Need a new planner but don’t want to spend much money or can’t find one you love? A DIY planner may be the way to go. Made with free printables it’s a very affordable planner option.
For the last couple of years, I’ve used a Happy Planner and I’m now also using a PurpleTrail planner for my blog. I love both but in the past, I’ve also made my own DIY planner.
It’s a great option if you can’t find a planner you like or they cost too much. You can use free printables or even buy some printables. Even if you buy printables since you can use them over and over again it’s still a cheaper option.
Make a DIY Planner
To make the DIY planner I simply used a three-ring binder I already owned and covered it with some cute scrapbook paper. I keep most of the pages in page protectors and just punch holes in the ones I need to update on a regular basis.
This is a look at how I had my DIY planner set up when I was still using it.
Planner/Household
- Birthday & Anniversary Calendar- This is where I kept track of birthdays and anniversaries from year-to-year so I could add them to my calendar each year. (The one I had doesn’t seem to be available anymore.)
- Monthly Calendar Pages– On these pages, I put appointments, events, birthdays, holidays, and other reminders.
- Weekly Calendar Pages– On these pages, I list my to-dos, things I can’t forget, errands, and phone calls I need to make for the week.
- Habit Tracker– This is a great place to keep track of any habits you want to create.
- Meal Planning– I had just used sheets of paper for this, which works if you want a free option, but now I use my grocery shopping printable pack.
- Freezer Cooking– This was great when I did a lot of freezer cooking.
- Cleaning Schedule- This has my daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual/annual cleaning schedules. (This is being updated and will be available to print soon!)
- Cleaning Recipes- I make most of my own cleaners so I keep my recipes here for when I need to make more. (This is being updated and will be available to print soon!)
- Project To-Do List– I used this a lot of the projects we had going on around the house.
Work
- Income– Where I tracked my income from blogging, freelance writing, and any other freelance work I did.
- Expenses– This is where I tracked expenses for my blog and other work.
- Editorial Calendar– A monthly calendar where I kept track of blog posts.
- Blog To Do List– This is where I kept track of anything I needed to do for the blog, other than blogging.
- Blog Ideas– Where I wrote down all of the ideas I had.
Holidays
These aren’t free but they are very affordable and you only buy them once so you can use them year after year without an additional cost.
- Christmas Planner– I created my own Christmas planner and now have it available for you to purchase.
- Thanksgiving Planner– I cook a big Thanksgiving meal each year so this is very important. I created my own and now it’s available to you as well.
- Halloween Planner– This is especially useful if you are planning a Halloween party.
- Easter Menu Planner– This is another meal I try to plan ahead for this sheet helps a lot.
Not interested in creating your own DIY planner? Check out this list of planners for every budget. There are some great options out there for all budgets.
Micaela @MindfulMomma
Great roundup of free printables! I still use paper notebooks for many things but I also have a digital to-do list and calendar. I keep thinking I should go all digital – but I really like to write things down on paper – guess I’m an old-fashioned gal!
Lisa Sharp
Digital didn’t work very well for me. I like this system because I don’t have to get a new one each year and just print things I will use and as I need them. And I scrap paper for my to-do lists each day. They have found the act of writing things helps you remember them.
Katherine
OMG yes! I am thinking of going back to paper! Today I forgot an appointment for the car – and I could of make the digital appointment right there but I didn’t. What do you do when you are away from your binder/paper calendar?
Lisa Sharp
Make a note in my phone or email myself. I have at times used my phone calendar as well as my paper one but I’m worse about putting things in my digital calendar than my paper one.
Jennifer
Me too i rather do paper planing and anything else because im afraid my computer will crash and everything will be lost.
lynn hasselberger
Wow. That’s a great way to get organized!
Betsy (Eco-novice)
Wow! So comprehensive. I will be checking out your blogging checklists and resources. I like the idea of having a handy list of date night ideas as well.
Tamara Rubin
Thanks Lisa! I’m going to share this with the kids too!
Maria@SewTravelInspired
I am old-school and prefer non-techie record-keeping. I really appreciate the comprehensive list of printables you have collected for this post. Thanks for the info.
Angela @ Setting My Intention
I just posted a picture on Instagram of my new weekly/monthly planner. I love a new, blank planner for the year – such promise! I do use my phone for grocery items that we use all the time and for reminder, but I prefer paper and pen! You sound uber organized! Good for you!
Lisa Sharp
I’m not naturally organized but working to try to do better. 🙂 I like pen and paper as well.
Kayla
A grocery price sheet is a great idea–I buy pretty much everything at Target, but I always wonder if there are better prices somewhere else!
Thanks for joining us on the Alder Collective! Pinning, and we hope to see you again this week!
Shanna
I’m in the process of creating my very own planner that will have everything needed and none of the stuff I don’t need. My table of contents is already at least 2 pages and I’m still not done. I’ll have to share more once I have a bit more together to show everyone.
Lisa Sharp
I’d love to see it! <3