Truth be told, I’ve pulled used band-aids, food wrappers (and a banana peel), broken erasers, slime, and a single sock out of the bottom of my girls’ backpacks after they have gotten home on the last day of school. And while I wish I wasn’t in the majority with having found these things, I know that I’m not alone.

Picture this: your kids come running through the door on the last day of school and throw their bags on your mudroom bench, in the corner of a room, or in the bottom of a closet. After all, the school year is over so what’s the point in unloading the backpacks? Most of us moms are tired with a capital T. And don’t you deserve a day off? What’s the longest you have honestly wait to unload the backpacks? A week? A month? Until the next school year?

Well, you’ll want to keep reading this post if you’ve ever gone to prepare for the next school year and realized that (a) you don’t actually know where last year’s backpacks and supplies are located, or (b) the contents of the bag include unwanted treasures and trash that have been buried at the bottom of the bag throughout the summer.

So, this year, let’s vow once and for all that we will take some time on the last day of school to prepare for the next back to school season. Because honestly, who has the time to sift through the contents of a bag when you’re trying to get ready for back to school and who wants to waste money buying replacement items when you have a backpack full of perfectly good school supplies?

I promise you that taking some time now will save you that much time and more when you go to prepare for the next school year.

Now, let’s do this together and get ourselves and our kids organized at the end of this school year! Tell me: are up you for the challenge? I know I am.

4 Quick Tips for Getting Organized At the End of the School Year

1. Empty backpacks right away. When your kids bring home their backpacks at the end of the school year it’s important to empty out the contents. You’ll be surprised how many small things may have collected at the bottom, and this way their bag will be empty to use either over the summer or to save for the next school year.

2. Unload and store supplies. Once you’ve unloaded the backpacks, collect and categorize the contents. Any items like pencils and markers that are in good condition should either go in a school supply box or back in with the rest of the arts and crafts supplies, and lunch supplies should be stored together in a cabinet or drawer. This is so that when it’s time to gather supplies for the next school year you can easily access what you already have.

3. Create a shopping list. Did you notice that the glue stick in your kid’s bag had dried up or the binder was looking a little bent out of shape? Go ahead and add those items to a shopping list (either on your phone or on a piece of paper) while you’re thinking of them. You’ll thank yourself later when you have this list to reference!

4. Review save items. We all are probably guilty of holding on to too many papers and artwork from throughout the school year, but by taking 5 minutes to quickly scan through what you’ve saved over the last couple of months will allow for you to pull out and recycle papers that may no longer feel necessary to keep. This is a great way to get kids involved in the process by letting them sort through the pile and pull out a couple of favorites to keep for the future. For any items that you’re keeping, use a protective keepsake box to store the contents and include a label on the outside of the box to indicate whose box it is (and the school year/grade, if you’d like!).