Thrifty Sustainable Back to School

When did back to school shopping become such a retail-driven MUST-DO?

Is it because schools (in Ontario, at least) don’t have budgets for supplies so parents need to send their kids with pencils and notebooks? Or is it the fact that companies and advertisers love to take advantage of our busy-ness and weaknesses for the next “in” thing? At every time of year, it seems society is pressured to consume MORE – Midnight Madness, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Easter, Valentines, St. Patty’s, oh and only 118 days till Christmas! Better start buying stuff now – SO. MUCH. CRAP.

Our family does Back to School Season a little differently. Here are some ideas if you’re looking to save money, reduce waste and just live a little more slowly and sustainably as school starts up again…

• 

• 

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Sure, sometimes a new (or first) set of supplies are needed for back to school, but if you’ve got kids, chances are you already have heaps of drawing, colouring, crafting, writing supplies EVERYWHERE… or is that just us?!

Instead of buying new, FIRST, go through the stuff you already have. Sort your existing supplies into categories – stuff that works, and stuff that doesn’t: sustainable double whammy – back to school supplies AND purging in one go!

For the items that work and are still usable, you can sort further into crayon sets, markers, etc. For the stuff that doesn’t work, put it aside and figure out what can be done with it. Crayon scraps can be melted and molded into new recycled crayons. But guess what?! Other writing tools don’t have to go to landfill either! Here are some options:

1. Staples has partnered with TerraCycle to recycle used pens, markers, sharpies, highlighters and mechanical pencils. Bring your collection into a Staples, and they’ll begin the recycling process. First, the writing instruments are separated by material composition. The separated items are then cleaned and shredded. Finally, they are made into new recycled products.
2. Crayola offers another option for marker recycling – sign up on their website and they will pay for you to ship in your used markers to their facilities to be recycled! They also accept dry erase markers and highlighters, and other markers that are not Crayola branded! Check that your postal code is on their eligibility list!

For other school supplies, when needed, opt for items made from recycled material (pencil crayons, paper, etc.), or think of creative solutions – consider collecting one-sided printer paper and creating DIY notebooks, sew a unique pencil case from scrap fabric. Ask friends and family too – you might be surprised how much unused ‘stuff’ is out there for the taking (or trading, buying, etc.)!

CLOTHING & BACKPACKS

If your kids have gone through a major growth spurt over the year, maybe you need a few items – but oftentimes, these can be found used at a thrift shop or local Buy Nothing group, kijiji, or even hand-me-downs passed on through friends/family. My kids are 7 and 9 and I have never purchased a new snowsuit for them. Here are my tips:

Plan A – If clothing and backpacks still fit, use them – and if they don’t, be sure to pass them on to other families or donate!

Plan B – If items still fit/are usable, but straps are torn or pants have holes, consider mending them – or hiring someone to do it for you.

Plan C – If you must replace something, why not check for hand-me-downs or buy used? There are *SO* many great platforms to find second-hand items – either at Value Village (my go-to), Salvation Army Thrift Stores, local consignment shops (like Boomerang Kids and Once Upon A Child). Check your local Buy Nothing and Facebook exchange groups too. If you’re lucky, you may even have friends or relatives who are looking to unload some items that no longer work for their kids! Jackpot! This is how I shop for myself as well – thrift only.

Plan D – If there are specific items that can’t be found as hand-me-downs, in thrift shops or online groups, opt for sustainable items – clothing made from natural fibres, backpacks made from recycled materials. Eco-friendly shops are popping up all over and online eco-shopping is a simple Google search away!

• 

• 

FOOTWEAR

Ugh. This is one area that can be tricky. Is it just me or do kids’ feet grow at Formula-1 pace? Plus, they need indoor, outdoor, rain boots, snow boots… it’s never-ending. That’s why we look for thrifted shoes almost all year long. We’ve also been fortunate to be on the receiving end of some good second-hand footwear. That said, I’m also a bit picky about footwear in general (though my definition of picky may not align with all…). Our family prefers natural/minimalist footwear (sometimes called barefoot shoes), to support healthy body alignment and strong feet (For more info on this, read some of the articles by biomechanist Katy Bownman of Nutritious Movement). Since minimalist footwear can be quite pricy, especially for always-growing children, my two main tips are as follows:

1. Go Neutral – We have 2 kids (older daughter, younger son) – Thankfully my son (to date) hasn’t had an issue wearing purple or rainbow shoes, and my daughter is quite happy to wear black or camo-coloured footwear. [Since birth, we’ve preferred neutral colouring in general, but we also don’t believe that colours should be associated with a particular gender – it’s just a colour!]
2. Try water shoes – They are easy to find second hand, plus they are flexible, comfortable, low/zero-rise AND not expensive. And, as per Tip #1, they are typically pretty uni-sex so able to be shared between siblings.

If you choose to buy new, again, look for sustainable options, or at least high quality options that will last and last, long enough to be passed along to another child. Check out Native Shoes (bonus: it’s a Canadian company!) – they have a low-emission manufacturing process and no animal by-products in their shoes, all packaged with recyclable materials, and the shoes themselves are recyclable – plus they come in a variety of fun colours and designs! For high quality minimalist options, check out The Foot Collective (now open in Ottawa)!

• 

• 

LITTERLESS LUNCHES

Stainless steel bento boxes are all the rage (and they truly ARE awesome!). BUT that doesn’t mean you need to chuck out all your existing Tupperware and ziplock bags just yet!!! Instead USE and RE-USE what you already have – until it is no longer usable. We have a number of small containers (yes, totally plastic) that we will continue to use until lids go missing or they break. Sure, plastic is not something I plan on purchasing again, but I want to extend its life as long as possible before I move on and relegate it to recycling or landfill.

• 

• 

If you do need items for school lunches and you’re on a budget, check thrift shops and Buy Nothing groups as many people are looking to unload their containers. When it’s time to buy new, look for sustainable options:

1. Stainless steel containers – particularly with multiple compartments (i.e. bento boxes) – are AWESOME – easy to clean, various formats, and will last FOREVER. We have Lunchbots.
2. Stainless steel water bottles – We’ve also done glass (with silicon covers); however, somehow my son has still managed to smash them…. Stainless steel bottles are the way to go and are available almost everywhere AND they can last FOREVER. Our bottles are by S’well.
3. Reusable snack bags – We’ve been gifted a few of these over the years and they’re great – they come in a variety of sizes and are easily washable. Colibri is a Canadian company too! Washable, resealable silicon versions also exist, though I haven’t used them.

Sustainable lunch kit items can be found easily online or at Terra20 or NuGrocery in Ottawa. Heck – even Indigo is selling sustainable options.

For healthy, trash-free school lunch inspo, follow me on Instagram @jackielane_lovenlife and don’t forget to get the kids involved in meal prep too!

• 

• 

• 

How we as parents, grandparents, guardians and adults deal with consumerism, retailer-driven ‘trends’ and hype will help to establish patterns and habits in our kids. I, personally, didn’t grow up with special ‘back to school outfits’ or shiny new things at every turn, and so this hasn’t evolved into part of my lifestyle as an adult either. When the ‘spend-toss-spend-MORE’ mentality is normalized, it can lead to an expensive and wasteful future. For a simple visual (totally kid-appropriate), check out The Story of Stuff video.

• 

• 

***None of the links in this post are paid or sponsored. I simply like the shops or products – though, my preference (even for my own things) is to thrift or borrow. The only item noted in this post that I have not personally tried/shopped at is Native Shoes, but if you have experience with them, or any other sustainable products or shops, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!