Getting Organised: How I'm Using My Happy Planner

I shared with you recently how inspired I was about getting organised with a life planner and I've been using my Happy Planner for over a month now so thought I'd do a blog post on how I'm finding it as a first time planner.

I have to admit I have fallen in love with my Happy Planner! 

Planning is creative and fun and feeds my crafty side and I just love it. It's like a whole new world of planning has opened to me - I've joined planner Facebook groups with like-minded creatives also obsessed with their planners, I started a planning Pinterest board and I've watched countless YouTube videos on how others plan all of which has been great inspiration. I'm also regularly stalking shops and Etsy stores for planner supplies! 

Where to buy the Happy Planner

There are many types of planners available and after a lot of research I picked the Create 365 Classic Happy Planner 18 months (July 2016 - December 2017) in Botanical Garden design which is made by Me + My Big Ideas. The design and layout for each planner is different and the Botanical Garden design has a flower and garden design which is stunning.

Compared to other planners on the market the Happy Planner was very reasonably priced and delivery was pretty quick too (as it comes from America to Australia delivery and price were big factors I had to consider).

The Happy Planner costs $29.99 USD and I purchased it from Blitsy a discounted online craft store for $20.99 USD. Blitsy also has a very reasonable delivery fee of $9.95 USD to Australia and shipping took 3 weeks. Blitsy always have great sales and accept competitor coupons too - Please use my referral link when you sign up for some great discounts!

Happy Planner Extras + Add-ons

After I'd used the Happy Planner for a while I went back to Blitsy and ordered some add-ons made especially for the Happy Planner that I thought would be useful.

I got the Home Planner which is a household extension pack with sections for: To do lists for the home, meal planners, household cleaning schedules and budgets. I absolutely love this add on especially the meal planner section and keep it at the back of my planner.

I got a pack of Snap-in Tabs so I can add my own pages to the planner (I would buy The Happy Planner Punch but sadly they don't ship to Australia so this is a great option for adding my own pages using the stick on tabs). I also got a pack of Dividers which I'll use to separate any extra pages I add in. I used the dividers and tabs to insert this Christmas Gift List into my planner to track  my Xmas present shopping - you can find this printable and other freebies here.

Decorating + Stickers

The pages of the Happy Planner look beautiful with quotes and patterns on each page so you don't need to decorate at all if you don't want to but that's half the fun for me - getting creative and crafty and turning my pages into a scrapbook journal using stickers, washi tape and free printables.

It is really easy to get carried away with all the pretties you can buy for planners and there are a zillion stickers for everything and anything it's a little overwhelming to start with and it would be easy to spend a fortune. So I have set myself a modest budget of $10 a fortnight for planner goodies - this is the cost of a coffee each week I am happy to give up!

I got some cheap stickers from The Reject Shop and Red Dot and then I got the rest from Luscious Labels, Lily Pink Prints and Lime and Mortar all Australian based Etsy stores who make stickers especially for planners which means they are made to fit perfectly.

After I used my planner for a while I worked out the functional stickers I would find useful and got those from Etsy ie: bills due, date night, Birthdays, laundry, hair appointment, meal planning, pets etc ..... honestly there are stickers for things you never knew you needed until you see them!

The other planner supplies I use are coloured pens, scissors, glue and washi tape for decorating pages (so cheap on Ebay I got 10 rolls for $2.50). 

Free Printables For Pages

I soon discovered there are a heap of free printables for the Happy Planner online which is awesome. What is great about these is they fit perfectly into the planner squares and create a beautiful theme for the weekly spread.

I print out my favourites on my colour printer, cut them out with scissors and glue them into my planner - this has saved me a fortune! Some people print onto sticker paper or have them printed professionally but the do it yourself works just fine for me!

These pretty freebies are from Va-Voom Vintage and Victoria Thatcher.

Free Printables For Book Lovers

I read and review books a lot on my blog and I'm also a book reviewer for Netgalley so this is an area I wanted to track in my planner so I know when to publish book reviews for new release books, what I'm reading for my Book Club, when to return library books, etc.

A perfect solution is these adorable Book Log and Book Club free printables I found on Monica's Marvels blog that I printed out on my coloured printer, cut out and stick into my planner as I start a new book which is a brilliant way to track my book reviews and the Book Club is stuck in for our monthly meet ups so I know when I need to finish the book by.

Storing My Planner Supplies

It soon became necessary to work out how to store all my planner stickers and free printables which I'd cut up ready to use. The box I kept them in to start with was a mess and I couldn't find anything!

I bought this plastic storage container on Ebay for about $8 and it has adjustable sections which is perfect for my stickers and printables once I cut the sheets to fit the sections. 

I also have a drawer full of the larger sticker sheets and pretty papers in my craft room that I have re-organised so they are easy to see what I have so I can use these too.

I am really enjoying using my Happy Planner as a way to be creative and crafty while getting the Jarrah Jungle household and myself organised.

I'm sure my planning will evolve over time so I'll write another update down the track on how it's going and also share some of my layouts and pages.

How do you stay organised? Do you have a planner? 

If you are looking for your own Happy Planner check out Blitsy a one stop shop for discounted craft supplies who currently have the Happy Planner at 40% off! When you make your first purchase it would be awesome if you use my referral code when you sign up - you will get great discounts and I get a $10 reward to spend on my creative obsession so I can share more posts like this with you guys!

Sharing with link parties:
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The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday
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[All images my own]