.com }



7 comments:

  1. i love love office/school supplies!!!! Good choices.

    Ps--I had to show your grandma and your mom how to actually "read" the post.

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    1. They're the best. :-) I saw someone ask once why people love buying office supplies, and someone said because it gives us the illusion / feeling that we're getting organized haha

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  2. Great picks! A good planner is definitely a must! Thanks for linking up with us!

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    1. You're welcome! I'm super excited to be part of my first 'link up'!
      And I agree, I don't know how I got through freshmen year without one.

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