What's In My School Bag

The last time I did a What's In My School Bag I had a handbag style bag but now I have a backpack and I love it so I thought I would show you what's inside so you can get some ideas on what to keep in your school bag. There is a lot of pockets in this bag, which I prefer, so I can keep it so organised and it's easy to find things.

This is my school bag and I got it from Victoria's Secret Pink. It's very bright and that's the first thing people will say to me but I got it because I really like the colour. It has lots of pockets which is really handy because it means I can organise my belongings really well and I know where I can find them. 

Pritt Stick 43g- The first thing I keep in the front pocket is my glue stick. I like to have my own glue stick because not all of the classrooms have glue sticks or when they do they have about three so it's just easier to have my own but if a classroom has glue I will use that instead.

Essentials Bag- I keep all of my essentials in this Zoella Beauty beauty bag and this is the perfect size that I even bought one for my handbag. Inside I keep lip balm, hand sanitiser, hairbands, hand cream, polos, Tic Tacs and anything else that I need as an essential.

Geography Flashcards- In year 9 I made flashcards to revise for Geography (this year I did another technique) and I don''t want to throw them away because I spent time on them and if we have a quick little test (which never happens) I can use these to revise and I also don't know where else to keep them so they stay in here.

Spare Black Pens- In my school we have to write in black and my worst nightmare is running out so I have about 4 brand new pens in the front pocket ready to use when they all run out. 

Deodorant- To be honest I usually forget I have this in my bag but when I do remember I use it after PE. This one is from Soft & Gentle and it's in the scent of Wild Rose & Vanilla and it smells really nice.

Lunch- The only thing I keep in the 1st pocket is my lunch. Throughout the day I will keep it in my locker so my bag is lighter and I just don't like carrying my lunch around so thank god for my locker.

Pencil Case- The 2nd pocket is where I keep all of my school stuff and to start off with I have my pencil case. I have a new pencil case since doing this last and it's from Superdry. Inside I just have all of the stationery you need for school and also my scientific calculator. 

Sharpies- I also have another pencil case and inside I just keep Sharpies. I haven't really been using them much but I usually use them for revision posters or anything that involves colouring. In case you was wondering this pencil case is from Tesco.

Body Mist- I then keep the body mist that I am wearing that day so I can freshen up throughout the day (and my friend Nicha always asks to use it). I either have one from Victoria's Secret or Victoria's Secret Pink. 

Water Bottle- We all know that we have to stay hydrated throughout the day so that is why I have this water bottle. This water bottle is from Primark and it is massive; it's 1L! I don't drink the whole water but I do drink quite a bit.

A Christmas Carol- This is one of the texts that we're studying for English GCSE so this is my copy of the text which is all annotated. I actually don't need this in my bag anymore as we finished it so I now need to put Macbeth in because that's what we're moving onto next.

Reading Book- We always have to have a reading book on us and the book I'm currently reading is Bridget Jones' Diary and I'm actually nearly finished so when I am I will move onto reading Girl Online Going Solo

Anne Frank Script- As I'm writing this we are two weeks from the show and I know it's going to be really bad because I'm really bad and no one knows their lines (but I kinda do) so I still have my script just in case. 

A5 Notebook- I like to keep a notebook of my own in my bag because sometimes I need paper so this means I have paper. To be honest I don't use this that much but if I didn't have it one day, I would probably need it.

Planner- I also have my planner which the school gives us. In here I just write down my homework and even though we have an online place which says our homework, not all the teachers use it and we're forced to write it in our planners.

Exercise Books- I have some of my school books in my bag for revision and homework. I only take home the books I really need so the others stay in my locker, although I have left my books in my locker too many times to count.

Homework Folder- The last thing in this section is my homework folder. Obviously I just keep my homework inside but at the moment it's a bit messy as I have lots of random pieces of paper so I need to organise this.

Pouch- In the 3rd pocket, which is right at the back, I just keep things for that time of the month in this rose gold pouch which I got from a handbag in Primark. I keep it at the back so it's the most secure.

That is everything I keep in my school bag. If you would like to see a What's In My Bag let me know but my current handbag is a backpack so I would be doing another What's In My Backpack so let me know if you want that.

