A few weeks ago, my family engaged in the usual end of summer tradition: back to school shopping. I have to confess I was more excited about that than the kids but not for the reason you might think.
Although I am glad my homework days are behind me, I still love school supply shopping. Walking through the Target aisles this time of year always gives me that same thrill of potential and possibility.
Grade school Anne looked forward to the day each August when she could pick out her new Trapper Keeper for the year to come. I don’t use one anymore (alas!) but I still enjoy filling my cart with supplies I know will serve me well in the months to come—pens and post-its and index cards galore—and then slotting them neatly into my desk drawers. That fresh stack of crisply packaged supplies looks like potential to me and just seeing them ready and waiting for me gets me excited about putting them to work.
I can’t be the only one who gets nostalgic when the school supplies come back out so I thought I’d share some of my favorites. Of course, I hope you’ll share your go-to school supplies for grown-ups in the comments.
The basics (i.e., the stuff I can’t resist stocking up on during back-to-school sales):
I use post-its and index cards every single day and would be helpless without them. While I don’t use Crayola markers much anymore, I use Sharpies all the time for planning and brainstorming on my gigantic post-its.
- Fresh markers (Crayola and Sharpies)
- Sticky notes
- Index cards
- Altoids and a little bit of chocolate (I keep both in my desk drawer)
All the pens and pencils
- All the pens. My favorites include: Pilot G-2, Pilot Juice, Pilot Precise V5, Uniball Signo Micro 207, Staedtler Triplus Fineliners (black | multi | grey), Pilot 4 Color Gel Ink Multi-Pen, Sakura Microns (black variety pack | multi), Pilot FriXion fineliners, Papermate Flairs, Sharpie pens (blue | multi), Le Pens
- Pencils. My favorites are the classic yellow Ticonderoga and The Blackwing.
- A good sharpener, like the KUM Wood Cutter and the Mobius & Ruppert brass sharpener.
Nerdy bookish accessories
- Post-It super sticky easel pads. I love these giant sticky notes for brainstorming. These smaller sticky notes (11″ x 11″) are great when I want a smaller and more portable option.
- Address and envelope guide—a handy tool for those of us that have trouble writing in a straight line (raises hand). I use a Lettermate, which is no longer in stock, but there are plenty of other great options at Paper Source or your local bookstore.
- Book darts have my heart, forever and always. I’m so thrilled we have some in our merch store!
- Notebooks. I’m a Rhodia reverse book devotee (bound | spiral) for brainstorming and note taking
- My journal lives on my desk: I use the Leuchtturm 1917 journal (lined | dotted | squared | plain) for planning purposes.
- My Reading Life: A Book Journal is a must for tracking my reading and I like to keep it on my desk. In my line of work, I find myself constantly referring to it to confirm what I recently read and to jot down what I may want to read soon. (There’s a new version available for younger readers: My Reading Adventures: A Book Journal for Kids.)
To corral it all
- Desk tray: this marbled melamine tray holds pens and pencils, an eraser, a few paper clips, and a dime (that I use to easily change my keyboard and trackpad batteries as needed).
- I love these versatile plastic desk organizers, and have them in a variety of sizes. I’m pretty sure Target envisioned them for bathroom storage use but I LOVE them for my office supplies.
- Small zippered pouches to organize the extras—and drop in my purse if I plan to do some journaling on the go.
Do you enjoy school supply shopping as much as I do? What do you keep on your desk and in your desk drawers? Please tell us all about it in comments!
P.S. 6 work-from-home staples for life these days, and my favorite book journaling tools.
