Coupon Code: Using my referral link and creating an account on Erincondren.com will earn you a $10 coupon code to use on your first order Every June, Erin Condren launches their new Life Planners and they are launching today!!! Every year I am so excited to see the new covers.
2016 Erin Condren Life Planner
Last year I switched from the vertical layout to the horizontal one. I never posted a review of that, (because life got in the way) but will this summer. I decided to repost the review I did of my original life planner today in case anyone is trying to decide if the planner is right for you and if it’s worth the money. If you have any questions not answered here, let me know.
Erin Condren Life Planner 15 Month Review
In October 2013, I purchased an Erin Condren Life Planner. I was so anxious to start using it that I ordered the 15 month planner so I could get going and wouldn’t have to wait for January 1. You can check out my initial review here. Here’s my review of how it’s holding up 15 months later. I reviewed how I was using the planner 4 months into it and really nothing has changed. If you would like to see how I use the planner, you can read about that here. For this review I decided to stick with how well the planner lasted for the 15 months I had it. Erin Condren Life Planners start at $50 and that’s quite an investment so I wanted to review if the Life Planner will hold up for one year (or in my case, longer). First, let me preface that all damage to my Erin Condren Life Planner so far is my own fault and is above and beyond normal wear and tear.
Erin Condren Life Planner – 15 Months Later
Looking at the outside of the Erin Condren Life Planner, it still looks good. The coreners are not bent and there’s no real damage to the cover. I am ROUGH on my planner. It gets shoved in and out of my work bag and diaper bag, it gets thrown on the kitchen counter and the front seat of the car. This planner has taken a beating and still looks almost as nice as when I first got it.
Erin Condren Life Planner – Full of “Stuff”
My Erin Condren Life Planner is always full of “stuff”. It might be receipts I don’t want to lose, an important email, or just pictures from the kids that they want me to take to work with me. There’s always “stuff” in it and I am so happy to write that the pile of “stuff” hasn’t made the cover crack or bend at all.
Erin Condren Life Planner – Front Cover Scratches
If you click on the picture above, you will see that there are some scratches on the front cover. They are really minimal and don’t impact the look of the cover at all. For something that’s been tossed around every day for 15 months, I am really surprised there aren’t more scratches.
Erin Condren Life Planner – Water Damage
Because my Life Planner gets tossed in my bag it’s sometimes exposed to rain…or a leaky water bottle. There is some water damage on the tabbed side of the planner. This is my own fault and it never made the planner unusable, but you can see that there’s some bleed through of ink on some pages.
Erin Condren Life Planner – Water Damage
I like to use the Papermate Flair Pens which you can find in most office supply sections and on Amazon. They are colorful, easy to write with and do not bleed through the pages.
Erin Condren Life Planner – Water Damage
Of course, if you spill water on it, almost anything will bleed through 🙂
Erin Condren Life Planner – Tabs
Even though it’s the tabbed side of my Life Planner that is damaged, the tabs themselves are still in great shape. The water never damaged them and the only damage is that the bottom row is very slightly bent from my shoving the planner into my bag.
Erin Condren Life Planner – Binding 15 Months Later
I am truly amazed that the coil has never bent or gotten unraveled to the point where it would catch on anything. I’ve had that happen with cheap notebooks a lot and really expected that it would happen with this. The coil is STRONG and when it gets caught on something it does not start to unwind or bend.
Erin Condren Life Planner – Stickers 15 Months Later
Each Erin Condren Life Planner comes with stickers. I still have quite a few stickers left. On the first page it’s because I had purchased personalized stickers so I didn’t need many more birthday stickers.
Erin Condren Life Planner – Stickers 15 Months Later
On this sticker page, there’s quite a few left because they are “mani/pedi”, “concert” and “sale”. Those are either things I don’t do or wouldn’t write in the Life Planner.
Erin Condren Life Planner – Blank Stickers
Each Life Planner also comes with blank stickers. All of the included stickers are still in great shape because they are bound into the book. Since they aren’t being taken in/out every time you want to use them, they really don’t take any wear and tear.
Erin Condren Life Planner – Personalized Stickers 15 Months Later
My personalized sheet of stickers shows a lot more wear. This is not bound into the Life Planner. I kept my stickers in the Keep It Together pocket. You can see that over time the sheet started to bend.
Erin Condren Life Planner – Color Transfer
The page opposite the Keep It Together pocket has had some color transfer onto it. But, since this isn’t a page with any purpose (it’s just a blank page), it doesn’t effect the usability of the Life Planner.
Erin Condren Life Planner – Torn Keep It Together Pocket
My Keep It Together Pocket was attacked by an 18 month old shortly after getting the Life Planner. A little tape has held it together well over the last year. and the rest of the pocket hasn’t bent or gotten worn out even though I do use it to store papers.
Erin Condren Life Planner – Zip Lock Pocket 15 Months Later
Lastly, the Zip Lock Pocket in the back of the Life Planner holds my pens and labels. I thought that by now the pocket would be hard to keep closed (I open it at least once a day), but it still works as well as it did when I first got the Life Planner. Final Thoughts: I love the organization of the Erin Condren Life Planner, but even more I love that it has really held up to my very rough treatment of it. I think that for next year, I am going to invest in a Carry All Clutch to keep it from getting so messed up from the rain or a spilled drink in my bag. I already purchase a Life Planner for 2015 and can’t wait to use it! Do you have an Erin Condren Life Planner? I’d love to hear which you have and what you think about it. ~Elizabeth
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Practically unperfect in every way 