Introducing The Best Laid Planner

I think New Year’s is a little weird, and maybe that’s me. I couldn’t care less about this whole idea of resolutions I’ll feel bad about forgetting, and I don’t have any illusions about “clean slates.” I didn’t have a clean slate from November to December, so why would this be different from December to January? I think this is where planners come in.

Planners seem to me the closest thing we have to a literal clean slate. Like you suddenly have pages upon bright, fresh pages waiting to be filled with your thoughts, plans, and ideas. And I think this is also why we’re all obsessing over them. I’m incredibly particular, though, and I’m also on a pretty tight budget (as in I don’t have $50+ to spend on a planner – oy vey!), so I decided to take things into my own hands and make a planner that I felt was complete and great for my needs.

To that end, I’m excited to introduce The Best Laid Planner! It comes in 4 editions:

• Monthly & Weekly
• Home & Family Edition
• Budget & Finance
• And the Whole Life Bundle

It’s not dated, so you can start whenever you’re ready (because sometimes January just doesn’t work for all of us, okay?), and there are lots of pages that set it apart so you can make the most of your planner and time.

THE BEST LAID PLANNER

• Cover
• Monthly Calendar (2 pages)
• Monthly Goal Check-in Page
• Goal Setting Page
• Vertical Weekly Calendar (2 pages)
• Horizontal Weekly Calendar (2 pages)
• Project Breakdown Insert (2 pages)

Most of the pages are pretty self-explanatory, but I feel that it’s important to explain the project breakdown insert a little further.

See, I like to track my projects with lists. I separate each section by client or project, then I write in my next tasks beneath that subheading. Finally, to set my priorities, I add in a checkbox for the tasks that I intend to accomplish that day.

I print these back-to-back and insert them between the two sides of each week, because by the time Thursday rolls around, I’ve accomplished most of my priorities and it’s already time to reset.

HOME & FAMILY EDITION

• Cover
• Pet Sitter’s Notes
• Sitter’s Notes
• Personal Information (2 pages)
• Irregular Chore Tracker (for monthly, seasonal, and annual tasks)
• Chore Chart (for daily & weekly chores)
• Car Maintenance Log (2 pages)
• Fridge Inventory
• Pantry Inventory
• Freezer Inventory
• Home Inventory
• Menu Planner
• Grocery List

This is chock full of all the information you’d ever need in case of emergencies, plus a ton of worksheets to help you stay on top of regular needs and irregular needs. I’m especially enthused about the Irregular Chore Tracker, since it helps me stay on top of the seasonal or monthly things I tend to forget like flushing the garbage disposal, vacuuming the undersides of rugs (I know, that’s a thing), and turning the mattress.

I know the Home Inventory doesn’t exactly have a lot of space, but that’s because it’s ideally for items that would need replenishing (so maybe don’t include the broom on it, but do include Swiffer pads).

BUDGET EDITION

• Cover
• Non-Monthly Expense Sheet
• Monthly Expense Tracker
• Bank Account & Additional Accounts (2 pages)
• Debt Repayment Plan (2 pages)
• Balance Sheet
• Financial Goal Worksheet
• Monthly Expense Calendar
• Monthly Budget Sheet
• Spending Tracker (2 pages)

I love budgeting… at least on paper. It’s almost fun to see where everything goes and how it can best be utilized, especially with simple tools that virtually do the work for you. Keep up with your goals with Balance Sheets and a Goal-Setting Worksheet, a Monthly Expense Calendar, and Budget Worksheet, then keep yourself honest with the Spending Tracker.

The Non-Monthly Expense Sheet is great for those yearly/semi-annual/seasonal expenses, like car registration, club dues, subscriptions, and more. Just put the expense in the box of its corresponding month to keep it from creeping up on you!

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I’m really excited to see what everyone does with their planner, and what’s great is it’s an immediate download – you can get started with yours as early as you get it, no shipping time needed. What do you look for in a planner & organizer?