I am an avid lover of stationery. If you are like me, it can be hard to exercise self-control when you walk into a stationery store. As a student, I struggled to pick between functionality and aesthetic. This week I have a list of student stationery must-haves that every student needs in their bags without absolutely breaking the bank. As a bonus, these look cute too!
1. Smooth Gel Ink Knock Type Ballpoint Pen 10 Colour Set 0.5mm- Muji
These may seem like a splurge at first but I SWEAR by these. They have lasted me a long long long time and are so helpful for note taking. I swear by colour coding my notes and these pens make it very easy to do so. You can buy individual colours if you do not want to commit to the whole pack. I am a 0.5 girl! I love this set because the pens last so long without drying out and write super smoothly.
Price: $18.90 CAD
2. 5-Pack Notebook B5- Muji
These notebooks are amazing quality and come at an amazing price. I bought this pack and it lasted me the whole year. These are suitable for a university student who already has a full commuter backpack and would like to travel light. I personally like the colour coded spines as it makes it easy for me to track my course notes. My tip is to organize your canva/student portal and the notebooks in the same colour for more cohesiveness. I am also amazed by the fact that despite being so thin, there is no bleeding of ink or higlighters when I use these notebooks. I have used gel pens, ball pens, and mildliners, with no bleeding pages.
Price: $3.99 CAD
3. Sharpie Chisel Tip Pocket-Style Highlighters – Assorted Pastel Colours – 6 Pack – Staples/Walmart
Do you want the Zebra Mildliner aesthetic without the heavy price tag? Opt for these pastel Sharpie highlighters. These highlighters do not bleed through pages and come in very pretty colours that will instantly level up your notes. They also come with a smear guard which means you do not have to worry about those pesky smudges ruining your pretty notes.
Price: $5.69 CAD
4. Oxford Ruled Index Cards, 3 x 5, Assorted Colours, 100 Pack- Staples/Walmart
Handwritten flashcards are one of the best ways to memorize your notes. These have helped me immensely in university and gotten me through those annoying fact memorization heavy courses. They come in different colours that you can use for different courses and the ruled style allows you to make your flashcards neat and pretty.
Price: $9.49 CAD
5. Pentel Twist – Erase Express Mechanical Pencils Kit – 0.5mm – 4 Pack- Staples
These pencils have saved my life on MCQ exams. They write super smoothly and you do not need to worry about sharpening them when you are on the go. It comes with a twist-up eraser attachment at the back which is great. However, I do always recommend having a separate eraser.
Price: $9.99 CAD
6. Polypropylene File Partition 13 Pockets – Muji
You are going to be filing a lot of different things every single day in classes. Those weekly exercise sheets, quizzes, and returned midterms add up FAST. I have lost many of these important documents when I left them loose in my backpack. Getting a file partition genuinely saved my life during finals season when I needed all my coursework to be organized and handy. Since our bags are pretty bulky already, I recommend this one from Muji which is super light and comes with label sections for you to organize it by course.
Price: $10.90 CAD
7. Pentel Ain Small Size Eraser, Black – Pentel
Japanese stationery always leaves me stumped. This eraser is difficult to find in Canada but I will link a US Shop link below (they ship to Canada). It is smudge free and will last you the whole year. If you do not want to spend on shipping or buy this online, not to worry, there is a Muji dupe that you can add to your collection (both Pentel and Muji erasers linked below). The Muji one also comes in different sizes so you can get the one you need for your needs- smaller one for more precise corrections and larger one for wider areas.
Price: $1.60 CAD Pentel, $1.90 CAD Muji
8. Large Capacity Pencil Case – Mequer Store
You are going to need a very solid, sizeable pencil case to fit all the supplies you need for everyday use. For this I recommend this pencil case I found on amazon. It has so many compartments and you can separate out all your different types of stationery. It also comes in very pretty colours and does not break the bank.
Price: $16.99 CAD
9. Post-it Flags, 0.47″ x 1.7″, Bright Neon Colours, 100 Pack- Staples
You will probably need to bookmark your textbooks and notes a LOT for that one quick review before the exams roll in. For this, I recommend keeping it simple as you will go through a lot of these little flags. Instead of spending money on the cute expensive ones, go for something simple and reliable. These flags also come in many different colours for easy colour coding. I recommend using the flag colours to signify what needs to be looked at first or in-depth vs items that are less priority.
Price: $5.49 CAD
10. Planner Sticky Note Sheets – Muji
No student has the space or energy to carry around massive planners. We have also moved on to online planners and apps like Notion, LifeAt, etc. But these planner sticky note sheets are great to have on hand to jot down those quick little tasks and can be pasted inside any of your course notes to keep track of your weekly assignments and tests. Muji also has a monthly option for these sheets.
Price: $2.90 CAD
