8.22.2011

Simple Planner Pages

I have spent a lot of time looking for just the right planner and let me tell you if it’s out there I haven’t found it.  I did find a planner I liked, but with a $30 price tag, it just wasn’t perfect enough.  I knew exactly what I wanted, I wanted simple with lots of space to write everything down and maybe some room for doodles around the edge :)  I decide to make my own calendar and lists and then add some of my favorite printables to make my own.  I have to have lots of list room, I love making lists and checking things off.
Click Image to Download
There are four pages in the free download: 2 calendar pages (one you see above) and another will three date columns and a list column.  Fill in your own month, year and numbers!, one page divided into fourths labeled to go, to do, to call, to e-mail, and one page divided into fourths to be used for shopping lists for different stores.  This is exactly what I needed (maybe you too?).
I am also using a few other free printables from several different sites:
The weekly meal planner from Vertex42  I liked this planner because it has lines to write on instead of little boxes and there are spaces for sides (I can also write snacks in those spots)  I chronically forget to shop for sides(and snacks), hoping this will help.  I also use the annual calendar checklist, for keeping track of, ahem, menstrual cycles and other such things.
My plans for the week fromThe Household Planner  I like the clean look and there is plenty of room to fit everything in, plus room for notes (or doodles).  I also use the monthly activity calendar (can't find a link, but I think I got it by signing up for the email list), six color coded lines to help keep everyone's appointments straight.
The blog post planner from Productive Flourishing  I like how you could sort your posts out by topic and that there are places to "check off" posts you have done.
I sorted all my sheets into the order I wanted them in and headed off to the copy store to copy and collate everything.  Don't forget to make some fun covers for you new planner.  My local OfficeMax has several different binding styles: coil, spiral, and comb.  I made my copies (a lot of copies) and left them to be bound (I'm picking them up this afternoon, they were super busy), they will also be laminating the covers.  The final cost is going to be less than $10 for a 12 month, letter sized, coil bound, custom planner.  I can't wait to pick it up,  I wish I had been more creative with the covers (I was in a BIG rush to get this done) I might make a fabric cover to make it look extra special.
Look for photos later today on the Facebook page of my shiny new planner! and try not to laugh too much at the simplicity of my calendar templates.

3 comments:

Christine Eileen said...

Thank you for putting this together! I can't wait to get mine printed and bound :)

julie said...

I'm also going the DIY planner route for the first time, so I loved reading this! I don't want to buy another 18-month Moleskine (although I've loved mine!), so I'm doing a combo of printed calendar pages, scrapbook paper blank pages, possibly stab-bound? I've still got some time to think about it.

Crafterella said...

Thanks Christine, I'm excited to get mine too!

Julie, I bet stab binding will look awesome, I wanted to be able to open mine flat and it was really inexpensive ($3, according to my receipt). Another bonus it's fast and I was in a hurry!