My 2016 Planner [+ a freebie for you]

Yes, the day is finally here.  My planner is finished and ready to show off!

I know all the rest of you planner geeks are just skimming over the words and focusing mostly on the pictures so I'll try to keep my word count short.  Hahaha.

Of course the front had to have a goal list.  I kept most things in here pretty simple because I've got loads of washi tape, stickers, pens and markers that I like to decorate with instead.

Then I added the 2016 spread for quick reference of the days.

I put a checklist in for general tasks that need to be completed each month.  I'll probably use this mostly for blog stuff and cleaning tasks.

These pages are worksheets I got from Budgeting Made Easy, an ebook by Fanny Seto.  I added them into my personal planner to keep track of my spending and financial goals for the year because I really really need to get things in order.

I also created a monthly blog planner to keep a list of my posts for that month as well as a checklist of social media sites that I promoted on.  At the bottom of the blog tracker is a little table to list my stats at the end of every month.  That way, I'll be able to keep track of how many followers I've gained/lost each month.

Each month has a to-do list/reminders page just to keep on task.  Again, simple is key.

The monthly spread is two pages with simple font.  The side bar is blank so I can add any notes, stickies, reminders, etc. that I want.

I mimicked Erin Condren's vertical layout for the weekly spread.  I like the day blocked into morning/day/night so I can list my tasks accordingly.  The "weekly goals" area also helps to keep me on track with what I need to accomplish during that week.  The blank lines on the bottom of the pages are for any other notes or reminders but I plan to use it to keep track of my workouts.

The cover and monthly divider pages are just printouts of this digital paper file from FrouFrou Craft on Etsy.  I printed them out on cardstock paper and just added "2016" to the front cover.  I didn't add the months to the dividers but I can always add stuff later on if I feel like it.

And that's it!  My cover to cover showcase of my 2016 planner.  Like I said, it's pretty simple but I've got tons of planner goodies to use and decorate with which I'll probably show in another post since I'm still collecting and need more recommendations from all you other planner/stationary geeks out there.

Oh, and if you don't have a fancy-schmancy planner for 2016 yet but you really really really want one...you can print mine!  For FREE!!!!!  Yup, I'm going Oprah in this bitch!

You get a planner!  And YOU get a planner!  And you get a planner!

Unfortunately, the budgeting worksheets and divider pages aren't included (you've got to purchase those separately from the creators) but you can add in any other printouts or worksheets you find online and use your own images for your dividers!  Oh, and FYI, I created mine to start in the middle of October of this year so you can use it RIGHT NOW.  Yup, you don't even have to wait until January.  Boom.

Just click here (basic planner) and here (blog tracker sheet) to open in Google Drive and download.  Print double sided and then bind however you want!  Last time, I just put mine in a three-ring binder but I wanted something a little more flexible so I used report covers (with the opening facing the binding) instead.  (I initially planned to laminate the covers and dividers but - lazy.  Hahaha.)

So, do you have a 2016 planner yet?  What does yours look like?  What are some essentials that you look for in a planner?

Get Creative with Creativebug! [one month free pass]

I've posted about Creativebug a few times here and there but I'm not sure how many of you have actually subscribed to it or even clicked over to check it out.  It's all good, no pressure.

I know most of you readers are cheap asses like me who try NOT to pay for something unless it's an absolute necessity and hopefully that's why we get along so well.  That being said, I'd like to offer you ONE MONTH FREE access to Creativebug!  Really, it's free.  Just click the link below to sign up and start creating!  No gimmicks.  Enjoy!

A Stationary Surprise [free printable planner]

Welcome to the first day of September!  I know I probably say this every month, but isn't it weird how quickly the year has gone by?  Seriously.

Anyway, as most of you probably know, I've been on a organizing/planning kick recently and since my cheap ass isn't about to spend $80 for a fancy-shmancy Erin Condren planner, I went ahead and made my own.  I'd say "because I'm crafty like that" but it really wasn't all that hard and the only thing I really used was Microsoft Word.  Not even a fancy-shmancy software program.

It was a little stressful trying to get my tables and images aligned and everything, but it was actually one of the simplest and smartest projects I've taken on.  The whole thing only took me about a day to design and all I had to do was print it out, stick it in a binder, and start using it!

If stationary turns you on as much as it does me, you're in for a real treat because I'm sharing my super awesome planner with all of you thrifty bitches!  All you have to do is click the file to download it, print it out, and bind it however you like.

It consists mainly of three parts:  1) the monthly spread, 2) the blog schedule/notes, and 3) the weekly spread.  Here's what my September looks like so far:

So if you'd like to get a copy of your own, just click this link here to download.

The file is in PDF format so all you have to do is print it out (2-sided) and bind it however you like.  The whole thing is set up through January 2016 so you don't have to worry about another planner until next year.  I printed out only up through December 2014 for now and will add on the other months and pages as I go along so it's not so bulky.

Please feel free to print it out and share it with others.  And, if you have any comments on how I could make it better or what pages or features you think should be added, please let me know and I can try to add them!  I'm hoping to create another one next year to sell for a small fee (maybe), so any feedback I get from you guys would help tremendously!

And because I'm in LOOOOOVVVVE with my new washi tape, I highly recommend you hop on over to Paper + Cloth to get some washi tape to go with your planner too!  Seriously, it's a must.

So what are you waiting for?  Get to planning!!  Like, NOW.

Don't just blog about it...

So after my productive weekend I was able to carry that energy onto my blog yesterday and I re-did some of the pages here on my blog (you can take a look at them by clicking the links on the left).  It's funny how sometimes we (or maybe only I) get so caught up in writing posts and commenting on other blogs that we tend to neglect everything else on our blog. (Again, maybe its only me...)

Before yesterday, I hadn't updated my stats on my sponsor page since November, my "about me" page was about 2 years old, and  I had also completely forgotten that I even had a "bucket list" page and the last update on that was in 2012!  After finally going through everything, I came to the conclusion that I am horrible at upkeep.

Putting a post together is easy (okay, maybe not all the time).  The hard part is updating, editing, and keeping the rest of your blog looking fresh to def.  Since realizing what a hypocrite I've been, I've prayed and asked for forgiveness from blogging Jesus and am now trying to redeem myself for being such a blogging douche.

So now, instead of talking and writing about shit, I'm gonna try to practice more of what I preach.  I'm gonna be about it.  And for all of my awesome, don't-give-a-damn, tell-it-like-it-is followers, don't hesitate to let me know when I start to slip!

And since I'm constantly preaching about Poshmark too, here's today's #ootd (originally posted on Instagram featuring some of my Posh finds.

Top:  Poshmark [$12]  //  Skirt:  Poshmark [BOGO deal averaged to $6]  //  Shoes:  SM Store (local) [$15]  (same here)

Your turn.  What are you gonna be about today??  Also, feel free to save the image as a wallpaper to your desktop/laptop/ipad/iphone/etc. for daily motivation!  You're welcome.