With back-to-school season starting, it’s time to figure out what we all need for the upcoming year. Ever since the start of your education, you have to pick up a school supply list and start shopping, buying everything from crayons to tissues for the entire class. From this early age, we’ve adapted the routine of going shopping every single year right before school starts. Hence the name Back-To-School-Shopping.To be fair, it’s not an entirely bad idea. Before school starts is kind of the perfect time to grab everything you need while you still have time to do so, however, people often take this opportunity of convenience and turn it into a whole scene of overconsumption.

Overconsumption has been amplified by the use of social media, around the time of fall you can see that the back-to-school season is a major event on social media, with posts ranging from personal updates and advice to promotional content by brands and educational institutions​. Even though these supplies are heavily marketed, many of those school supplies you say you need are wasted. According to GreenBinz, an organization focused on reducing school supply waste​, over 77% of school supplies are wasted yearly. This begs the question; Do we need all of these things we are buying? In addition to that, most school supplies are plastic and aren’t being recycled often taking over 450 years to deteriorate. So, we should try to be more environmentally conscious when buying our school supplies. This will not only help save our planet but also our wallets. 

We can become lost in our anxieties at the beginning of the year. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it’s estimated that around 31.9% of adolescents aged 13-18 experience some form of anxiety disorder, which can include back-to-school anxiety. It can often ease your anxieties to feel more prepared. However, we can work to feel prepared and not be wasteful at the same time. 

The first thing you should do before purchasing any extra supplies is to go through what you already have. In most cases, your folders and some pens and pencils will be able to be reused in the next  year. Then, make a list of everything you already own and go through the specific classes you are enrolled in. For example, in some math classes, you might need a particular calculator, however other classes you might not even need a notebook. Based on your classes, try to make a bare minimum list of things that you need. 

Lastly, try to skip all of the extra stuff before your classes start. When the school year starts it’s harder to go shopping throughout the year, but it’s not impossible. It’s better to get what’s needed first and then in a few weeks when your classes get going, go back to the store and pick up what you are missing, that way there is a lot less waste. 

Everyone is different, so obviously everyone will need different things, however, try to look at your purchases this year and truly think about if it is necessary for you to buy. By using these new skills we can help save the environment and our wallets this upcoming year.