25+ Back to School Shopping Memes Taking any Excuse to Buy a New Notebook

JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor

Sep 10, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

The best part of going back to school… that fresh pack of pens.

If you cringe at the thought of going back to school, at least you can experience the sweetness of back to school shopping. It's a wonderful time of year when, whoever you are, you get an excuse to buy some new writing supplies. If you're anything like me, you relish the chance to buy the heck out of a new notebook. Your whole life seems like it will unfold for you in a new way. You're going to be a different person this year. You're going to do everything on time and have the perfect pen for the perfect occasion. You're going to be organized and goal-oriented. You're going to write everything down and not forget it. This is the promise of back to school shopping. Of course, a couple of weeks into the fall, you're back to your old habits, but it was nice while it lasted. We all have to have aspirations every now and again, or else we won't end up anywhere.

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Back to school is the perfect time to reorient your daily routine, whether you're in school or not. If you're in school, each new grade is a new opportunity to reinvent yourself. Maybe you're going to put a pink streak in your hair or wear Converse every day. If you're not in school, maybe you're going to start dedicating yourself to journaling and maybe pick up a new hobby. Whatever it is, you're turning a new leaf just as the leaves turn. And if you're a parent, you have a different relationship with back to school shopping. You are excited for a reason: for the kids to be occupied all day, but you're dreading having to open up your wallet to subsidize all sorts of school supplies. The lists that they give out before the year starts have gotten out of hand. Back in your day, all you needed was a pencil and a protractor. But ultimately, you're glad for the changing of the seasons. And these memes are here to hold your hand through it.
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