Cheers to day 9 of blogmas! Today we’ll be kicking off planning for 2019. This series is all about helping you find the right planner. In yesterday’s post I talked about all the planner options that are out there, by each deserves their own post to go into further detail. I decided to start with monthly planners as it’s a simply system to keep up with and anyone can find one.
As always, be sure to click the links throughout this post for related posts and links to purchase items/similar styles featured.
Pricing and Where to Buy
You can find a monthly planner at a variety of stores including:
- Dollar Tree
- TJ Maxx
- Marshall’s
- Burlington
- Home Goods
- Target
Depending on the location and brand you can score one from $1-$10. Those with higher prices usually have higher quality paper and additional perks within amplifying the design of a traditional monthly planner. Those can cost $30 and up.
The Basics
You can find a basic planner at your local dollar store. I love the ones that come or at Dollar Tree this time of year. The 12 month planner has a cute design on front and back with a matching clear plastic cove and spacious pages. I’ve used these planners in the past for social media and blog drafting. Having the calendar as large as it is gives space to pack in all the information you want without it looking cluttered. The slim design makes it easy to carry on the go and access when needed.
For just $1, I always like to have one of these calendars on hand. Many people prefer to do everything digitally, but I am a strong believer in having everything written out. My brain processes it all better. To further customize these pages of course you can add stickers and if more space is needed, use sticky notes or tape in a list pad.
Deluxe Monthly Planner
The planners that have a few additional pages along with the monthly views are what I like to call deluxe. On the cheaper end these cost anywhere between $4.99 to 7.99. You not only get the monthly pages, but also lined/dot grid in between. One that I found at TJ Maxx had a gorgeous pink plaid design, monthly pages and in between each month a dot grid page and goals page. This is great to use specifically as a self love planner/journal.
Plum Paper and Erin Condren both offer deluxe monthly planners as well. The Plum Paper planner features a monthly page that includes space for highlights and things to remember, notes pages, and the month on two pages.
The Erin Condren deluxe monthly planner features the following:
- Full year two-page monthly spreads
- Option to add up to 80 lined pages
- Interchangeable/luxe covers
- Choice of 2 color schemes and calendar options
Ways to Use Monthly Planner
You may be thinking you don’t need a monthly planner because you have smartphone. Still, whether it’s on your fridge, tacked on a wall, or in your bag, here’s so many uses for it to keep your productive and on track.
- Vacation
- Pay days
- Appointments
- Events
- Birthdays
- Sports schedule
- Bills
The possibilities are endless and yes you can track multiple categories at once. Pen and paper is all you need, but there are ways in which you can color code and use stickers if you choose to jazz up your pages.
