college freshman essentials

Like many of you, this year I'm embarking on a new chapter of my life: college.
I was one of those highschool students who walked into their first day of freshman year thinking, "How many more days until I graduate?" So, needless to say, I've been looking forward to this day for quite some time.
I didn't, however, end up at the college of my dreams, and I'm staying in my hometown for school. I was bummed all summer over it, figuring it would ruin my entire college experience to have to stay here. But when I went to my school orientation last week, I realized how much fun it's going to be and what a great time I'm inevitably going to have. In a few weeks I'm moving out, and my classes are going to begin!
I've been noticing that every time I go out to Target or Walmart, I start searching for things I may need for my new house or school, which inspired me to throw together a little "freshman essentials" post! I hope any incoming college freshman (or even current college students) find it helpful or inspiring. Back-to-school shopping has always been the highlight of the end of every summer for me, but this year I'm getting to have a lot more fun with it!

Included in my essentials list:

• Oversized sweater & baggy boyfriend jeans: Come cooler weather, it's going to be miserable having to drag your sleep-deprived body out of bed to your 8am stats class. But these two pieces will be a lifesaver and keep you looking cute & comfy rather than just arriving in leggings & a tee!
• Sandals/flats/boots/nikes/converse: Notice a trend here? They're all comfy shoes. Although I'm a huge heel-wearer, I'm not going to be that one girl hobbling across campus struggling to get to her classes. There's also a huge gym on my campus that I bought a new pair of nike's for (the ones pictured above) because I've resolved not to gain my "freshman 15" this year. So if you have access to a gym, make time for it!
• Backpack & overized purse: I don't know how it is for everyone else, but a lot of my classes have several huge textbooks that I'm going to have to haul back and forth. Although I'm not a huge backpack-wearer, I've already realized that a backpack is going to be my most comfortable/reasonable bag option this year. And for the days that I only have one class, I'm opting for an oversize shoulder bag that I can still get all of the things I need into!
• Lotion/chapstick/perfume: These are all really obvious essentials. I don't really feel like they need any sort of explanation.
• Stationary/notebooks: I was under the impression that once I got to college, I could just bring my laptop and take notes with it. I recently found out, though, that a lot of professors don't let you do that because they know that kids will inevitably end up on Facebook/tumblr/etc. So notebooks will be something you'll need for most classes! And what would make your family happier than a hand-written note from their college kiddo every now and then? Invest in some cute stationary and make it a habit. Your family will be so grateful.
• Bobby pins: You. Can. Never. Have. Enough. Bobby. Pins. Seriously. Where do they go?! 
• Keys/cash: If you're driving your own car up to school and leaving it parked in a lot, keep your keys in a very safe place. And your cash. You'll most likely be having friends (and strangers) coming in and out of your dorm room, and you don't want to take any chances. Have a "safe place" for those things where only you know where they are if you're not going to be home when your roommate has friends over!
• Coffee: I bet you've already noticed the abundance of coffee shops on campus. Coffee will most likely be your best friend this year when you're slammed with studying (especially around exam time!). I know that on my campus, every Monday in the convenience store in our gym, they offer free coffee all day. Check for cool things like that on your campus and take advantage of them!
• Papersack: This was my way of referencing: bring your own snacks for in-between classes. I have some classes that I have 1-2 hours to kill before my next class. I caught myself thinking the other day, "That's the perfect amount of time to run by the chick fil a on campus and grab something to eat and do a little bit of studying." Then I realized how much money I would be wasting/how much weight I'd be gaining if I stopped for fastfood in between classes like that. Bring your own snacks to munch on between classes to save money & avoid freshman 15!

I hope you're all as excited as I am to start classes! 

xo Susie

Everything you need to go back to school UNDER $200/shopping tips

go back to school for under $200 TOTAL by insusiesshoes featuring sheer scarves

Cotton shirt / Khaki pants / Knee high leather boots / Kitten heels / Call it SPRING backpack bag / ASOS metallic jewelry / Cross jewelry / Forever 21 stone jewelry / Sheer scarve / Polka dot scarve

If you guys have picked up on anything from reading my blog, it would probably be that I do not let myself spend a lot of money on clothes/shoes/accessories/anything. 90% of what I post is "thrifted" (which is actually probably annoying if you liked it and were looking to buy it...oops, sorry). I'm a broke teenage girl in high school without a job...so, needless to say, I don't have a ton money to be throwing around.
I am, however, VERY good at finding sales/deals/saving money and things of that sort.

Generally, when I'm reading a fashion blog, I see things like this:
"Picked up a top today at SAKS for only $200! Such a steal!" or "These boots are on sale for only $150! Can you believe that?!" and so on and so forth. And those are generally the items on the cheaper end of the spectrum for most bloggers.
Which is fine! ....if you have that kind of money. But, again. H-i-g-h-s-c-h-o-o-l. I have other things to worry about spending my money on! My car, food, going out with friends, paying for school functions, my phone, school supplies, books, etc! With or without a job (especially without), these things are hard to keep up with when you're 14-18 years old, on TOP of keeping up with your school work, and TRYING YOUR HARDEST TO LOOK CUTE WHEN YOU'RE GETTING UP AT 6AM.

So, I thought I'd share a set I put together of everything you need to go back to school for UNDER $200. Everything in that set, put together, totals to under $200. For the most part, I think I got all the basics covered in there. Almost everything I put in this set can be mixed and matched with whatever else you have in your closet. Versatility- that's what it's all about.

And even if what I featured isn't really your style, remember these things before going back to school shopping:

• LOOK ONLINE FIRST- If you see something in the store that you like, check and see if it's online. Tons of things go on sale on a store's website long before it will go on sale in stores. And sometimes, the sale will be better online then it will be when it does go on sale in the store.  "But what about shipping?" Around August/September, most websites have "Back-to-School" sales where they offer free shipping/huge sales/etc. ALSO, google "Coupons for _______" (whatever store) and see what comes up. Sometimes websites will have codes that can get you 10-20% off your purchase at checkout (which could end up saving you close to the price you'd be paying for shipping).
• FIND OUT WHAT DAY NEW MERCHANDISE GOES UP- When you find out when stores are putting out new merchandise, you are also finding out what day other items start going on sale. Therefore, you will be the first person to get to the sales before all the good items/sizes are gone.
• DON'T BE SHY- If you see something you like at a store, but it's still a bit too pricey, ask a sales associate if they know when it's going on sale. Sometimes they'll be completely clueless and look at you like you're an idiot for asking them something like that. Sometimes they'll tell you "Come back in a week and it will be 30% off." It. Never. Hurts. To. Ask. Questions.
• THINK ABOUT IT FIRST- I am the queen of impulse buying. I see something that I like, and I buy it. Oh, and then it sits in my closet for a year without ever being worn. Now (what I try to do) if I see something I want and it's over $30 (and isn't the last one in my size in stock) I give myself a few days to think about it. If I come home and I'm still thinking about it, then I go to my closet and see what I could pair with it. If it's something I know I'll wear more than once or twice, I'll go back and get it. But you'll find that half the time you'll go home and you won't think about it again, which means you probably didn't really want it/need it in the first place, and now you have extra money in your pocket for something else.

I hope at least one of these things comes to mind when you go shopping now. Even if you (or your parents) have all the money in the world to spend, it doesn't hurt to be wise with it!