Back To School & College Dorm Room Supplies

As August nears, you can sense summer is coming to a close. I know there's an entire month left, but the atmosphere changes somehow. Crickets and locus chirp and sing louder throughout the afternoon, the sun hits your yard a bit differently and the nights aren't as long.

It's around this time that we begin to see Back to School sales and circulars advertising everything from fancy pens and notebooks at CVS and Walgreens to dorm room delights from Bed Bath & Beyond. Bed Bath & Beyond even have a We Love College! ad campaign. Next to wedding registries, dorm room decor is probably their biggest money maker!

As much as I hated returning to school after a summer of fun, I didn't mind stocking up on everything from new clothing and shiny notebooks in grammar school to extra long dorm room sheets to new backpacks in high school and college! Here are some of my favorite vintage back-to-school stuff. What did you love best?

Cool 1980s Lunch Boxes

In grade school it was uber important to show up to school gripping a kick-ass lunch box. Be it Smurfs, Snoopy or E.T. -- you didn't want to be stuck with one of those boring, run-of-the-mill, plain lunch boxes.

The Jansport Bag

In high school and college, it was all about the Jansport backpack. I'm not quite sure why. I mean, it was just a backpack, but it was truly an essential in both high school and college. I also loved LL Bean backpacks.

The Mead Trapper Keeper

If you've been following a long for a bit, you know how dedicated I am to the Trapper Keeper by Mead. I loved the way it held every piece of paper securely and fashionably. I had the red one one year and a blue one other years. I enjoyed slapping stickers all over them to personalize them a bit. I found this old commercial, check it out.