A lot of planners on the market start their year in July so now is a good time to be looking for a new planner. Today I have four different planners to review and compare.
The Planner
Price $14.99 (the one I have linked is the 2017 model but the 2017/ 2018 can be found in stores at Target). This is a smaller, less deluxe version of the traditional day designer which sells for $59
Monthly Layout
Weekly Layout
This is a great little planner if you are looking for something to carry on a daily basis and don’t need multiple boxes or too much space to write in each day. Although some small functional stickers and thin washi could work I would say this planner does not lend itself to decorative planning – but hey, that’s not everyone’s thing. For me personally this planner is too small and not sturdy enough to be my primary planner but I have been thinking a lot lately about planning my blog posts more in advance and having a space for brainstorming and I think this will be perfect for that. I really like the look of the regular day designer but for now one page per day seems like more space than I need. I also think this planner / the day designer model would be great for someone who uses a planner for their professional life.
The Planner
Price $29.99 (if purchased at Michael’s you can purchase on sale for at least 30% off or use a coupon if it’s not on sale)
Monthly Layout
Weekly Layout
I am currently using a Happy Planner. My biggest attraction to this planner was that the disc system makes it very easy to rearrange the planner – for example I remove prior weeks to keep the planner from getting bulky and I don’t keep all 12 months in at one time. You can also add note pages or whole sections such as budgeting or fitness. The price is also very reasonable as Michael’s often has them on sale – I paid $14.99 for my Happy Planner and then another $12.99 for hard covers. The biggest weakness of this planner is that the disks are not sturdy and this planner does not lend itself to travel. With us moving into our new home this week I’ve decided I need a separate home planner for keeping up with maintenance (for example, our lawn should only be watered once a week so I need to keep up with when it rains) and meal planning. Since I will be keeping this planner at home on my desk and not transporting in my purse I do not see the discs being a problem. Also, it is harder to find stickers that fit just right for this planner so it’s best to decorate without using kits.
The Planner
Price $55 (price increases for coil selections and selecting 18 months vs 12)
Monthly Layout
Weekly Layout
Eric Condren is a very popular planner and I always resisted it due to the price however two years ago I used a similar planner and when I added in extras the cost was pretty similar to an EC and I decided I really miss the sturdiness of a coiled planner to carry in my purse as my everyday planner. A big motivation for me to make the switch is also quite frankly that the ECLP is the planner most sticker makers model their stickers for and while I would order boxes for the happy planner they never quite fit – box stickers fit the ECLP perfectly. I also like the accessories EC offers and the interchangeable covers.
Foxy Fix / Mommy Lhey Traveler’s Notebooks
The last option of planner is what I would call a non traditional planner because it doesn’t come in any preset and bound form. If you like to do your own thing that the traveler’s notebook is for you. The purple notebook is one I received in my Mommy Lhey Little Bits box (she has since included a pink one and turquoise one in subsequent boxes) and the pink on is for the leather lovers out there- it’s a leather Foxy Fix in Mochi. There’s too many types of inserts for me to cover in this post but with a TN the sky is the limit – there’s inserts that model traditional planners, inserts for lists or bullet journaling and inserts that are blank leaving the planner to freehand whatever they want. Currently I have my purple TN set up for weight loss tracking. Although I love the concept of a TN I prefer to use them for lists and notes rather than as an actual planner.
I used to be a one planner type of girl but as I’ve gotten more into planning I’ve seen more aspects of my life where there’s an opportunity to utilize planning and so my “need” for planners has evolved. There’s plenty of planners on the marketplace for anyone one to find the one (or 5) that fits their needs best and the planners I’ve covered here are just a portion of what’s available.
Happy Planning!