My 2019 GROWNUP Back-To-School Shopping List

Every year when back-to-school hits I get a WEE BIT envious. Guys, maybe I’m just abnormal, but I LOVED SCHOOL. I loved it. I loved learning (see my ways to keep learning after you leave school), I loved the social aspect, I loved everything about it. And back-to-school, even though I was mourning the end of summer, was always a great time. New clothes, new teachers/schedules to get excited about, new goals for the school year and most importantly…NEW SCHOOL SUPPLIES.

I love school supplies and basically any other organizational tool. Buying new Post-Its or a new notebook can boost my mood for at least a week. So two years ago I started buying myself a couple new “back-to-school” items for myself to combat all my envy of all those kiddos with their brand spanking new backpacks, blank notebooks and sparkling new organizational things (especially Trapper Keepers….are Trapper Keepers still a thing or am I just dreaming too much of my own back to school times??).

This little tradition of mine has been fun jumping into the back-to-school mindset and I thought I’d share a grownup back-to-school list. Plus it’s nice to freshen up my organizational items every year.

(I don’t buy all of these things every year — especially not the big items — but this is my basic grownup back-to-school list that I shop from each year)

[Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you click on a link and purchase something I’ve talked about or recommended, I’ll receive a very small percentage of the sale. Please see my disclosure policy for more info.

Lunch Bag Tote: When I go watch my sister’s kids during the day I always end up plastic bags until they break. This would be SO much cuter and better to carry with me.

Backpack: Even though I don’t go to school anymore I feel like I do use a backpack often (overnights, when I’m going out for the day, as my diaper bag, when I’m taking my laptop somewhere) and this one is SUPER cute. Might not be able to handle the 10 billion textbooks I had to carry around but works for my adult needs.

Out of Print Literary Pouches: I am obsessed with these!!

Related: Gifts For Book Lovers on Amazon

Planner: Long after I left school, maybe because I love the back to school mindset, I’ve always grabbed a planner that starts in either July/August rather than one that starts at the beginning of the year though I feel like that’s when most people get planners. I like to keep my planner filled with all my to-do’s even if I’m not detailing schoolwork in them. It’s funny though because I LOVE PLANNERS and yet when I was in school I hated that we were made to fill them out. As an adult I see how much better I am at getting things done and keep things straight with one.

Notebook: I loved picking out my new notebooks for the start of the school year!! I loved getting ones with cool designs or sometimes I would decorate my own collage style and put quotes and stuff on it or do sort of a vision board. I have sooo many notebooks but I tend to always still buy more.

Slay All Day poster: I used to LOVE decorating my locker at school — motivational quotes, pictures of my family and friends, pictures of celeb crushes, things that inspired me. This is a new purchase for this year because I previously didn’t have a desk in our one bedroom apartment so now that I do I plan to switch out my poster every year — just as if I were decorating my locker for a new school year!

Pens: I pretty much buy new pens every year! I like spending money on nicer pens than buying kind of junky ones. Especially for my planner and bookish bullet journaling.

Colored pencils: I haven’t bought new colored pencils in FOREVER and I realized, when we were moving, that mine were super old and worn…SO I BOUGHT NEW ONES and they are so shiny and pretty.

Fine line markers: I like to add a little color in my planner/bullet journal/to-do list.

Book sleeve: One of my least favorite back-to-school related tasks was having to cover my textbooks. I would have to get out brown paper backs and it was always a fight that ended in my stepdad basically doing it for me after I mangled them so badly. Do kids still have to do this??? Either way, I have fallen into the book sleeve trend because I realize that my books always get a little damaged from them always being in my purse so it’s a genius thing. Some book covering I can get behind!!

Water bottle: I LOVE my Swell Waterbottle SO MUCH. It’s probably my most favorite waterbottle I’ve owned in a while! Gotta stay hydrated.

Chalkboard & chalkboard markers: I am such a visual person and this has been a game changer for me (and maybe why I learned well in the classroom). I like sometimes having things out in front of me so I got a chalkboard a long time ago off Etsy and I LOVE IT. I wish I was all artsy with it and make it pretty but mine is just pretty practical. I do like putting quotes on it to motivate me for the week if I’m not working on anything that I need it for. My goal is to one day get a huge whiteboard in my office.

Hanging File Organizer: My desk isn’t so big so I LOVE these hanging organizers to put folders and papers.

Folders: I loooove buying new folders. I always come up with a reason why I need a new one. Lately it’s been because of all things Riley — Riley’s medical things, warranties and directions for baby gear and stuff, etc.

Scissors: When we were moving I realized our scissors were really old and gross. We had used them for the kitchen and for random things and I decided I wanted a nice pair JUST FOR ME that doesn’t get used for things in the kitchen or anywhere else except in my office.

Notebook Organizer: I have so many notebooks and planners and this is perfect to keep out the ones that I use the most instead of digging through my notebook drawer (yes I have that many notebooks…i’m a notebook hoarder of both used ones and blank ones).

Pencil Holder: I love having my pouch for keeping ALL of my pens/colored pencils/markers/pencils but I also really like being to pens within arms reach.

Post-Its: I don’t know why I continue to buy post-its because I have so many of them that are half used. I should be on a post-it buying ban. I JUST LOVE POST-ITS and use them daily.

GAH I feel so hyped up about back-t0-school shopping….for myself? I also always get new underwear during back to school time but didn’t reallyyyy want to put that on the list. Now I just need to wait until Riley is school-aged so I can REALLY geek about it. Or maybe my sister will let me take her kids to Target for back-to-school shopping??

Anyone else miss school or is it just me?? Do you do any back-to-school shopping for yourself? Anybody else really love getting themselves organized around this time even though they don’t go to school? It’s just so drilled in my head as a time of ~newness~ from all those years of school.