J and I made the unfortunate mistake of attempting to grab a few things at Wal-Mart yesterday. It. was. HAVOC. Apparently everyone and their mothers waited until the day before school started to pick up marbled notebooks and every colored highlighter under the sun. The back to school section was reminiscent of Best Buy on Black Friday, and I seriously feared one mom would whack another over the furry pencil pouches. For all of us past the phase of teachers’ print-out school supply lists, it’s a bit more exciting. All sorts of dorm room goodies await the incoming collegiate, and for the post-grads in the house, it’s “real world” things like bills and IKEA (LOL). I’d say the collegiates have it best. You deck out a space that’s (almost) your own and you don’t have to worry about a mortgage or lawn care – you just do yo’ thaaaang and drink as much coffee as you can muster blaming it on your sleep cycle. When I was in college, one of the best feelings in the world was getting an email in a busy day that I had a package waiting for me in the package room. Like, Lordy BLESS. UP. When you’re going through the ho hum of classes and *attempting* to figure out your whole life, a care package is the best respite to just take a hot sec and remember the outside world. Enter, Campus Shevival with BabbleBoxx. BabbleBoxx is a subscription service that curates some of the best of the best to be delivered right to your doorstep!
The key to putting together a good back to school survival care package for your collegiate? Make it a mix of goodies that aren’t necessarily top-of-mind otherwise (but that definitely come in handy!). First up, fabulous writing utensils. I was (and still am) completely particular about the pens I’m using, because Lord knows I’ve gotta color code everything color code-able. Don’t get me wrong: free pens during new student orientation go a long way. But Zebra Pens are better. Stock yo’self up with the Sarasa Gel pens featuring Rapid Dry Ink technology, Z-Grip Plus Ballpoint with low-viscosity ballpoint ink, an H-301 Steel Highlighter as part of their core Steel product line, and the F-301 BCA – a Breast Cancer Awareness pink barrel decorated steel ballpoint with blank ink. #boom
Going back to school? Gotta stay funky fresh. Personal care takes on a whole new dimension when your lifestyle takes such a major change, and it’s important to stay on top of it, yo! I was always *huge* on making sure I had the right things with me at the gym. Especially in college, you never know when you’ll run into a friend outside on your way home from a workout and you’ll wanna grab coffee or a bite to eat – and if you feel (and smell) disgusting, that just won’t do. Throw some Summer’s Eve® Cleansing Cloths in your bag to keep it all fresh below the belt. They’re lightly fragranced, gentle formula (no worries, sensitive skin!), hypoallergenic, alcohol-free, and individually packaged to just sit discreetly in your bag for when you wanna keep things kosher down south.
You guys know I’m huge on lippies regardless of life stage…they’re simply a must, back to school or not. I always need something moisturizing and easy in my bag, because ain’t nobody got time for complicated lip situations when the circumstances are dire (ie. you’ve got back-to-back meetings and then drinks with a friend and then a project rehearsal and then Bachelor in Paradise, because #priorities). My latest lip kick comes from the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula FlipBalms. They’ve got a fun “flip to open” packaging for one-hand use, which I wholeheartedly appreciate as a perpetual multi-tasker. Take your pick between Juicy Watermelon, Creamy Coconut, and Ripe Mango – they’ve all got pure Cocoa Butter, raw Shea Butter, and Vitamin E! Pick ’em up at , Kmart, Five Below, and Palmers.com.
As an RA for half of my collegiate experience, I wasn’t lucky enough to have kitchen access all to myself (I was in freshmen dorms!). But, I did have some kitchen access. Especially with an insanely packed schedule, though, I was not about to whip out the big pots and pans for meals; I’d rather grab something and go. But how cute is this little thing?! The GreenPan™ Square egg pan is literally juuuust big enough for an easy peasy overeasy breakfast. It’s coated with Thermolon™ healthy ceramic non-stick, meaning no ruining pans when you “forget” to wash your dishes for a week. HA. AND the handle has a silicone sleeve, so no burning yourself when you’re trying to whip up a snack at 1 am. 😉 From now through September 4th, you can snag one of these kitchen cuties for 20% off + free shipping with code SCHOOL20.
Lastly, my personal fave. If someone had sent me one of these babies during my college years, I would’ve flipped. Whether you need a back to school care package idea for your bestie or a premature Christmas wishlist fo’ yo’self ;), the FUJIFILM INSTAX Mini 70 is where. it’s. at. I had no clue how it worked, so I followed the few directions, popped in the film, and snapped a shot of my Moose. Y’all. It’s an instant camera that produces credit-card-size photos instantly. No plugging into the computer or digitally uploading to your computer to then print out in store, or any of that craziness. Literally snap the photo, and a hot sec later it glides out of the top developer right then and there within 90 seconds. I. Am. OBSESSED. Comes in Canary Yellow (mine!), Moon White, Island Blue, Passion Red, Midnight Black and Stardust Gold – just note that INSTAX Mini Instant film is sold separately, so don’t forget it! My recommendation: use it to get a whole slue o’ snapshots to string around your dorm room or create a fun wall collage (which I did for my freshman and sophomores years). Another fun project: carry the camera around campus for the whole semester (or year!). Snap anything that inspires you in that moment as a way to challenge yourself to stay present and focused on the little things and small pieces of happiness in your everyday. There’s also selfie mode. #yes
What would you want in your dream back to school care package today?
Whether you’re in college and need that back to school survival kit already (bless you), or you’re #adulting and need a care package just as badly, what products would you want included in yours? Let me know in a comment below…I can’t wait to see your favorite things for back to school season.
