I constantly see pictures of people's HUGE planner stashes.
Pink tool boxes full of crafting paper and random note cards. Desks piled high with drawers full of supplies. Makeup cases jammed with markers, stamps, and washi tape.
I'm obviously in favor of organizing whatever planner supplies you happen to have or I wouldn't share ideas for storage.
But I'm going to propose something very unpopular. (And you'll still love me, because I totally just did that Jedi mind trick have wave motion.)
Stop buying all those accessories!!!
You don't need all of that. Sure, for scrapbooking, accessories are important. And you might find some things that help you use your planner. If so, use them. Anything that helps you use your planner is a good thing. But as I explained in this post a couple of years ago, simple accessories will suffice. (It's also a brilliant and often overlooked post. Go read it!)
But please, don't think for a minute that you can't plan well enough or aren't a real planner just because all those fancy accessories are NOT in your budget.
If you use a planner, you are a real planner.
Other than the planner and the inserts (or just the planner, if it is not ring-bound), you only need one item: a pencil or ink pen.
There are a few other things that I recommend, but only because they are incredibly inexpensive and they save you significant time or money in the long run.
But remember, these are not NEEDS. These are optional WANTS.
MONEY SAVERS
Scissors (Cost: probably free)
Do you have scissors at home? Great! You are all set for trimming any homemade pages. Just use your current inserts as templates.
Cheap Memo Paper (Cost: free to under $10 dollars)
I like colorful blank pages, like these that are the right size for a Franklin Covey compact or Filofax personal (especially a wider one like a Malden) planner.
You could also use free graph paper like I did in this post.
If you don't mind trimming, just use any paper hanging around the house.
TIP: Save the planet by using the back side of school papers from your kid's schoolbag. Just use the blank side.
Hole Punch (Cost: under $3)
A single hole punch is a great way to punch those blank memo pages or a printable form for your planner. Just use another page from your planner as a template.
TIP: Binder clip the template page to 1 - 4 other pages then punch for perfect hole alignment. Here is a quick DIY lesson on doing just that!
So far, all of these items save you money because you can make your own custom inserts.
But a few items are very inexpensive (can I say cheap???) and save enough time that I think you might consider them, if you can afford it. If you can't, remember, a cheap planner (I'll even be okay if it is not ring-bound) and a pen is all you really need!
TIME SAVERS
Post-it Notes (Cost: under $3)
Post-it Notes allow you to move items from day-to-day and week-to-week. Not only is that a time saver, but it saves ink or pencil, too. (Okay, not as much money worth of ink as the notes cost. But when I explain my Amazon order to my tightwad husband, I am DEFINITELY pulling out that argument.)
Page Markers (Cost: free to under $4)
Magnetic Page Markers are my addiction of choice, but if you have a large paperclip hanging around, hey, free page marker.
Tabs (Cost: under $3)
Post-it Tabs truly do stick well and hold up. I use them to mark projects (with my special indexing system that can be made with one of those free memo pages I talked about before), but they work as dividers if that is all you can afford right now.
Of course, planning is a hobby as much as it is a lifestyle and a responsibility, so feel free to spend more if you have it. But PLEASE don't think planning has to be expensive or complicated! It doesn't.
Etcetera.
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Don't worry, I still love you, even without the Jedi trick (too far away for that) ;-) In fact, I wrote something similarly unpopular at the end of my blogpost today (but I only realized that after reading your post)...
ReplyDeleteI love looking at planner accessories and stationary, but I hardly ever buy any. Planning is not a hobby to me, it's a way to cope. If I'd be able to spend so much money, there are other things I'd buy.
Like Gertrude, my planner is a coping mechanism. Aside from my 6 and 7 hole punches ($2 thrift store finds,) most of my pretties come from the Dollar Tree, 99 Cent store, or Target $1 Spot, gotta have a repositioned glue stick these. And, because I use a vertical layout, there's not that much space anyway.
ReplyDeleteI'm over here nodding profusely while I read this. When I wrote my Planner Peer Pressure post, I confessed that I fell into the same trap of needing all the 'pretty' (washi, stickers, paperclips with all kinds of stuff hanging off them). That stuff wasn't going to help me 'plan', but rather would suck up my time decorating. I destashed all that stuff (okay, fine, I did keep 3....okay, okay....4 rolls of washi) Stickers take up too much room on my pages, but, since you brought up the Jedi, I succumbed to these puffy SW stickers that I did attack to paperclips for markers. HAD to have these!
ReplyDeleteI read an interesting blog post over the weekend about how the planner community has morphed with the crafting community, which explains why a lot of individuals are combining the two in order to satisfy their need to plan and decorate. If that's what enables you to open your planner and get things done, then do whatever works. My focus is fragile as it is (lol) so the less page chotchke the better for me!
I like my (small) Post-It note collection and my different clips, but when I take my planner with me, all I really need is my planner and a pen. Great post.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that post. I felt like it was a permission slip from the principal. I started to fall into the "stuff" groove also but finally wised up and saw that I did not use all the "stuff" that I had (wanted) to have. When I used those decorations it did not leave enough room for me to write in the spaces! So I just mark special dates like birthdays and anniversaries with special stamps and write appointments in now.
ReplyDeleteWorks much better for me. Thank you again.❤️
I can't agree with you more! I got all caught up with the decorating but now use it as a reward. I plan my upcoming week and once done,if there is time I will decorate the prior week. I don't decorate the current week because things pop up during the week and I won't have room to write them in. I also find it distracting.
ReplyDeleteVery much in favor of using up whatever is around before buying stuff, especially where paper is concerned.
ReplyDeleteI find single hole punches annoying, just my opinion. My punch wasn't that expensive.
You always give good tips.
My planner setup is a three ring binder, pen, pencil, lined and graph paper and a hole punch. Simple and efficient :)
ReplyDeleteI just made the most wonderfully awesometastic discovery on the topic of inexpensive planner supplies, and I'm just a little excited to share. Most of those cute post-it's, tape flags, page markers, etc. that are sold on some websites for $3-$7ish (plus shipping) can be found on eBay for literally under 50 cents, with free shipping! They come straight from China, so it takes a couple weeks to get some of the stuff, but when it's that cheap, it's sooo worth the wait. And, I've seen tons of cute washi for under $1, also with free shipping. After this discovery, I may have gone on a huge shopping spree, but didn't spend more than $20, and received well over 25 packs of cute supplies. If you're looking on eBay, just try these searches - sticky notes, tape flags, post-it notes, etc. happy shopping!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Good work, Giftie, and thanks for all the info you share in your blog. Your blog has helped and entertained me so much, and is one of my absolute favorites.
I love making my own notepads and pages. i definitely have the material around the house.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the tips! I was just recently given a planner (because I asked for one), but I've yet to use it. I don't think I have used any sort of planner since high school. I hope it'll help me be more productive. I'm glad I don't have to spend a bunch of money on accessories for it.
ReplyDeleteI like to keep my planner and accessories portable, which means there can't be that many. I have lots of paper crafting things that I could use. Even with those, I've simplified quite a bit. Sometimes less is more. :)
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you on keeping it as cheap as possible. It's so easy to get caught up in wanting MORE MORE MORE!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment! It's greatly appreciated!
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