What's In My School Bag + Essentials

The other day I done a What's In My Pencil Case so I thought it's only fair to do a What's In My School Bag as I'm sure you want to know what my essentials are as everything in my school bag I would recommend you take. My backpack is from Primark and it was £9 and I really like the print and it's super light which is great for school.

What's Inside?

-Water bottle

-Pencil Case (from Victoria Secret)

-Body Mist (Victoria Secret Strawberries & Champagne)

-Pencil Case with Sharpies (Pencil Case-Tesco, Sharpies, WHSmith)

-Umbrella (from M&S)

What's Inside?

-Reading Book (Billy and Me)

-Planner (I usually have the one the school gives us but this one is from Tesco)

-Homework folder (from Tesco)

-Ruler (from WHSmith)

What's Inside? (Front Pocket)

-Glasses Case (from Paperchase)

-A6 Notebook (from Tesco)

-Essential Bag (From Zoella Beauty)

-Impulse Spray (Be Surprised from Tesco)

That's everything that I carry in my school bag on a day to day basis. I do have my french dictionary in here on days I have French and any school books I'll need for that day but they're currently at school in my locker so I couldn't include them.

How To Be Organised

I would say I'm quite an organised person and as back to school is upon us, I thought I would share some tips on how to be organised which you can link to school or at home or wherever.

-Get a planner which you will actually check. This sounds like an obvious one but planners are so helpful and you will become organised as you now have a structure to your day. Some people prefer digital but I'm a paper girl at heart and if you think you're not going to look at your planner why not try decorating it because as it looks pretty you'll be more encouraged to look at it.

-Always have post-it notes for notes that you might forget and the good thing about them is you can chuck them away when you're finished so you're not going to have lots of random note paper.

-This one is more for tidying and it's tidy up as you go along if you're someone who hates tidying. If you're at your desk doing your homework and you take all of your Sharpies out, as soon as you have finished tidy them up and put them where they were before.

-Some people might not agree with this tip but don't be afraid to have lots of notebooks if it'll helped you be organised. It will save you from going through lots of pieces of paper to find a note or something you've worked on as you'll know what notebook to go to when you need to find something.

-Multiple planners won't hurt if it'll help you organised. I have 3 planners (one for everything, one for school that stays at home and one in school) and that helps and all of that won't fit in one planner and it won't look as neat if it's all cramped and you'll end up getting confused.

-If you're someone who makes to-do lists, make smaller, more realistic to-do lists with 3-4 things for each day as it won't stress you out as much and after you've done the 3-4 tasks you can still do more and I find I'm more productive.

-If you find you have lots of random pieces of paper get some folders- it can be one big one or multiple smaller folders for sorting your paper into categories so it's easier to find important pieces. 

They are all of my tips. Let me know in the comment below what tips you use that I haven't mentioned on how you're organised and also let me know if you're going to use these tips, I would love to know.

Back To School Supply Haul | 2016

You don't know how excited I am to do one of these because I've watched them for years and today I'm doing my very first back to school supply haul. As you can tell I'm very excited but I'm not very excited about the going back to school bit because I've really enjoyed having the summer off just to chill out.

Tesco Clear Pencil Case 30cm- This year I decided to get a clear pencil case (even though I didn't want one) because sadly I'll have to do exams soon and you have to have a clear pencil case so I thought I would be prepared.

This was £1 from Tesco

Tesco Floral 20 Pocket Display Book- Last year my homework folder was a display book and I thought it was very handy so I thought this year I would get the same but this time I managed to find a cute one (last year's one was plain)

This was £1.50 from Tesco

Tesco A5 Pink Spiral Notebook- 80 Sheets- I find it handy to carry a small notebook in my school bag (which I haven't bought yet) so I got this one and this one came with a ruler and has dividers for different topics but I'm going to use this for passwords and random stuff.

This was £1 from Tesco

Crayola Super Tips 50 Washable Markers- I won't be using these for school because I already have Sharpie's for school but I wanted to include these because I bought them at the back to school section in Tesco and they were a good price.

These were £4.50 from Tesco

Helix Oxford Set Of Mathematic Instruments- I don't know how much I will actually use this but I thought it would be handy to have as I'll probably use it once in my next 2 years of secondary school.