51 comments
Ooooohhh I love office supplies! One thing I would add to your list is post-it note page markers, which I use like book darts. I typically write a short note or just a word on the post it to identify why I am flagging that particular page. Also, a while back you mentioned Pentel Tradio pens, and I fell in love with them! I like a very fine tip pen for writing notes in book margins (no guilt!) and the Tradio pen ink doesn’t smear or smudge at all.
https://www.amazon.com/Post-Markers-Temporary-Marking-Assorted/dp/B00006RSO5/ref=sr_1_4?crid=Q00BF9E6GXI7&keywords=post+it+notes+0.5+x+2&qid=1661345503&sprefix=post+it+notes+0.5+x+%2Caps%2C402&sr=8-4
https://www.amazon.com/Pentel-EnerGel-Tradio-Liquid-BLN115WBP2C/dp/B00LWFIXAQ/ref=sxts_rp_s_sp_1_0?content-id=amzn1.sym.4cb47115-4900-486d-840c-0289a5ea836f%3Aamzn1.sym.4cb47115-4900-486d-840c-0289a5ea836f&crid=HRQMFF1HQZSW&cv_ct_cx=tradio+pentel+pen&keywords=tradio+pentel+pen&pd_rd_i=B00LWFIXAQ&pd_rd_r=712488ac-ec5d-4642-9f94-9d4fcf2fec43&pd_rd_w=o3Loz&pd_rd_wg=2fGx7&pf_rd_p=4cb47115-4900-486d-840c-0289a5ea836f&pf_rd_r=32Q2ZVD7F948VW57MNZR&psc=1&qid=1661345663&sprefix=tradio+pen%2Caps%2C320&sr=1-1-5985efba-8948-4f09-9122-d605505c9d1e
Amazing. Thanks for the suggestions
I LOVE the Friday Links I Love!
Someone in my college orientation had a summer job putting folders in Trapper Keepers. Couldn’t pass up telling you.
They’re back. I had to buy myself one. It’s nostalgia.
I’ve been thinking of doing this myself and can’t decide if I’ll use it all the time or never at all …
I have to have bright colored Post-It Notes. I use them for so many things. And nothing brings back school supplies more than the smell of freshly sharpened pencils!
My favorite has always been the smell of new crayons. I have them on my desk (though I never use them)—just looking at them makes me happy. 😁🖍
Rhonda,
I’m the same way! Love the smell of crayons. Once I typed up a manuscript for a friend and thank you gift was a new box of 64 Crayolas. Swoon!
What a great idea! They are eye candy and smell so good!
I have severely arthritic hands and gripping a pencil or pen is hard for me. An occupational therapist recommended a “fat pen.” I recently ordered a Pilot Dr. Grip and love it! Fat, textured grip and such a smooth writing instrument! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017M5U7SU?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
My husband is an OT and he said that the fat pens and the gripper piece that you can add to pencils that provides the same function are also good for kids developing fine motor control and just learning to write.
Thank you for this, Janna. I’ve been having such a hard time writing lately (yes, gripping the pen or pencil!!), and my doctor just informed me that I have arthritis at the base of both my thumbs. I love to journal so I’m going to try the fat pen. Thank you, thank you!!
I just retired from teaching this past June. I LOVED ordering supplies for my kids, and I enjoyed buying (my own $) a few extra for myself at home. I found the 11 x 11 sticky Post-It Note pads so useful in both my classroom and home office. They can be easily managed and fit into many spaces the traditional chart paper does not.
And the pens! Love all the pens!
I also loved the Pilot G2 but now I find the TUL pens to be the best! Everyone in our office loves them!
https://www.amazon.com/TUL-Retractable-Medium-Point-Barrel/dp/B002VLH6NU/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=tul+pens&qid=1661350654&sprefix=tul+%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-8
I decided a few years ago that life was too short to put up with bad pens so I exclusively use the only pens I love – Pentel Energels. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCIQSN3?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_ypp_rep_k0_1_7&&crid=1HJQBJK6188JP&&sprefix=pentel+
Me too!
I love browsing the back to school aisles at Target also! I had to “curate” my collections last year, lol as I just kept adding to my stashes. I repurposed an old mini-caboodle for paper clips, binder clips, small post-it notes, push pins… it is so cute on a desk shelf and corals a lot of small items. This year my new crush is on the black Dixon Ticonderoga #HB2 pencils…perfect for crossword puzzles.
