If you aren’t a “planner person” you may wonder why I am already talking about 2017 planner options. Well, let me welcome you to the dark side.
Many planner companies like Erin Condren release their new planners in June, but the rest generally release around September. I already have dentist appointments etc booked into 2017, so I am itching to order my new planner and get things put in it! Setting up a new planner for the year is like starting fresh with a clean slate. I love it!
If you aren’t all that into planners, you may not know what your options are so today I am going to cover a few of my favorite brands, and the ones I would love to try.
Erin Condren Life Planner
Erin Condren is probably the most popular planner out there, and is my personal favorite. If only they would come out with A5 inserts, my life would be complete. Erin Condren planners are 7.25″ by 9.25″, so decently sized but will still fit in your purse. They are available in several different formats, different coil colors, and even colorful or neutral layouts. They have tons of custom cover options, and lots of great, matching accessories.
The paper quality is nice and smooth, but marker-type pens can shadow and bleed through the page, especially if you have a heavy hand. Due to the coil-bound nature of the planner you are limited in what you can add and take out of the planner. They do have coil-clips you can purchase, but they aren’t practical to use in every situation.
I find the layout of the Erin Condren Life Planners to be intuitive, and just plain fun to use. I try other planners from time to time, but I almost always come back to this one. Use my referral link if you want $10 off your first purchase.
inkWell Press Planners
inkWell Press planners are a bit like the classier older sister of Erin Condren. Similar styles, but much nicer paper, and less juvenile designs. These are the Anthropologie to Erin Condren’s Forever 21. They have planners, A5 inserts, notebooks, pads of paper, etc. Their A5 inserts are releasing tomorrow, and they WILL be mine!
I love the style and simplicity of these planners, but also love the fact that the paper is so quality you can even use fountain pens on it with no bleed-through! That’s pretty unheard of in the planner world. If you are liking these planners, too, use this link for $10 off your first purchase of $50.
Day Designer Planners
You may have seen Day Designer planners in Target, but make no mistake, those are Day Designer lights. The actual Day Designer is much better quality paper, and just a higher quality planner in general.
The layout of a Day Designer is quite a bit different from the “popular” planners, like EC or the Happy Planner. So if the traditional options haven’t been working for you, or you don’t feel like you have enough room to write, definitely check these out. They have a cult-like following and sell out quickly, so if you see one you like, buy it! They also have some A5 inserts that I may need to put in my cart. You know, for research purposes.
Limelife Planners
Limelife Planners swing to the funkier side of design with bright colors and chunky graphics, but don’t let them fool you. They have some of the best paper in the planner game.
They have tons of different options and customizations, including a homeschool planner and a planner specifically designed for young adults just getting into planning.
This is a smaller company so you may not have heard of them, but I promise you will consider buying a Limelife for your 2017 planner after you poke around their web site for a bit.
The Happy Planner
The Happy Planner is rapidly growing in popularity due to one major factor – the price. It has a similar layout to the Erin Condren, with less bells and whistles, and is a disc-bound system, which makes it easy to add and remove things. While they retail at $35-40, they are available at places like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby that offer 40% off coupons.
This is a quality planner for the price. The paper isn’t the highest quality, but it has a nice thickness so there is very minimal shadowing or bleeding.
Happy Planners offer several choices of cover and theme, although the interior layouts don’t really vary. This line also has cute accessories like washi tape and magnetic page markers. If you are looking for a good deal, this is your winner!
A5 Binder Options
This year I added a Webster’s Pages Color Crush binder to my planner repertoire and I have really enjoyed the binder system. Its more durable to throw in my purse, and its beyond easy to take things out and add things in. I mentioned a few options for inserts above, but there are tons more from different planner companies and on Etsy.
Some of the popular A5 binder types are Color Crush, Kikki K, and Filofax. If you are looking for something a little more professional and durable, but totally customizable, this may be a good option for you.
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