I have had a few people ask or even giggle at me at the thought of me being so fervent in the search for the PERFECT planner.

Why do I need a planner?  Let me tell you.

1.  I NEED organization to thrive.  If I am going to do something, I like to do it well and with a plan.  Every purchase I make is very researched (probably to the point of overkill).  Every activity I do is planned out.  This is what works for me.  So having a planner is definately something that works with my personality type.  I enjoy being organized, I enjoy having a plan, I enjoy planning, and to be honest I get grumpy and stressed when I don’t have these things in place.

2.  I am juggling ALOT.  Most mommies may not need planners.  Hanging out with kids, cooking and cleaning can probably be managed easily with just memory as your guide. (Although, I think a planner would help with that too.  Being a mommy is A LOT of work). I have a few extra things to take care of as well.  I have this blog in which I need to plan posts, organize projects and keep track of advertisers.  I plan children’s parties on the side through Giggle Tree Events. I handle all of the finances of our home and the bill paying, I have two children who are 5 years apart therefore have two seperate peer groups and activities,  this also means that they go to two different schools.  I am a part of the school PAC groups.  I write a monthly article for a local publication San Juan Parent.  I handle 90% of the housework around our home.  My husband works long hours and I don’t feel like he should have to come home and do more work to keep our home running.  I plan and cook the meals in our home.  This is one area where my husband likes to help because cooking to him is novelty.  However, I am in charge of planning our menu, doing the shopping and trying to be frugal with it as well.  I do about 80% of the actual cooking.

3.  I am embarking on a new challenge in a few weeks (which sparked my desire for a new planner).  I will be helping my hubby down at his shop a couple days a week doing bookwork, organizing and simply giving him a hand in whatever he needs help with.  We figured this would be a great way for me to help out while Lucas is in preschool during the day.  His business is our livelyhood and anything I can do to help can only take some stress off of him.

4.  I believe it saves me money.  Having everything planned out and organized saves money for our family by being able to predict what you are going to need to spend in the future.  I know when our annual bills are due like our HOA fees for our neighborhood and our auto insurance.  I know the months in which they fall and I plan for it.  In fact, I strategically have them fall in months that tend to be less financially stressful (Summer).  I can plan our meals around what coupons we have, what is on sale, or what we are growing in the garden.

5.  I love gift giving. I know who’s birthday is coming up and can keep on the lookout when finances are not tight.  For instance if Janes Bday is in September, I start keeping my eyes out for something two months in advance (or even more if I see something that speaks to me).  I also do my Christmas shopping through out the year and need to keep a tally of who I have already shopped for and what our Christmas budget has remaining.  I have already finished up Christmas shopping for my niece and nephew, some of my friends kiddos, my mother, Paul’ mother, and have a couple things tucked away for the boys already.  Yep, I am that girl.  I have to keep track of what I have purchased and who can be checked off of my list.

6.  It makes me happy.  I don’t really need any other reason to have a planner other than this, right?

So, here is what I picked.

Drumroll.

I made my own.  I originally was going to go with the GOMom! planner.  I adored the page layouts and the handy extras that came with it.  There were so many options on how to use it!  However, when I went to order it, their site was down.

 I was a bit deflated, but I pressed forward and woke up the next day deciding that I would just make my own.  The thought of it excited me.  I mean, I am the DIY queen.  I hunted around for more free printable pages to fill my binder and checked on Etsy for extra supplements.  Now I have the exact planner I want, with only the pages I will utilize.

The cost of the entire binder was around $20 including the binder, dividers and the printables that I purchased.  I have been using it for about two weeks now and it seems to work great!