College Series Day 1: School Supplies Haul

I may be a Sophomore in college, but I still need school supplies! Here's what I've bought so far from Target and Office Depot:

I know it's not much. Most of what I need (Pens, pencils, spirals, etc.) I've bought from previous years when Target does their supplies clearance at the end of August. Everyone is pretty much in school by then, and Target severely discounts their supplies to get ready for the next season. I bought a bunch of stuff last year when they did the clearance, but one thing that I really didn't buy because they didn't have any of was binders, and I found so many uses for binders last year but I didn't have any. So this year, I've stocked up. 

I have three 1 1/2in binders in aqua blue, black (this is for theater), and green. I got these from Target on sale for $3 a piece. The different colors were the same price as the black and white ONLY if you bought Target's Up and Up brand instead of the name brand, which I have no problem doing to save some money.

I also bought four 1in binders in black, lavender, light blue, and light green. I got these on sale at Office Depot for $2.50 a piece as well, and the Life Touch brand was MUCH cheaper than the other Wilson Jones binders that were the same size. Again, the colored ones cost as much as the black and white, but I still got a black one for theater. 

Lastly, I got 2 purple 14 pocket folders from Office Depot. These things are so much better in my opinion than individual folders. All of your papers for your different classes are in one place. I don't know what I would do without them. I bought one for each semester, because they do get pretty beat up. These were not on sale, but they are my holy grail for back-to-school. 

My best advice for school supplies is this: Stock up while you can and buy on sale. I may not need all of these binders this year, but I got them while they were on sale and I can save them for the next couple of years. If you can, stock up at Target when they clear everything out. You can get some cute things for MUCH cheaper than normal. 

I would also suggest not getting your school stuff from just one place. I know it's easier, but you'll save money if you buy from different places. Target didn't have the 1in binders on sale, but Office Depot did. Just compare prices before you commit to buying. If you need to go to Target for something, take a list of things that you need for school and write down the prices at Target for those things. Then you can take that list to Office Depot, Staples, Office Max, Walmart, or wherever you go, and if you find something cheaper, get it there. If not, head back to Target and get it there. 

Hope this helps! Buying school supplies is one of my favorite parts of going back to school, and it should be as stress-free as possible. Have fun with it, and buy yourself some fun colored binders, pens, or something that will make doing your work so much more fun!

College Series Launch!

College Series is a GO! I've decided that I wanted to do this college series to help out anyone who may be headed off to college for their freshman year, or just for people who want to start thinking about going to college. College is an exciting time in someone's life, and I for sure am excited to go back to college!

I thought I'd start out by fully introducing my situation: 

I am going to be a Sophomore in college this year with a double major in Theater and Communication. Theater pretty much eats up my life, from rehearsals to performances to experiencing as much theater in the community as I can. Last year, I lived in the First Year dorms on our campus. I had a roommate and shared a bathroom with two other girls (which is called a "suite style" dorm room). Our room was pretty big last year, and the way we had it organized, my roommate and I had a lot of open space for ourselves. Each year, everyone randomly gets a lottery number, and the lowest numbers get to pick rooms first. There are only 3 Sophomore dorm options to choose from. If you don't get in one of those, you are put on the wait list, and when people start dropping out for various reasons or getting cleared to go abroad, rooms start opening up for the people who are on the wait list. My roommate and I were put at the top of the wait list, and we recently found out that by our lucky stars we got into the best Sophomore dorm available, and we have no suitemates. The whole place is to ourselves. OMG. So, when I haul things, tell stories, etc. just keep these circumstances in mind. I'm buying things that my roommate and I will share, packing things that my roommate and I will use, but with full knowledge that we will have extra bathroom space without suitemates.

And now, without further ado, let the College Series begin! It is beginning on August 5th and will end when August ends. Hope you enjoy, and let me know if there are any advice posts/things that you would like to see/know!