I love the occasional trip to the office supply store to stock up on basics and look for new finds. I have even been known to create a gift of new office supplies for a family member’s birthday. Anne, can you tell us how you use index cards? I only ever used them for research papers in high school.
Someone turned me on to the Matador Pinpoint pens. Now I use them more than my Pilot G2 pens!
I love the Nomad dot grid sticky notes and Strategist dotted index cards from BaronFig.com (Tools for Thinkers). All their tools are great!
Items I use everyday include coloured highliters (the pastel ones are nice, soft on the eyes); index cards and coloured gel pens for the daily to do lists; coil scribblers for general office notes, brainstorming; flat 32 page Hilroy scribblers for designated projects.
On my desk: a cute spiral-bound notebook for brainstorming & other things — currently loving my Michael Roger’s Decomposition Notebook in the Sunflowers design, spiral-bound 5×8 index cards, Sharpie pens, and multi-colored paper clips.
I also love having washi tape and stickers — loving my The Paper Studio stick-a-bilities Botanical design stickers — to decorate & spruce up my planner. I switched planners this year to Wisdom Supply Co’s Zero-Waste Weekly Planner and loved it so much that I just pre-ordered my 2023 planner this morning!
I cannot be without my Le Pens, in several colors!
Same!
Love Piolet Frixion clicker 07 erasable pen- game changer for crosswords and suduko! erases cleaner than any other!
If you appreciate good pens, try JetPens.com. So much fun to browse! Zebra Sarasa gel pens are my current favorites.
YASSSS! Jet Pens. All the good Japanese pens and good for finding the .38 and smaller pen points. Plus if you only want a few colors in a pack you can order individual colors of ink. I have ordered 2 times this week from Jetpens.com
Yes yes yes! I was going to suggest JetPens.com too and I believe it’s a small business! I love the Stabilo Pen 68, the Energel Clena by Pentel, and Otho Graphic Liner.
YESSSS! I came here to say this. I have a few things from JetPens and I’ve loved everything I got.
Follow their YouTube channel; it’s delightful.
Thanks to you, book darts are now an office supply staple! I also like the ONYX Uni-ball pens in black and blue, 4X6 index cards, and Zebra mildliners.
Now see? You guys are all getting me into so much trouble. I LOVE office supplies and want to buy every item mentioned here! I’m just going to have to restrain myself and buy a few of these goodies at a time. Fat pen, address/envelope guide and 11×11 post-its first! (Tee hee)
I don’t know what I would do with 11×11 post it notes but I know I must have them!!!
I love office/school supplies. I can’t resist pocket folders especially if they beautiful designs on them. All my book notes, reviews & booklist goes into them
Keeping everything together
Okay you guys, this Pilot Frixion Ball LX Erasable Retractable Gel Pen is probably the most expensive pen I’ve ever bought (about $30), but it is THE BEST, and it was TOTALLY WORTH IT. The erasable part works so beautifully (better than with the less expensive ones), there is NO smudging, and in Anne’s amazing journal, there is the faintest, tiniest amount of ghosting that you can barely even detect. You buy the refills with it that are very inexpensive, and I have only had to refill once after very heavy use, and it was super easy to do.
