Mid-Week Treat: Stationary Special

If there's one thing that makes me feel instantly more organised, it's buying some fresh new stationary. Even in this day and age, I much prefer physically writing notes over typing in something on my phone. As it's the time of year when a lot of people are starting a new year of education (including myself), I thought I'd compile a quick guide to some of the best supplies you can get on a budget. In true Mid Week Treat style, all products featuring here cost under £5, so even if you're not starting a new year of school, you can join in on the stationary party completely guilt free.

Notebooks
I am determined to get through the next year of studying without having to carry around a heavy, bulky lever arch folder. To save my poor back, I've decided to instead use a variety of notebooks, each one dedicated to a small topic within a module, and therefore all my notes will (hopefully!) be easier to organise. The hands down champion of bargain notebooks, for me, has to be Home Bargains, where all of the above beauties come from. As I'm not sure yet on the quantity of notes I will be making, I bought a variety of sizes, and I'm certain I will use them all in some way. The A5 exercise books were a ludicrous 49p each, and come in a variety of patterns. Perfect for notes in lectures and tutorials. I bought a couple of thicker A5 notebooks too - both the poppy design and the bear design cost 99p each. So much prettier than a chunky folder too!

Diary
Okay, so I've jumped onto the 2015 bandwagon quite early on, but I couldn't resist this adorable Peter Rabbit Diary. It's an ideal pocket size for carrying around on a daily basis, and yet there is still enough space under each date to fit quite a bit of information. At £1 from The Range, this was too good to pass up on!

Document Wallet
When I do have to carry around A4 paperwork, instead of using a folder, I'll be using a far more lightweight document wallet. I've picked up a few of these in preparation, as they are also the ideal place for storing random letters and documents (um, Student Finance letters, anyone?). This floral document wallet from Wilkos is one of the best I've come across - sturdy, colourful, and can also optionally be folded to store even more paperwork. All for 80p.

Pens
Paperchase is officially my favourite place on Earth, so I could hardly write this post without including something from their hallowed shelves. Their pens are my favourite - they write really smoothly as well as being lovingly designed. This Animal Pals pen is my current favourite - it features gorgeous illustrations of animals wearing clothes (if you don't like animas wearing clothes, then we can't be friends). At £2 a pop, you probably won't be buying dozens of these if you are on a tight budget, but everyone needs one favourite pen, and this is set to be mine.

So, now we've bought stationary, we are all now super organised, right?  I'd love to hear of any stationary products or brands that you swear by!