This was £2 from Tesco

Tesco Tape Dispenser With 4 Refills- Again like the markers I won't be taking these to school but this will be good to have at home as well especially for journaling and I might need to use this for homework.

This was £1.50 from Tesco

Wrigley's Extra Peppermint Gum- 60 Pieces- I know you're not allowed to have gum in school but I bought a pack to have in my school bag because when you have bad breath after having a smelly bag of crisps you need gum.

This was £1.50 from Tesco

Tesco Record Cards- I already have some but I bought a fresh pack in case I run out. Flashcards really help me to revise so obviously I want to have quite a few for when I'm busy revising.

These were £1 from Tesco

Bic Cristal Original- Black- Obviously in school you need to have pens so I bought a new pack. I do like these pens because they make my handwriting look neater and I also like the Tesco clicky ball pens but I already have quite a lot from last year.

These were £1.50 from Tesco

Pritt Stick 43g from Tesco- I do geography as one of my options and last year there was only ever 4 maximum glue sticks in the classroom so I thought I would be prepared and buy a massive one.

This was £1.50 from Tesco

Tesco Tablet Eraser- My pencils have a rubber on the end of them (American's think erasers) so I don't normally use a  big rubber but I thought I would pick one up whilst on offer in case people ask to borrow a rubber.

This was 60p from Tesco

Helix Oxford 30cm Folding Ruler- For the last couple of years I've had the flexible rulers but I wanted one that fits in my pencil case so I got one that folds up in half and will fit in my pencil case.

This was 75p from Tesco

Scentos Scented Markers- I haven't decided whether I'll use these for school or not but I wanted to include these in my haul because they're so cool. I haven't smelt them yet so I can't tell you how good they are but they were only £5 for 30 pens.

These were £5 from Tesco

I did buy some stationery from Asda's back to school section but I'm not going to be using that for school so I thought there was no point in including it. I find going to supermarkets for back to school shopping is best because they have amazing deals and stationery shops are really overpriced.

School Life Hacks

Today I'm going to be sharing with you some life hacks for school which I've learnt in my 3 years of secondary school and all of these work (especially for me) and you might learn a new life hack which will really help your school life.

-Go to bed early and no electronics for an hour before going to bed. Some stuff you can do before going to bed is read, journal or use a colouring book- just things that will help you relax and don't require electronics. This will help you wake up earlier which will improve your morning routine. 

-There is a really effective studying method called the Pomodoro Studying Method and this is where you study/revise for 25 minutes, have a 5 minute break and the 3rd break is 20 minutes. This method really helps as you're not revising for too long and you get to look forward to that 20 minute break.

-To make sure you leave on time if you are someone's who late create a playlist which is exactly how long it takes you to get ready so when you get on a certain song you know how long you have until you need to leave. However don't get distracted singing and dancing to the songs.

- If you're still tired after a long sleep, drink some water right as you wake up as that will kick start your brain and throughout the day you're going to be less tired. If you can't be bothered to make a glass of water in the morning, make one before you go to bed and leave it until the next day so it's there for when you wake up.

-This one's for inside school (and could be used for homework) and if you spell something wrong or cross a word out which you don't want the teacher to read write random letters over the original and then you can't see it anymore and looks a bit more neater than massive scribbles.

- Keep a place in your room with all of your essentials before you leave (like if you can a place near the door). On top of my dresser I have a crate thing (a decorative one though) with everything that'll I need before I leave like snacks, body spray, keys, money and anything I might forget.

- As well as having a place for your essentials, also have a whiteboard/corkboard in your room for any notes like when you have a test or when your science homework is due or a quick reminder saying you need to bring your PE kit home. You can get these for cheap so 
it's good to get with your school supplies.

How many of these school life hacks did you already know? Let me know in the comments below what school life hacks you use and ones I didn't include and remember to let me know if any of these work for you.

What's In My Pencil Case

Today I have another part of my back to school series and that is a What's In My Pencil Case because a pencil case means stationery and we all know that Louise has an unhealthy obsession with stationery. I will actually be doing a What's In My School Bag but I just ended up doing this one first.

