It didn't take long to realize that going back to school and working two jobs was going to require some major juggling on my part. I've had several planners of all different sorts but never really stuck to using them. Bullet Journaling is even in the wheelhouse of planners that were tried and discarded for one reason or another. I would have to say that was one of my favorites though mostly because I loved the creative part. I loved making the layouts but I never really did very much to fill them out. To be successful with having a planner, you really need to have things to actually plan. All I did was stay on the work-home hamster wheel at the time I used all of my previous planners.
While looking for binders at Walmart during back to school season I saw a new shiny planner that promised of a beautifully organized life at last. It was called A Happy Planner and it was so pretty and colorful and there were stickers! My 80's kid heart just soared, we must have this planner! It was a little bit more than I had wanted to spend so I left it and went to look around for what I had actually gone for. I purchased some $1.50 binders one for each class, the dividers and lined paper to go in them. Highlighters in five different colors, some tiny post-it notes, and some G2 pens. My inner school geek smiled.
The planner was put on the back burner. At a little under $30, it just didn't make the list for that week.
One of my favorite things about school was back to school shopping. Not only for the "new you" wardrobe you used to get each year but I really love school supplies. I don't know if I'm alone on this but trapper keepers and the like have always been just a thing for me. The smell of new books, pencils and the like always just made me excited. Maybe it was the promise of a new year and new things to learn. I've never really been sure.
Then my book money refund came in from financial aid and the planner was still on my mind three weeks later. That was my green light that it was something I really wanted and could use. I hadn't forgotten it or decided I didn't want it or wouldn't use it. Pickings were slim by the time I went back to get it. I found one that was what I wanted. It covered from July of 2019 until December of 2020. It would be a while before another planer would be needed, it would last me all of this school year and most of the next one.
What were some of the features of this binder beside the stickers and length of time it covered? The monthly and weekly layouts were really something that I was looking for. I could catch everything coming up that month and then break it down by each day as needed. There was a row I could have for each class for assignments due and for each job for hours scheduled. At the beginning of each month, there is also a place to fill out birthday or important dates as well as some other things that I thought were a nice touch to start each month off. Each week has a place for notes and goals. Each month has additional spaces for a to-do list and monthly goals. There were just a lot of positive things included with each page. Did I mention stickers?
After printing out my syllabus for each class I sat down and wrote when everything was due for the whole semester. I also included my financial obligations each week and I found having everything I needed in one place to be so very helpful.
After using the planner for a month I started to look and see what else was available. The Happy Planner has tons of accessories. It wasn't long before their budgeting extention found its way into the planner. I had been doing so well with just having things in one spot, this just felt like the next logical step.
The Month at a Glance has room to write your projected expenses and then at the end of the month, you write what you actually spent and then see what the difference is. There's a section to write all of the bills that are due and when, how much they are for and check off when they've been paid. At the end of the month, there's a journal-type feature that asked what did or didn't work this month, where improvements can be made or where did you have the most trouble. Things I would never have thought to keep track of before.
There are many pages for the expense tracker area and some of them I have changed to savings and donations as well as tracking my "abundance". There's also a mason jar picture with each month lined off. You write in what your monthly savings goal is and fill in the sections each month as you reach it.
In all, I feel like this is the best planner I've had to date and it really fits my needs. I'm very happy I saw it sitting on the shelf and decided to purchase it. It's not only helped me keep my work schedules straight but all of my school work and finances as well. Plus the stickers and little add ons are fun and make you feel like you are being a little creative and personalizing the planner to be your own.
If you want to learn more about The Happy Planner you can check out their website here. This is not an affilated link. I get nothing for writing this post I just wanted to share with others who might also have been looking for something to help get them organized too.
Do you have a favorite planner? Does back to school shopping for supplies make your heart happy too? Let me know in the comments.