Back to School: 5 Tips for Organizing Your Messenger or Tote Bag

Hey girlies! Here are 5 tips to organize your bag for school!

For the past few years, I've been using tote/messenger bags for school. For me, it's much easier than a backpack.

This year, I'm going to be using the bag on the top ^ It was pretty cheap for a school bag. Find it here.

At my school, we don't have lockers (except for PE), so we have to lug our notebooks, lunch--everything the whole day. I've found a few ways to keep my bag to the point where it's easy to find things and light weight.

Here are a few tips that I use :

1.) Dividers

I actually got this tip from Kate. I'm so glad she told me about this!

At my school, they encourage us to use a 3 inch binder, but that gets heavy and bulky super easily. So, instead, I use the dividers that are usually put inside them. I just stick them in my bag, tab side up and put my homework, notes, etc. in the pockets, organized by class. Also, I dedicate one divider to only carrying loose leaf lined paper. (Quick tip: when buying loose leaf, stick with college rule [if you can stand it; I know some people that can't write small enough for it and need the wider lines]. The reason is, there are way more lines to write on than wide rule, so you get more paper which also means it's essentially cheaper.)

It keeps everything organized and light in my bag. I can just thumb through them and find what I need.

I got these at Office Max for under $6!

2.) Pouches  

Everything small that usually floats around at the bottom of my bag, I put in pouches. I use this owl one to hold my pens, pencils, highlighters, and glue sticks. Find it here. (Quick tip: when you're looking over the supply list your school gave you, only get what you constantly use. For example, don't buy scissors. Most likely, a classmates or teacher will let you borrow one. Glue sticks are a must, though. They run out very quickly so buy a pack of multiples, not only one.)

In another pouch, I put everything I use to freshen up. I made my own blotting sheets out of tissue paper (the ones you get in gifts), and cut them to fit into an old mint tin I had laying around. A baby hand sanitizer, hair ties, my favorite EOS lip balm in sweet mint, and a container of mints also go in the bag.

In my third and last case, I put my feminine products inside. A thin pad, a pair of clean underwear (just in case!), and a folded Ziploc baggy fit well in a small, thin container.

These pouches help keep everything easy and organized. For example, if I need to freshen up after PE, I won't have to dig through my bag to find everything.

3.) Easy Access

I always keep a pencil and eraser in a pocket that's super easy to find in my bags. This way, if I need to jot down something, I won't have to dig through to find my pencil case and get one out.

So, keep things you use often in pockets that are easy to reach into and get without fussing.

4.) No Lunch boxes

Lunch boxes are a huge no-no for me. They get bulky in any bag and they use up so much space.

Last year, I stopped bringing them all together. I don't need them. I usually only eat a sandwich, anyways, so all I do is stick the Ziploc into a part of my bag that I know it won't get smooshed in. If you have a two compartment bag, put it in the one farthest from your body, away from water bottles, books, and notebooks. If you only have a one section for your bag, like I did last year, put it in front of all your books.

5.) Only Bring What You Need

If your school has block like mine does, you may only have a specific class for 4 days a week, even though you go to school for 5.

So, only bring materials you need for that day. If, for example, you don't have history on Wednesday, don't bring the notebook. Remember to put it back in, though!



Hope you guys find these tips useful! What do you do to stay organized? Comment below--I'd love to hear them! Organizing


-Anna, xoxo