Picture this: you’re in the lunch queue, and it’s your turn to pay. You put your hand into your bag, hoping to pull out your wallet, but instead find yourself tugging out a chocolate bar wrapper. After that, a used tissue. Then, a sticky wad that is almost definitely gum. By this point, those behind you are shifting their feet impatiently, while the cashier is looking at you with faint horror. And all because you never bothered to clean out your bag.

But it’s time to turn over a new leaf! Those days of filling your bag with gum wrappers and Taco Bell receipts are behind you. From now on, your bag will be kept neat and tidy, filled only with items that are actually useful to have on you.

It can be hard knowing what you need and what you don’t, so I’ve composed the ultimate list of essentials that every school bag needs.

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1. Portable Charger

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Trust me when I say that getting a portable charger will change your life for the better. It’s ideal for those days when you forgot to charge your phone overnight but don’t have time to do it in the morning. Instead of worrying about whether someone at school will have a charger you can borrow, you can simply plug your phone into your portable charger and charge it on your commute. Crisis averted!

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2. Hand Sanitizer

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This is a staple you’ll be grateful to have with you when you’ve just finished a bag of crisps and your hands are covered in salt.

If you want to go a step further, you could even put your hand sanitizer into a small cosmetics bag to ensure it doesn’t leak in your bag.

3. Lip balm

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Lip balm is another helpful item to add to your cosmetics bag. Particularly as the colder seasons approach, it’s useful to have a chapstick in your bag for those windy mornings that leave your lips chapped and uncomfortable-feeling.

4. Emergency cash

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Nowadays, most people either use their physical card or the digital one on their Apple Wallet. It’s become rare to carry actual coins and notes. And yet, you never know when you’re going to misplace your card or have your phone run out of battery. Keeping cash on you is a helpful way to be prepared for such emergencies.

5. Mini Umbrella

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Although this is one of the larger items on this list, it’s important to have. Carrying an umbrella with you means you’ll go through no more days of stepping outside and finding yourself drenched in rain. Instead, you can stay dry and smug under your umbrella while those who are less prepared run for shelter (although, if you’re feeling generous, you can always offer to share it with them).

6. Deodorant

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Basic, but essential. Having a mini deodorant in your bag is a lifesaver for those mornings when you’ve run to catch the bus and are paranoid that you’re now more than a little sweaty.

7. Perfume

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Following this, perfume is another great staple to have in your bag. It can give you a nice boost of confidence midway through the day when you’re feeling a bit run down and could do with smelling like geraniums.

If you don’t want to take a big bottle in with you every day, you could buy a mini bottle or even a small refiller that you can transfer some perfume from your big bottle into.

8. Mints

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You can never go wrong with keeping a tin of mints in your bag. Rather than feeling self-conscious in the middle of a conversation that your breath isn’t at its freshest, you can simply pop a mint in your mouth and feel better.

(Word of caution: this is the sort of staple that you pull out, and everyone around you instantly asks for one as well. It may therefore be worth investing in a big tin.)

9. Pen

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Finally, you can’t go wrong with having some stationery on you. Now, when you’re out somewhere and someone calls out, “does anyone have a pen?” you can be the helpful person who says, “me!”

That concludes our list of essentials you should always have in your school bag. Take this as your sign to clean out your bag, give it a wipe, and fill it with staples that’ll improve it for the better. New bag, new you!