It’s back to school season, and the one thing that you’re probably excited during this time is back to school shopping! Don’t you just love going to the store and looking at the different notebooks and planners and then choosing the ones with the prettiest designs? You’ve got to admit though, back to school shopping can get pricey once you start piling everything on your cart. For this post, I’ve rounded up some cute, affordable, and MUST HAVE back to school supplies to save you some time looking for the best deals. These include planners, backpacks, water bottles, and much more. You can also download my free back to school supplies checklist to use when you go shopping. If you’re a student or parent on a budget, you’re going to want to keep reading! 🙂
Related: 20 Insanely Easy Ways to Save Money in College
Related: How to Get Good Grades this Year: The Ultimate Guide
Navigation for this post to make your life easier 🙂 :
Planners
Backpacks
Pencil Cases
Water Bottles
Writing Utensils
Here are Affordable, Must Have Back to School Supplies for 2020-2021!
P.S. Read ALL the way to the end for a surprise!
Planners
Planners are a MUST HAVE for school (I cannot stress this enough!!). They will keep you organized and on top of all of your assignments and tests. I honestly believe that my use of planners has helped me maintain A’s throughout middle school, high school, and college. Once you start using one, I promise that you won’t regret it.
The planners that I recommend are the Cambridge planners from Target. I have consistently bought these planners every year for three reasons:
1) The daily and monthly calendar layouts are simple and get the job done. There’s enough space to write on all of your assignments for each day.
2) The design of the planner is cute and aesthetic
3) They’re so affordable!! Some planners go up to $50, and I’m like how?! You don’t need a super expensive or complex planner as a student. A planner that has a daily and weekly calendar is good enough.
Check out these 2020-2021 Cambridge planners that are less than $15!
Related: Everything You Need to Pack for Your College Dorm in 2020 + Free Checklist
GET YOUR FREE BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES CHECKLIST TODAY
Trust me. This free back to school supplies list will make shopping so much easier for you! Click the button below to receive it directly in your inbox.
Backpacks:
Out of every school supply mentioned in this post, you must invest in a good backpack. Backpacks can be pricey, so it is important to buy one that:
1) Lasts a long time
2) Is spacious. The best backpacks should hold all of your books comfortably and have a laptop pocket! Trust me, in college you will be carrying a laptop everyday. The pocket will protect your laptop from the other contents in your bag!
3) Has a water bottle holder. Don’t risk your water bottle flooding inside of your backpack.
4) Has great support and is comfortable!! THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. You should not be carrying heavy books and laptop on your back without proper support. No support will mess up your posture, especially if you have to walk around all day (aka in college)! Spend the extra dollars for this.
Check out these amazing backpacks with great support and organization under $60 from Amazon!
Northface Jester
✓ 2 water bottle holders
✓ Great support
✓ Laptop pocket
✓ More colors available
Modoker Vintage
✓ 3 compartments
✓ 2 water bottle holders
✓ USB charging port
✓ Laptop pocket
✓ More colors available
HIMAWARI SCHOOL
✓ 2 compartments & 3 open pockets
✓ Amazing organization
✓ Laptop pocket
✓ More colors available
More great backpacks under $60 on Amazon!
Pencil Cases:
The key to choosing a great pencil case is realizing that you’re not just going to put pencils in them. Throughout the school year, you’re going to stuff it with pencils, pens, tape, scissors, sticky notes, and a bunch of other random things that will leave you wondering where they came from. So, you need to buy a pencil case that:
1) Is super spacious
2) Has built in organization so you can easily find things
3) Won’t get dirty and will last the whole school year and hopefully more
Check out these Amazon pencil cases under $15!
REAL TALK: If you’re looking for an all-around pencil case, you have to get one of these from Amazon. Click on the links below to see how spacious and organized these case are! You can fit everything you need and still be able to sort through things. These Amazon cases are a win. Want proof? Click the links to read their amazing reviews!
East Hill Pencil Case
✓ Unbelievable amount of storage – fits up to 50 pencils!
✓ Versatile – ex: can function as a make up bag
✓ Multiple pockets for organization
✓ More colors available
Homecube Pencil Case
✓ Compact, yet large capacity
✓ Durable material
✓ Multiple pockets for organization
✓ More colors available
iSuperb Stand Up Pencil Case
✓ Stores 20 pens and 1 scissors
✓ Stands on its own – can hold your phone up
✓ Easy to clean
✓ More colors available
East Hill Pencil Case
✓ Foldable
✓ Fits up to 50 pencils
✓ Multi functional
✓ More colors available
More cute pencil cases under $15!
