Erin Condren 2014 Life Planner Review

Update: Check out what I think about my Erin Condren life planner 4 months into using it with my review.

It’s FINALLY here!!!  After the excruciating wait, my Erin Condren life planner arrived.  I’ll warn you now, this post is long.

After bringing my daughter to dance class at the wrong time (!) and having notes about day care changes, dance class changes and school vacations littering my house, bag, car and anywhere else I could stash them, I knew it was time to make a change.  I had been looking at these for a while and loved that I could add an extra three months for an additional $5.  No waiting for January 1 to start getting organized.

It took 11 days from when we ordered it until it arrived at my door which isn’t too bad, but I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and start organizing.  I knew a lot of what to expect because I had read lots of reviews online, but it’s so much fun to get to open your package with your name on it.

The box was so pretty (it helped that the pattern was a variation of what I chose for my planner).

And the first look was great.  All wrapped up in pink tissue paper with a small catalog, my invoice/packing slip and some extras.  Unfortunately…

I had created the account under my husband’s name so the fabulous extra labels included in the box have his name on them.  I was initially disappointed until I found more labels with my name tucked inside the plastic pocket in the planner.

I had added on a few extras.  I added on the bands to help keep the planner closed.  They were $6.95 and come as a set of three.  I would have loved the chance to buy only one band because I really just wanted the blue one that matches my planner, but I’m sure the others will find a use.

I also added on personalized stickers for $5.00 (60 stickers).  The planner comes with 120 labeled stickers (60 birthday, 6 day off, 6 game, 7 hair appt. @___, 2 dentist appt. @___, 3 sale, 6 doc. appt. @ ___, 6 concert, 6 main/pedi, 6 party and 12 vacation).

There are also another 120 blank colored stickers.

While a lot of the preprinted stickers are great, there were a lot that I won’t be using (game, sale, concert).  So, I personalized stickers for my husband’s and my kids’ birthdays, first/last day of school, day care closed – events that are more common in our life.  The great thing about the Erin Condren stickers is that they fit perfectly in the day blocks on the calendar.

The planner as it came out of the box was exactly what I ordered.  I chose the candy lace design in pool and brown.  There are some preselected color combinations in that design but you can also create your own for no additional fee.  I opted for my name and the year, but you can personalize the bottom any way you want.

I love that this planner has weekly and monthly views.  You can see all the stickers I used for December.  They are great at making important dates or changes (like daycare closed) stand out.

Here’s half of the weekly view.  I do like that it runs Monday-Sunday so you can see your weekend plans  on one page.  The extra goals and notes on the left hand side is great for my constant To-Do list and the space at the bottom of each day is great for planning dinners.  I’m also trying to record something special each girl said or did that day.  The best par tof the weekly view (in my opinion) is that it’s split into morning, day and night.  So many planners have the day split into hourly segments and that’s just not how my day runs.

The back of the planner contains some lined and unlined paper for notes.  And here you can see all the laminated tabs for each month, the contacts and notes sections and the special dates section.

I love that the planner contains a double sided pocket for receipts or paperwork that I need to carry with me (one reason why I have the elastic – I don’t want that stuff falling out everywhere) and there’s a plastic ziploc type pocket for smaller items.  I keep my pens in here (Papermate Flair – they don’t bleed through) and this is where the labels with my name were hiding.  I should also mention that I couldn’t find my personalized labels in the box – that’s because they were conveniently tucked inside this folder.

Lastly, the planner contains a perpetual calendar for birthdays and anniversaries and a contacts section.  While I keep a lot of numbers in my phone, I don’t keep addresses there.  This is a great place for me to record all the addresses for thank you notes.

Overall, I am thrilled with the planner, but since I’ve only had it for four days I plan to review it again in a couple of months.  I love that everything there’s plenty of space to record everything I need.  While it is larger (7″x9″) a smaller planner just would not work for me.  I love having my to do list, my shopping list, addresses, birthdays and calendar all in one place.  Thank you Erin Condren for getting me organized!

~Elizabeth

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