Affordable Planner Girl Buys |
Planning On A Budget
Your a planner newbie or your interested in purchasing your very first Happy Planner, Erin Condren or Travelers Notebook and the prices may seem like a sticker shock. $29.99 for a Classic sized Happy Planner could be a bit much for anyone trying to watch their coins. Especially if you are living off of one income, trying to budget or paying off debt. Planning does not have to expensive and I would like to share affordable planner girl buys, planning on a budget.
SALES, COUPONS, and SALES
To get the best bang for your buck, you have to shop the sales and use coupons!
Whether your shopping at Target, WalMart, Michaels, Joanns, Hobby Lobby or online. You have to keep up with the sales in order to get the best deals. As far as my favorite place to grab the best deals, it will certainly be Michaels and Joanns. Both of the stores normally have sales were you can stack coupons. For example, planners and planner accessories are currently on sale for 40% off and if you are a rewards member they will send you out coupons exclusively for you (via email or mail), so I was able to use an additional 20% off of entire purchase. Although the cashiers are great at giving you the current coupon promo if you mention it. Be sure to watch the dates on these additional percentages off because they only last a few hours, day or two.
Be sure to check out Black Friday for deep discounts. From the years past, I noticed that the Planners and more are marked down to 70% off.
STICKERS
Stickers make planning so much fun! They can help with decorating your planner’s pages, symbolizing a certain task that you may need to do that day or take the place of your not so perfect handwriting.
The choices of stickers are endless!
When you are starting out, look for stickers at your local Dollar Tree, Target One Spot or anywhere they may sale stickers for less than $1.00. Stores like Dollar General and Family Dollar have cute seasonal stickers as well. Check out WalMart craft/stationery departments for stickers for around .88 cents. Makes sure your getting your money’s worth. Look at the number of sheets and stickers that you are getting for the price.
Dollar Tree and Michaels sticker books (combined with coupon these books are a great buy and last forever)
Any type of planner sticker books, I have to take advantage of the sales. I never purchased a sticker book for the regular price until recently and it will be the last time. I was a little worried that the NEW Planner Girl collection stickers would be hard to come by but I have been seeing them everywhere. So I should have waited!!
The best deals are always for me are when the books or stickers are at least 50% or more. Getting the big Happy Planner Sticker books for at least half off is a must. They run for $19.99, so the sale price is $10.00 for 50% off sale or coupon. If the planner items are all on sale for that week, for example, less than 50 %off, such as 30 or 40 percent off then I wait until the following week. And use a coupon. Even if I have to purchase one item at a time and use a 50% off coupon, then so be it. LOL!
From experience, the planner items usually don’t move much unless it is a deeper discount or coupon so just wait (or it may be just my store). Watch out for the additional sales coupons such as 20-25% off additional item or purchase.
You want to run…well maybe…walk when they place the sticker books on sale for $7.99. This is an awesome price! It is best to stock up when it is the $7.99 or $10.00 price. These sales are normally flash sales, one or two-day sales (Maybe even Black Friday shopping). So make sure to check your email or their website regularly.
As far as Etsy shops find the ones that you love of course. My favorites are the ones with great customer service, fast shipping, awesome quality, and nice sales (often). One of my favorites is Stickerbloom. She has all the above!! She often has flash sales for 60%, 55% or 50% off, LOVE IT!! Be sure to turn on the notification bell or follow them on IG or Facebook (some shops announce on their FB pages of sales). Many shops run a $2.00 Tuesday sticker sales.
And most of all read the reviews!! I check in with my planner buddy of which shops are great with all of the following I listed above.
Make your own stickers. Before there were so many more planner options (yes I added more to many, LOL!) we used Xyron sticker maker to create our stickers.
Also, there are free websites out there that have free printables available to use. Just a few are:
Wendaful Planning: https://www.wendaful.com/free-printable-stickers/
Planning Inspired https://www.planninginspired.com/category/free-printable-stickers/
One of my favorites that share free printables on Facebook is Happy Planner Free Printables to Share. I have an entire binder full of printables.
If you are great with your Silhouette or Cricket creating your own stickers is a must.
I really liked creating my own stickers with using labels. I found this awesome YouTube tutorial on how to create my own stickers using Avery labels. Sooo Awesome!! I have my own custom way of making Target, Michaels and YouTube stickers. I love them!!
**This video is really old and my style has changed some but during this video, I share budget-friendly planning tips. And my audio is terrible but thanks for watching!
WASHI
Washi tape is amazing! You can decorate, create banners, borders, and flags with washi tapes. Although collecting and buying washi can get really addicting. But in hindsight, you only can use but some much washi.
Start with a few rolls of washi to see if it is apart of your style of decorating. I know when it was a time when everyone was going crazy over washi tape. They still do but I am seeing it is going down some.
Dollar Tree Christmas washi tape
To save money go to the Dollar Tree and try their decorative tape. It is more paper-like than washi but it is affordable to start with.