This is my pencil case but it's actually a makeup bag. I've found that it's hard to find cute pencil cases so I just use a makeup bag and I have for all of year 9. This pencil case/makeup bag is from Victoria Secret and it's a lot smaller than my other pencil cases so it gives me more room in my school bag.

What's Inside?

-Colourful pens (from Tesco and WHSmith)

-Wooden and Mechanical Pencils (from Wilko and WHSmith)

-Black writing pens (from Tesco)

What's Inside?

-Sharpies (from Tesco)

-Sharpie Highlighters (from Tesco)

What's Inside?

-Scissors (craft set)

-Protractor (from Wilko)

-2x Rubber (from ?)

-Sharpener (from Tesco)

-Ruler (from Wilko)

In my school bag I do also carry a glue stick, a scientific calculator and a 30cm ruler but they all don't fit in my pencil case so that's why their in my bag. Remember to check back here as I will be doing more back to school posts and also a What's In My School Bag.

What School Supplies You Actually Need

I've found that most YouTube school videos can be unrealistic so I wanted to share what school supplies you need and will actually use. All of these things in this haul you can buy cheaply so you could buy all of these at Poundland or a bargain shop and not forget anything which you will need during the school year.

Black Pens- In my school you're only allowed to write in black pens so if your school is like that buy a massive pack of pens and during the year you will lose some and give some out and never get them back so it's good to have a big pack and usually big packs end up cheaper.

Pencils- I don't use pencils much but you should have at least one especially for maths and science (basically any subjects where you have to draw diagrams or draw anything). Some people like mechanical pencils but as normal pencils are cheaper I have a big pack of normal pencils

Colouring Pens- These are good for peer marking and also for colour-coding your work. With these you only really need a small pack with a couple of colours as you might not use them that much but you will use them. 

Highlighters- These are great for revision and also in class as sometimes you have tasks where you have to highlight the most important information so it's good to have your own and they also make your work looking good and neat.

Colouring Supplies- These won't be as much as an essential as the years go by but I still would recommend something like Sharpies as sometimes you have to make posters and these look good or just a task when you need colours (like in geography)

A6 Notebook- You might not use this that much but it's always good to have in your bag for any thing you might want to note down like passwords, extra information on paper and if you want a scrap piece of paper.

Glue Stick- This is one supply that everyone forgets about and it's so important. You will use this a lot as there's always so many sheets to stick in and the school's glue is rubbish and some classrooms don't even have any glue.

Pencil Sharpener- Obviously if you have pencils you're going to need to sharpen them so get a sharpener. I actually personally prefer the ones where you can sharpen the pencils and the sharpening goes in that pot instead of the one in the picture but all you need is something to sharpen a pencil.

Rubber- If you're using a pencil you always need a rubber to rub out any mistakes- especially if you are drawing or drawing diagrams (especially as I'm rubbish at both and rubbers come in very handy)

Ruler- In my school we always need to underline the date and the title and I like underling subtitles and important information so a ruler is handy as the teachers go crazy if the line isn't straight and it also drives me a bit crazy to.

Flashcards- Flashcards are a great way to revise so it's good to have a pack at the beginning of the year so throughout the year you can use them whenever you need to use them and you have them instead of running out and buying a pack.

Scientific Calculator- In school you can only do maths with a scientific calculator as otherwise you won't be able to do anything you're doing in class and you won't do very well in calculator tests without one (I've learnt from experience)

Water bottle- Obviously we all need to stay hydrated throughout the day so to make sure you don't fall ill during school bring a water bottle which people do forget but I need water and I drink so much throughout the day.

Homework folder- I hate folding pieces of paper so to keep them straight without them getting ripped and messy and not nice. I just get a document wallet as they keep my homework in and make sure kids you actually do your homework.

Pencil Case- Lots of people keep their stationery loose but that drives me crazy and I could not do that so all of my supplies always go in a pencil case so they're all together and I don't need to hunt through my bag for a pen.

Backpack- I know everyone has their different preferences when it comes to their school bag but I personally like to use a backpack because I hate holding a heavy bag and it's even worse when you have to bring in another bag so I like to have school stuff on my bag and then any carrier bags can go on my arm.

That's everything I would recommend to buy for back to school season and there's still a while yet till back to school so you don't need to panic buying school supplies in a rush as that's not good and fun.