We are only a few days away from the New Year! I know that, at least at first, probably not much with the outside world will change. But, I am looking forward to a new sense of energy and HOPE. With a new year comes a new planner!
I am a huge planner, and I really struggled this year without having much to plan. But, I rely on my planner, even when there are no “big” plans. I use it for blog post ideas, appointments, meetings, yoga classes… I even put other to-dos on there, such as “grocery store” or chores. It helps me stay organized and in a way, I think it helps ease my anxiety.
I had a bit of an issue finding a planner I liked for 2020. It’s less about the cover and the colors (although those are nice, too), but it’s more about the layout. Personally, I like to see a monthly view, but I work daily in a weekly view that has enough room to write tasks and meetings every day.
I found one to use and it was fine, but this year, I vowed to do a better job of getting a planner early. I also wanted to support a small business instead of just buying one from a small shop. And I think I hit the jackpot… I got my planner from Ivory Paper Co.
It’s a small business, owned by a Black female, who’s a mom, and she also seems so cool and fun. She makes these planners and they come in different layouts depending on your needs. This is not sponsored in any way, I honestly just researched Black-owned planner companies and found this one… I ordered and was so happy with the experience all around and I wanted to share in case anyone here was still looking for a planner. At the time of this writing, she is having a SALE in her shop!
Here’s what I got:
The Ultimate Weekly Planner: The Ultimate Weekly Planner has a DUAL WEEKLY spread layout. You get a horizontal weekly layout to map out your life. You get daily to-dos, daily gratitude, a “Due” box, and lines to write extras about your day. Plus, you then get a second weekly layout to plan out your entire schedule. Never again have to choose between being productive or scheduling out your busy life. You can have it all!
This is exactly the kind of layout I wanted. It is different than what I used for 2020, but I am excited to get used to this. I am already planning on buying my planners from here until I can’t. You can choose your start date, add notes pages, and you can even get your name on the front!
I started following Ivory Paper Co. on Instagram, and a few weeks before I bought my planner, she introduced a new product: a budget planner. She demonstrated all of the different ways you can use it and there are two layouts — weekly or monthly.
I have been working the last several years to clean up my finances and debt, but I’ve never done any sort of budget tracking outside of just balancing my spending. But, having paid off my Jeep this year and I discovered 401K funds I’d forgotten about, I am looking to do some serious saving and planning in 2021.
So I bought the budget planner, in the monthly format. Because I work for myself, my income is different from month to month and I’m hoping this will help me plan for simple bill paying, but also for future decisions and paying off my remaining debt.
The budget planners come in the same cute cover options and I also got matching ones, but I figured my weekly planner would have a different energy than my budget planner 🙂 I got the weekly planner in the Blue Watercolor Floral and the budget planner in the lemons!
They are both so cute, and I love that they came from someone who made them with purpose and intention.
Who is a planner person? What planner did you get for the new year?
To see more writing from me, be sure to subscribe to The Bitter Lemon by clicking “subscribe” on the right side of your screen. Want even more? Subscribe to my newsletter to get roundups, book recs and lifestyle tips.
The Bitter Lemon 
One Comment