Back to School: minimally

So it’s back to school season and this September, I will be going back to school! I’m starting a grad program that I’m super excited about, so I’m definitely gearing up for change and a fresh start.

When I was younger, I never went back to school shopping. My mom was a teacher and we would just get hand-me-down school supplies from her stash and “back-to-school” clothing shopping just wasn’t really a thing in my family.

This time around though, I did feel like I needed to pick up a few things for the back-to-school season. These things really don’t relate to clothing, but more-so lifestyle and I thought it might be interesting to see a glimpse of my preferred tools for learning and what I’m picking up to make my commute easier to get to school.

School Bag

Now I researched bags and backpacks really thoroughly before settling on this one from Mat and Nat. There was some important criteria that had to be met. My bag of choice needed to be:

Professional: I want to be able to use this bag for any circumstance, wether that be an interview, a future work bag or just toting around stuff on the weekend

Practical: It had to fit my 13” laptop because I know there will be days that I need to take it with me (as much as I hate lugging around a computer). A perk to this one is that it has a built-in laptop padding which is nice because I never got around to buying a case for my computer.

Neutral: I wanted a neutral colour that would work with all of my outerwear and really any outfit I would want to wear.

Big: I needed this bag to be big enough to fit a laptop, a lunch, a water bottle and all the extra little tidbits that I might need for a full day out.

Notebooks

I’m a notebook type of girl. I love writing things down, taking notes and being able to refer back to something physical when I need to. For me, that’s how I like to learn and retain information. So I picked up a few different notebooks that seemed practical. In a good notebook, I look for one that lays flat when open, a softer cover that isn’t too heavy and lined pages. Cute covers are a perk too!

Reusable Lunch Items

I picked up a few things to keep my lunches on the go eco-friendly:

-A hard case to keep cutlery and napkins

-A S'well thermos (to keep my coffee warm)

-A wider-mouth thermos to keep my lunches hot and spill-proof

-Reusable snack bags (zippered and washable!). These ones are by a Canadian company!

Agenda

Now this is something I always have, but I did decide to start a new one for back-to-school. The one I chose is from Winners and you decide what days and months to write (so if I don’t use it for a month, the pages aren’t wasted - I can fill it in the following month). So this agenda is kind of a hybrid of an agenda and bullet journal since you complete it. I think it’ll work really nicely! Plus it’s nice and small so I can carry it anywhere I go!

All the other things that I could need I already had from my undergrad, so I really didn’t need to do a huge shop. Most of the items I’ve purchased have been done over the last 3 months - so it also wasn’t a huge sudden haul. And the purse? That one was a lovely gift from my parents for my birthday! Yay for practical presents!