Take advantage of sales and coupons. Michaels and Joanns put out coupons for washi tape for 40% off or more. Back in the day before Micheals made the regular size tubes Everyday Value, we use to get washi tubes for GREAT DEALS.
SCRAPBOOK PAPER
When starting out and you would like to decorate your planner simply use scrapbook paper. I got this idea from Nicole from Help Momma Remote (on YouTube and Instagram), she measured out her scrapbook paper according to the size of the boxes of her planner and used a glue stick or tape runner to attach it to her planner pages.
I just simply fell in love with that idea. It gave me the freedom to create my pages with creativity!
Michaels often has sales on their HOT BUY scrapbook paper pads. Sometimes I have to chill out because it is so many papers for so little time and again you can’t have enough craft items….but then again you can. LOL! When they have a sale it is about 70% off which makes it about $5.00 for a really good stack of decorative papers. Recently I took advantage of this sale and got an additional 20% off my entire purchase. Which made the HOT BUY pads $4.20 from regular price $19.99.
Take advantage of sales!!
STAMPS
Stamps are great for starting out. Simply because you can use them over and over again. With just a little bit of practicing you can become a PRO with stamping in your planner pages. I have seen spreads were they color in the stamp are to coordinate with their spread or theme.
If you are artistic, doodling and drawing would be great for saving money with planning in your planner.
PRINTABLES PAGES
If your style is a binder type of planner or etc. There a ton of planner inserts that you can get for Free, $1.00 or $3.00.
Dollar Tree now has this planner line called 3 Birds Design. Which is really neat! They have everything from planner inserts, bookmarks, post-it notes and folders for $1.00 each.
Target One Spot (Bulls Eye Playground) carries 3 ring binders, planner inserts with folders, stickers, and dividers. They come in several different variety packs for $3.00 each
I am sure there are many free sites out there for free planner inserts. Just do a simple Google or Pinterest search will give you an endless list. Here is one for example:
Free Planner Printables – Over 200 FREE Inserts, Stickers, and Clips
There are many creators that have free printable planners all the time or seasonally. One of my favorites is Ruth Soukup from Living Well Spending Less, Holiday Planner. And it is FREE!!
https://www.livingwellspendingless.com/holidayplanner
Just keep your eyes out, do a simple Google or Pinterest search to find Freebie planner pages, planners or etc. Because it is out there!!
DIYs
Creating your own DIYs within your planning is very cost effective and creative. Making your own paperclips, bookmarks, dividers, charms, folders, dashboards, covers, etc. are quite fun.
So don’t be afraid to pull out the glue gun or stick and create something unique and customizable to your liking.
Purchasing elastic headbands can be used for planner bands to keep everything together. To add a little sass and flair, you can hot glue a flower or embellishment to the band.
Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box! Oh, and you can find those things at your local Dollar Tree.
Also, create your own holes with a single hole punch by measuring out the holes until you can purchase a 3 hole puncher or The Recollections (Michaels punch) or The Happy Planner arc punch.
Creating your tabs with tab creator for your dividers.
Make your own inspirational cards from Project Life cards, small greeting cards or pages inside your scrapbook paper pads to create them. Just use a paper hole punch to add the cards to your planner. Once you punch the holes, take your scissors and create small slits to give your cards or paper the arc punch opening.
Clearance
Be sure to check your stores for clearance markdowns. Whether it is Walmart, Target, Michaels, Hobby Lobby or Joann’s. Check your clearance areas, end caps for markdowns.
Recently I purchased my Mother a planner box set from Walmart for $6.00. It was not a Happy Planner but it was similar and she was looking at it so I went back to get one for her. It includes stickers and post-it notes and an entire planner. I also grabbed a pack of 5 pens for $1.00, folders, dividers, sticker book and inserts for a mini, classic and big planner. The price ranged from $1.00 – $3.00 for the items.
Clearance planner finds at WalMart
Although these items were not Happy Planner, they could be used in the planner since they were very similar in style. A Win, Win!!
PENS
Pens can be expensive and finding a great pen that is not well known can be just a trial and error for your planner. Most planner love pens with a fine tip for planner writing. These pens are from Dollar Tree are actually one of my favorites.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media such as Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook many planners announce sales and promotions. This is great for reminders and tips of what is new in the community. Following planner friends give other planner friends a heads up on what is new for example, pens to try or stickers to purchase.
Make sure to follow your favorite planner company and planner babe for sales, tips, tricks and inside scoop.
Overall planning does not have to be costly. The flexibility of planning is what makes it exciting. Where you can create your own custom planner and accessories or you can simply purchase them from the supplier. The choices are now endless!
I am so happy that the community is growing by leaps and bounds because there are so many more options out here now and it is exciting. With all that excitement it is so easy to get carried away and spend all the coins. The one thing about the planner community we all understand the want for new and improved ways to plan. I literally have to tell myself when I feel like am spending too much money or cherishing something more than I should have.
That is is only paper.
But Oh so pretty paper!
REMEMBER TO:
Make sure to take advantage of SALES and COUPONS, ALWAYS!
Set a planner budget or allowance
Create your own DIYs for your planner
Have Fun!