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Smart Family Planning

Smart Family Planning

No, this post is not about birth control. Today, were talking about our family planner.

Yall know that Ive been using the Plum Paper Designs Family Planner to keep track of our family affairs. Ive reviewed my first one here and Im a huge fan. That said, I only recently had my world opened up to the vast (and expensive) world of adding washi tape, stickers and stamps to make the planner become more than just a planner. It becomes almost like a planner and scrapbook hybrid - a way to really track life happenings and stay on top of all things Vickers.

I use a combination of stickers from Etsy, Michaels and Hobby Lobby.  It track my hydration, vitamins, blog posts, and the various lists. There are many people that go way overboard (in my opinion) to the point where the planner doesnt look functional, but that is all about preference. I aint about that life. My planner needs to be a balance between creative and functional and it needs to lean heavily towards functional. But who said functional cant be colorful and pretty? :)

For us, the planner is essential to our lives, tracking bills, income, gigs, appointments, etc. Utilizing the planner has helped me stay on track of my life in a way that I havent before. Its almost made a chore a hobby! Bryan and pretty much everyone thinks Im crazy, but for someone that has such a hard time staying on top of life - this has actually curbed my stress. I know everything, I write down what needs to be done and it makes me more accountable in getting things done. After the week is over, I will often go back and fill in the week with little anecdotes - funny/stressful things that have happened, hilarious things Shepherd has said. It becomes a real time capsule of our lives.  



Its crazy to me that I hadnt even known about these options and Ive had a planner for over a year and a half! Ive been enjoying the creative outlet just as much as Ive enjoyed the benefits of being organized.

Be careful though, I got pulled into a bad habit of purchasing stickers and ended up blowing our budget. In my quest to get on top of things I made bad habits. The stickers can be expensive especially the ones you use on a daily basis, like vitamins and hydrate. If you are looking to start using stickers, utilize the free options on Pinterest, make your own and shop the sales!

For a brief moment and with the best of intentions, I lost sight that this planner is supposed to make our lives more efficient - not to be a drain on our finances! Im back on track now and Ill have a post soon with ways to save while almost making the most of your planner. Stay tuned!

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