If you're a parent with school-aged kids, you've probably asked yourself at the end of every school year, "What should I do with all these old notebooks?"
It's easy to throw them away and buy a fresh set of school supplies every year. But many notebooks still have plenty of unused pages that can be reused instead of ending up in the trash.
Ever since my son started school, we've always had piles of notebooks, papers, and books after every school year. So before buying new supplies, I do my own inventory. It helps me decide what we need to buy, what we can reuse, and what we can recycle.
One year, I spent less than PHP400 on my son's school supplies instead of PHP1,431 at the school bookstore. That huge difference came from simply reusing the supplies we already had, especially notebooks.
It's a small habit that saves money while also reducing waste.
I also shared before how I turn used paper into a DIY scratch pad. If you haven't seen it yet, you can check out my DIY Scratch Pad post.
Today, I'd like to share three simple ways I reuse and recycle old notebooks.
1. Reuse Old Notebooks
After the final exams, I gather all of my son's notebooks and check which ones still have enough unused pages. One year, I was able to reuse his Math, HELE, and Araling Panlipunan notebooks.
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For the Math spiral notebook, the cover was already worn out, so I removed the damaged cover and spiral binding. I then sewed the pages together and made a new cover using cardboard. I was even able to turn it into two new Math notebooks.
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For the HELE and Araling Panlipunan notebooks, I simply removed the used pages and replaced the covers so they looked almost brand new.
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2. Make Scratch Paper
My son used composition notebooks, so instead of tearing out the used pages, I carefully cut them so I could still use the blank side.
You can organize these pages using:
a paper clamp
padding glue to make a scratch pad
fasteners
One year, I had extra fasteners, so I used those instead. Since notebook pages aren't always perfectly uniform, fasteners made everything much easier to organize. I even included leftover writing notebook pages from Grade 3.
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3. Make Your Own DIY Notebook
Whenever I collect enough unused pages, I turn them into brand-new notebooks.
For notebooks that no longer have enough pages to be reused for school, I remove the used sheets and save all the blank ones. Instead of buying filler paper, I simply bind these pages together.
You can staple or sew the pages along with a cover. I usually sew mine using the original notebook holes as a guide.
At one point, I made six filler notebooks, which meant I didn't have to buy refill paper for my own notes or journals.
This is a simple DIY project that helps save money every school year. I'm also thankful that my son has always been willing to reuse his school supplies.
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Note: I got the pencil wrap PDF from Pinterest. I simply printed it and used it for our notebooks.
Update (2020)
Update (2020)
When COVID-19 happened, we were all stuck at home during the community quarantine. Since we couldn't go out, I started organizing and decluttering my son's school supplies.
That became the perfect opportunity to make DIY notebooks again.
This time, I was able to make four notebooks. I also designed and printed my own notebook covers using patterns from the Nautical Collection and the Chery Rush font from Design Bundles and Font Bundles websites.
Update (2021)
During the 2020–2021 school year, my son attended online classes, so he rarely used his notebooks.
Most of them still had plenty of blank pages, so we simply reused them for the following school year instead of buying new ones.
I also went through my own old notebooks and saved every unused page for future DIY notebook projects.
Update (July 2026)
It's been a while since I last made a DIY notebook.
These days, students don't write as many notes because it's much easier to take photos of presentation slides or the whiteboard. My son now uses just one notebook for all of his subjects.
This month, I finally went through all of his old high school notebooks. As always, I couldn't bring myself to throw away perfectly good paper, so I carefully saved every unused page.
Today, those forgotten pages have become a brand-new notebook.
One thing that's changed over the years is that my DIY notebooks have improved, too. I've slowly collected crafting tools that make the process much easier and give the finished notebook a more polished look.
For this notebook, I used a stock photo for the cover and added the quote: "I found me under an umbrella by the sea."
I'm not really a rainy season kind of person; I miss the sunshine. But I love how this little project transformed something forgotten into something beautiful.
Materials & Tools:
Printer
Photo paper
Cold laminating photo top
We R Makers Mini Guillotine
We R Makers Mini Cinch
Binding wires
Looking back, this little tradition has lasted much longer than I ever expected. What started as a simple way to save money has become something I genuinely enjoy. Every notebook I make is a reminder that with a little creativity, even something as ordinary as leftover paper can have a second life.
Update: August 2026
Last month, I came across a blog comment asking how to bind a book without folding the pages in half. My answer was: use a thermal binding machine. Thank you for the comment because it encouraged me to finally try the thermal binding machine I purchased last year.
I still had some old notebook pages that I wanted to repurpose, so I cut them in half to create smaller notebooks. For the covers, I used patterned paper and measured it according to the height, width, and thickness of the pages. I then added a hot melt glue strip along the center of the cover, where the pages would be bound.