Ooops forgot to post the link- sorry!
https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Erasable-Mistakes-Disappear-Americas/dp/B00P00MFFS/ref=sxts_rp_s_sp_1_0?content-id=amzn1.sym.4cb47115-4900-486d-840c-0289a5ea836f%3Aamzn1.sym.4cb47115-4900-486d-840c-0289a5ea836f&cv_ct_cx=Frixion%2BPilot%2BErasable%2BRefillable%2BGel%2BInk%2BPen&keywords=Frixion%2BPilot%2BErasable%2BRefillable%2BGel%2BInk%2BPen&pd_rd_i=B00P00MFFS&pd_rd_r=2f2525c0-c3f0-4224-aa37-5a706d36ab12&pd_rd_w=HAPOk&pd_rd_wg=jRHPa&pf_rd_p=4cb47115-4900-486d-840c-0289a5ea836f&pf_rd_r=0NHA46C6JFKT8YKPY8MY&qid=1661368858&sr=1-1-5985efba-8948-4f09-9122-d605505c9d1e&th=1
When I was in elementary school the big thing was choosing a school bag and a lunch box. I never ate in school,but I still wanted one. I always loved shopping for school supplies. The excitement of opening a brand new composition book was unforgettable.
Marilyn
When I was in school we went after the first day of school to buy what we needed. A composition book and then in the upper grades a loose leaf binder and paper. A gummy eraser.pencils.pencil case,school bag,lunch box and a sharpener. There is nothing to match the feel of new pens,notebooks and pens even as an adult.
Marion
I love binders for holding papers for different projects. I’ll get them in different colors and love how they look lined up on my bookshelf.
I live in Japan, and we have a store here called “Daiso” that is sort of a Japanese “dollar store” (or 100-yen shop). I believe one opened recently in NYC.
Anyway, one of the best things about the store is their endless supply of amazing office supplies and interesting, innovative ways if keeping it all organized.
It’s an organizer’s (and an office supply junkie’s) DREAM!
Yes, I love that store! We have one in north San Diego and it’s so fun to browse around there.
Gosh, they didn’t have Trapper Keepers when I was younger – doesn’t that make me feel old.
I love stationery! “post-it” sticky rolls for annotating sheet music or notes. And Washi tape!!! And bound A5 or B5 journals – Zen are great but expensive; Clever fox comes in lots of colours.
And I’ve recently moved back from disposable pens to fountain pens that fill from ink bottles. Better for the world and such a joy.
Great post!
Blackwing pencils for the win. But I love the black Ticonderoga pencils and couldn’t find them this year. 😫I also have a thing for scissors. I buy them as souvenirs when I travel. I love good Japanese scissors.
Agree.. My husbands favorite is the Blackwing Japanese pencils for work. Soft lead. Hooked my father in law on them for his crossword puzzles.
I am overly thrilled at this article. I find great joy in finding the *right* office supplies so that transferred into adulthood. Will be asking for Book darts in my Christmas wish list.
Just last week I made a list of little things that bring me joy… office supplies and art supplies are at the top! The smell of new Crayolas is definitely pure joy.
I love the smell of a freshly-opened box of crayons! Next would be newly sharpened pencils, though I prefer to write with one specific kind of mechanical pencil. And I always have to have Pilot pens with green ink!
Oh my…I thought I was the only one obsessed with all things office supply!! Paper – notebook, spirals, journals – and colored pens are my must haves! I recently discovered the Supernote, which is an electronic notebook, and I’m loving it! Keeping all my notes in one place and never running out of room has been a game changer!
The inventor of the Trapper Keeper just passed away. Enjoyed reading more about the creation of a childhood staple: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/25/us/e-bryant-crutchfield-dead.html
OH MY GOODNESS!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE the Pilot 4 Colors Ballpoint Pen, Acroball 4 Extra Fine, Black, Red, Blue & Green! It writes so smooth, and it’s worth every penny! I use it for work and for personal use!! Thank you, Anne, for this recommendation!! 🙂
I LOVE school supply shopping. This year it looks much different as our only daughter is heading off to college. Bittersweet to say the least. While we were at Five Below picking up dorm supplies and must-haves, we stumbled upon Bic multicolored pens. I’ve only ever found them in blue and black and my little nerdy heart was delighted, so I bought 2 boxes of them. One thing I always do while school supply shopping is sniff Crayola crayons (the generics do not smell the same). It embarrasses my daughter so much, but I just can’t help myself.