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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UPRM chapter.

With the slow rise of under-consumerism, more people are beginning to recognize the issue that overconsumption has had on our lives. Every day, we are continuously influenced by various social media platforms and pushed to buy the latest and greatest, with back-to-school shopping being a prime example. As soon as you open TikTok, there’s a flood of videos urging you to snag the trendiest supplies and lists of the things you need to buy this upcoming school year. 

But do we really need all that stuff? The pressure to constantly consume is overwhelming, which leads to unnecessary spending and clutter. It’s essential to be mindful of our purchasing habits, not just to save money but for the environment. That is why this year, I am challenging myself and others to be more conscious of what we buy for the school year. Instead of giving into the trends, I have created an anti-haul list to focus on the things that I don’t need. 

Aesthetic Writing
Photo by Nick Morrison from Unsplash
Binder/Folders

 Honestly, folders are among the least used items in college. The chances of a professor handing back papers for you to keep are rare. Unless you know certain classes require them, I would skip buying folders altogether. 

Planners

Now, this is coming from a girl who was an avid bullet journal user, but after two years of barely using planners, I’ve realized physical planners aren’t really my thing anymore. I found it hard to keep track of, and would constantly forget to check my planner for due dates. Nowadays, I lean more toward digital planners for their easy accessibility and reminders. It has made my life so much easier to just be able to sync my calendar to multiple devices, so I can always have a copy of it when needed. 

Water Bottles/ Tumblers

We’ve all seen the Stanley Cup craze, and before that, the Hydro Flask one, and the obsession with Yetis. It’s gotten a bit over the top. I’m sure all of us already have more than two water bottles at home and use the same one repeatedly, so do we really need another tumbler to add to the collection? 

Tons of notebooks

These days, I tend to only buy two to three notebooks for the semester. You don’t use as many notebooks as you think you would, and you can always reuse ones with leftover pages. I usually just buy notebooks for my concentration classes because it helps me learn the information better. And for the rest of my classes, I’ll mostly just take notes on my iPad.

I encourage all of you to create your own anti-haul list for the upcoming school year. It’s a small step, but an impactful one towards taking control of our actions and prioritizing sustainability over impulse buys. Let’s be mindful of our purchases going forward. 

Angelise M. Torres Reyes is a third-year Psychology student at UPRM. With an interest in the English language, she looks to minor in Writing and Communications. She would like to contribute on topics ranging from mental health to social issues and pop culture. During Angelise’s free time, you can find her reading, dancing or drawing. You will never see her sitting still doing nothing. She’s a creative force that is willing to try new things every chance she gets. Her guilty pleasure is watching reality shows. She could probably tell you about every reality there is on Netflix.