Glam Plan on a Budget

So you want a beautifully decorated planner but you’re on a budget and can’t spend $100+ on stickers. I feel you. Glam planning is really expensive. The Erin Condren Life Planner is $50 already. Then add stickers, pens, covers and accessories and you’ve got yourself an investment. Click the link below and I’ll show you how to achieve a cute planner on a budget!

Use colored pens:
Colored pens can add a lot of pizzaz to a standard planner. As you can see above, I used four different colored Sharpie Pens to create this mock spread. I used red for due dates, blue for clubs, green for homework and black for miscellaneous. It’s very simple, but it gets the job done and looks much prettier than just one ink color. Play around with fonts and sizes, too. Don’t be afraid to doodle borders and shapes either! These markers from Staedtler come in a ton of different colors.

Washi tape:
Washi tape is a colorful way to add some fun and pattern to your planner. It’s fairly inexpensive and available at big-box arts and crafts retailers. You can add it to special days, the notes section, to section off a day into different parts and make a theme. It’s easily repositionable if you change your mind. And a roll lasts forever! Having just five rolls of washi tape will last you a year. This one is my favorite!

Customizable stickers:
Sticker labels found at Staples or any office supply store, like these ones from Avery, can be turned into customizable stickers; no fancy equipment or Photoshop skills needed. Buy the labels in the size you want, bring up the template, write out a text or add images and print using your printer. It’s very simple and easy to do! This would be ideal for weekly meetings or TV shows.

Monthly kits:
If you really insist on getting some stickers, I suggest monthly kits. Even if you don’t have a Erin Condren Life Planner, these monthly kits will add color to your planner in a coordinated way. These kits can be stretched over a month and supplemented with washi tape and colored pens. I love these ones from Abundance of Erica. There’s a ton of variety! Be careful though: once you go down this path it’s very hard to stop. I thought I was going to stop at monthly kits but I’ve bought a lot more than that. If you do buy stickers, never buy any without using a coupon code. Most Etsy sticker shops will post coupon codes on their Instagrams.

It may seem impossible at first, but it’s easy to have a pretty planner without spending your life savings. Seeing stickers and coordinated weekly kits can seem intimidating, but you too can create a beautiful planner that you want to use, even on a budget.

Let me know if these tips have helped you! Have any other tips to share? Let me know down below and share with others!