How To Build A Dream Planner At Any Budget

Looking to build a new planner but don’t know where to start? Whether you just started planning or want to treat yourself for the upcoming holidays, the Cloth & Paper team has created a guide to building a planner on a budget specifically curated so that you can build your dream planner at the budget that works best for you! Here we’ll take an in-depth look at the planner systems available under different budgets as we prepare for the new year.

The Functional | $40-$60

This functional budget planner system is perfect if you are a first time planner and are looking for a simplistic, yet reasonably priced bundle. We recommend including: a binder to house your inserts, such as the Textured Plastic Binder | A5, monthly inserts, the versatile Blank Tab Sticky Note Set | Sand, and one of our favorite pens, the Zebra Sarasa Dry Airfit Grip Rollerball Pen | Clear Black | 0.4MM. The 2022 Dated Planner Inserts | Monthly | Monday Start | Sunday Start features a monthly view with the perfect amount of writing space to note any appointments or tasks for each day. Each month includes a monthly overview page to track your major projects, important dates, finances, and tasks — ideal for keeping all of your monthly plans in one place. Use the Blank Tab Sticky Note Set to add tabs to your inserts and make additional notes. Finally, when it comes to planning, it’s important to use a writing utensil that’s comfortable. The Zebra Sarasa pen is the perfect fit with its soft cushion grip and fast-drying ink.

The Essential | $90-$100

This budget allows the choice of a discbound or ring-bound planner with all of its essentials -- it depends on your preference! For a discbound system, we recommend the HP Mini or Half Letter sizes as a great starting point. You’ll need a Glass Plastic or Crystal Clear Discbound Notebook Cover in HP Mini or Half Letter and Planner Discs to hold your planner together. For those that prefer a ring-bound system, the Clear Vinyl A5 6-Ring Planner is a perfect choice, offering flexibility and luxe clear vinyl, which is great for customization. This budget, with the addition of the items mentioned within a $50 budget, allows for more planning options such as Weekly or Daily Insert sets. Our 2022 collection offers our freshly designed 2022 Dated Planner Inserts | Vertical Weekly Lined | Monday Start or Sunday Start and 2022 Dated Planner Inserts | Daily | 2 Days Per Page as versatile, minimalist options to your planning. These inserts allow for you to dig deeper into your schedule depending on your planning style and workload. As your planner continues to grow, we recommend adding dividers such as The Essentials Side Tab Planner Dividers | Glass Plastic | White Foil or the Blank Side Tab Planner Dividers | Glass Plastic paired with a Uni Pin Marking Pen to add organization to your system. Alternatively, add a stylish decoration and personal touch with any of our Planner Dashboards.

The Happy Medium | $100-$200

An ideal middle-ground, this budget offers great versatility in both practical use and customization. Building off of one of the starting budgets, begin adding lifestyle and project planning to your build according to your planning needs and tastes! Examples include our Journaling Inserts and Habit Tracking Inserts | Monthly for practicing mindfulness and self care, and our Task Inserts and 2022 Year Overview Inserts for project planning and note-taking. If you would rather start decorating your planner, introduce a Planner Dashboard or other accessories such as our Planning & Journaling Cards.

The Splurge | $200+

The budget for those that love to splurge on planning! This budget may include a leather agenda like the Contoured 6-Ring Agenda | A5 | Black Leather | Silver Rings, the planning essentials, along with a variety of lifestyle, task, and project planning inserts. Experiment with various planning accessories, such as sticky notes, stickers, pens and markers. Some of our favorite sticky notes include the Goal Sticky Notes | Moscow and Inbox Sticky Notes | Arch. 

Create a luxe organizational layout for your planner with our soft, neutral Beignet color. The color Beignet is available in multiple products including our Blank Side Tabs, Plastic Page Marker, Minimal Shape Sticker Set | Transparent | Drops | Beignet, and Transparent Circle Sticky Notes. These options will allow you to add color and more personality to your planning with ease.

We also recommend the Monthly Penspiration and Planning + Stationery Box as part of this budget, as our boxes include exclusive pens and planning items every month to experiment within your planning routine. 
We hope these tips encourage you to start building your dream planner at any budget! Need more help designing your planner layout with your budget? Schedule a Planner Consultation with one of our experts today!