Reusable Water Bottles:
One thing that I’ve learned is that water bottles are easier to lose than you’d think. If you’re prone to losing water bottles, don’t buy an expensive one! Yes, I’m talking about Hydro Flasks. There are cheaper options that are still good quality. As long as you get a water bottle that will keep your drinks cool/hot and is preferably made from stainless steel, you’re good.
Here’s why it’s suggested to buy stainless steel water bottles over plastic:
1) Stainless steel is 0% BPA (unlike plastic), which is a harmful chemical
2) Stainless steel is recyclable, unlike plastic
3) They keep your drinks cool/hot
4) They’re reusable, so you save money from buying bottled water!
5) They keep mold and bacteria away
Read more pros to stainless steel bottles here!
If you are set on spending the extra bucks on a beautiful, colorful Hydro Flask, I highly recommend them. I bought one last year, and it’s still in amazing condition. It keeps my water cool and my tea hot the entire day. Honestly, the only reason why I bought my Hydro Flask is because it’s in my absolute favorite shade of blue, and it was the only brand sold at my school. Nonetheless, I am very happy with my Hydro.
Hydro Flask (18 oz Standard Mouth)
✓ Stainless steel
✓ Very sturdy
✓ Has handle strap (more useful than you’d think)
✓ Easy to clean
✓ More colors, sizes, and caps available
Cheaper Stainless Steel Water Bottles from Amazon Under $25!
The water bottles below function just as well as Hydro Flasks, have more types of designs, come with multiple caps when purchased, AND ARE CHEAPER! If something ever happens to my Hydro Flask, I am buying one of these.
Hydro Cell (18 oz)
✓ Only $15
✓ Comes with 2 types of caps
✓ Has handle strap
✓ Water stays cold for 24 hours
✓ More colors and sizes available
Iron Flask (18 oz)
✓ Comes with 3 types of caps
✓ Has handle strap
✓ Durable, yet elegant design
✓ More colors, sizes, and caps available
Simple Modern (17 oz)
✓ Copper coated insulation
✓ Has handle lid
✓ More colors, sizes, and caps available
GET YOUR FREE BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES CHECKLIST TODAY
Trust me. This free back to school supplies list will make shopping so much easier for you! Click the button below to receive it directly in your inbox.
Writing Utensils & Materials:
Now we’re getting down to the basics. I’ve listed all of these on my back to school supplies checklist, but here are some writing utensils and materials that you will need during the school year:
- Pens
- Pencils
- Highlighters
- Erasers
- Folders
- Notebooks
- Index Cards
- Sticky Notes
- Stapler
- Whiteboard and Whiteboard Markers
You might be wondering- why did you add whiteboard and markers? I highly recommend using a whiteboard and markers for classes with lots of drawing and problem solving such as organic chemistry and math. For example, drawing out mechanisms in different colors and being able to erase them right away makes studying really efficient.
Check out these Writing Utensils/Materials Under $10 from Target
**DON’T CLICK AWAY JUST YET!**
Before this post ends, I want to thank you for reading all the way to the end. You are a real one! As a thank you, I’m going to let you in on some insanely easy ways to save money while shopping for back to school supplies. Here’s the secret. Join these 3 websites for free to save extra and/or earn cash back for shopping.
1) Rakuten
Rakuten will literally give you FREE money for shopping through their site! For example, if you shop online at Target for school supplies, you can activate your Rakuten Chrome Extension, and you will get a % cash back of the total amount of money that you spend on supplies. I wish that I had known about this sooner!
IF YOU JOIN RAKUTEN THROUGH MY LINK AND EVENTUALLY SPEND $25, YOU’LL GET $10 BACK IMMEDIATELY! CLICK HERE TO JOIN RAKUTEN FOR FREE.
2) Honey
Honey is a Chrome Extension that will instantly give you coupons on any store’s website. This will save you time from searching online for promo codes. And yes, you can apply both Honey discounts and Rakuten cash back at the same time.
CLICK HERE TO GET HONEY FOR FREE!
3) Ibotta
Ibotta is an app you can use in-store to also get cash back for buying certain items! If you’re planning to shop at an actual Target store, purchase all your items and then scan your receipt to see if any cash back deals apply!
CLICK HERE TO JOIN IBOTTA FOR FREE!
READ THE ENTIRE POST:
20 INSANELY EASY WAYS TO SAVE MONEY IN COLLEGE
You can use these money saving hacks even if you’re not in college!
love,
blaze ann
