Getting Organized {Memory Planner Style}

I try every year to be organized.  I like organization (i really like office supplies and calendars kind of fall under that category). . . but I live in conflict with my creative/messy side.  It's kind of like I'm Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.  But not really.   Usually, I have a regular lined notebook and my calendar on my phone and that has worked great, but it has left a lot of room for improvement.

 Last fall, I noticed a trend in craft stores with memory planners.   They really caught my eye.  I almost bought one several times, but they are a bit pricey.  Here's what I noticed about them:
1.  They were pretty - I like pretty things.
2.  Different Designers and Brands had their own versions.
3.  They offered lots of flexibility on how far you want to take this organization business.
4.  There were accessories to help make it fun and functional.
5.  They came in different sizes, for everyone's different needs.

At the end of the year, I had a little bit of extra cash lying around. . . and a 40 percent off coupon (I never leave home without these!).  I decided to go with this Heidi Swapp Smaller Personal Memory Planner with a binder.  I really liked the gold stripes and the foil embellishments on the divider pages.  I bought some of the coordinating stickers, but also found some washi tape and lots of other stickers from other planners that did the trick.  I can't wait to add some of the stamps that go with this planner, but I haven't found them back in stock in awhile.  I think that this was a pretty popular planner choice this year. 

I also found some pink and gold striped pens that matched it perfectly at Target.  They write great and they fit in the little elastic pen loop on the side.  

I bought the extra shopping list pages and keep the notepad in the kitchen and just throw the page in the binder when I'm ready to go shopping.  It has really helped me stay closer to my food budget (which I am absolutely horrible with because I like food!).  There are also clear plastic sleeves to do some design and pretty it up with your personality.  I am still playing with them (a lot of that stuff is packed up, so when I can get to my scrapbooking stuff, I might do some more with these pages.

My favorite part of it is each month, there is a section where I can write my goals for the month and any other ideas for the month.  It is really helping me focus on certain projects as the month goes by.  I definitely don't feel as scatterbrained (but, it is only January, so I can't really say if that's because of the planner or not, but it is helping me!)

It also has a month at a glance calendar and each week with bigger sections that I can write more details or notes about that day.  I even found some fun journaling stickers that I can journal in those spots about certain memories.  In some ways, I feel like a little girl with my Lisa Frank stickers sticking them all over my Trapper Keeper. 

So far, I am really enjoying this and am staying a bit more organized than I have been in the past.  Sometimes, I feel like the older the kids get, the busier our schedules are and this is definitely something I plan to keep using.  It doesn't help that it's super cute, too!

I have a few other ways that we are keeping organized this year.  Some of them are things we've been doing for a few years, others are more new.  Be on the lookout for some fun ideas and hopefully some printables soon!