I've been eager to write this post ever since my
Erin Condren planner arrived. But, I wanted to give it a few weeks until the novelty wore off and most importantly to give me the time to thoroughly use it.
Well, I still have nothing but excitement and love for my new daily life planner. It has made my life so much more organized!
I came across the life planner when reading blogs one night. I knew from the excitement of that blogger that I just had to have one too. I immediately grabbed my credit card and went to the website to buy one. Well, I was sticker shocked frankly. The 2013 life planners cost a steep $50 and up, depending on your add-ons. The sticker shock lasted a whole 5 minutes or so, and then I bit the bullet and added one to my shopping cart. What I learned shortly after was that shipping was $39.95 to Canada. $39.95 friggin dollars!
I was devastated.
I couldn't. There is no way I was spending $90+ of my hard earned money for daily planner. I would be stupid to (so I thought). I ended up bookmarking the website, and dreaming that one day they would go on sale or something.
Over the next following weeks I started to approach my busy season at work. I've always considered myself to be organized, but with some flaws. I have always been an obsessive Outlook calendar guru. But recently my office started to utilize the calenders publicly among the staff, so I found it difficult to use it for my work, personal and financial agendas. I then started to use outlook for business appointments and reminders. I used my iphone for personal items. I also had a physical calender at home for family reminders.
This process was not working for me. I was forgetting items frequently and my brain was spinning like a hamster wheel at night. I knew I needed to do something to get my life my organized.
Well, being the accountant that I am I convinced myself that the planner was not that pricey after all. I figured it out to be only $7.5/month to get my life organized and back on track. Not that bad when you think about it that way right? (This is the crazy Krysta inside me talking.. don't judge, I'm sure you all can relate!)
Ok, I digress... let's get back to how awesome this planner is!
When I ordered online they gave my an estimated shipping date of only 5 days from ordering. I thought that was amazing for a customized product. What was even better was that $39.95 shipping I paid for was expedited.
I was creeping my order status everyday, and when I finally saw that it shipped I squealed at my desk. It was estimated to arrive the NEXT day all the way from California! Expedited shipping is totally worth it.
When the box finally arrived I was over the moon. Even the box and inside packaging was adorable!
They even included personalized gift labels which I totally love!
As I was going through my package everything met, if not exceeded my expectations. That was until I saw the photo stickers I ordered... the photo's I received were not my family & friends. Sure they were cute and all, but I couldn't use them... that would be a little awkward. I contacted EC right away and they deeply apologized for the error. They expedited the correct photo stickers that I ordered and they arrived within the week.
Now let's get to the meat & potatoes of the planner..
The front & back cover is laminated, which I love. I will be carrying this planner with me everywhere so I need it to be durable.
It is spiral bound with a 1 inch metal spiral. Again, very durable for daily use.
There are beautiful quotes throughout the entire planner and they truly just make me smile.
At the beginning of the planner there is a designated birthday and anniversary calender listing. This is an amazing way to see all of your special friends and family days in one place!
There is a two page large spread for each month. It has a side panel for your monthly goals and to-do's. Again, there is a super cute quote at the top of each month. Each month has a laminated tab for easy access and organization.
Following the monthly spread, each week has its own spread where you can organize your items into Morning/Afternoon/Night. I find this much better than your typical hourly spreads. Each week also has its own goal and to-do listing.
Following the calendars there are lined and unlined sheets bound into the planner. This is great for notes, lists.. and anything else you can think of.
Each planner comes with standard stickers for special event and reminders. I am finding these super handy!
Near the end of the planner there is a folder where you can "Keep it together". I've been storing important receipts and current pay stubs in there. This is great because these items always ended up at the bottom of my purse.
The last page is a handy dandy clear pouch. It has more personalized labels and cards. I've been using it to store my winning "Roll up the Rim" tabs.
Like I mentioned, I have been using this planner for a few weeks now and I have nothing but good things to say about it. The colors make my seriously happy, and the overall cuteness just makes me smile.
If you are like me and like your lists and paper and are having a hard time converting to the digital world, I really think you would love it.
They also have a range of other products like wedding planners and teacher planners.
And - if you have Facebook be sure to like their page! They frequently have coupon codes and discounts.
To sum it up. Yes, the $90 was well worth it. I'm now an EC junkie and cannot wait to buy my next item!
