About 10 years ago I was still using my Filofax A5 planner. I like big planners. Small ones are not for me. I tried, but it's not a match.

While I do love Filofax, it used to have mostly very classic, neutral, formal colours and designs, not very playful at all. And not to mention, it was quite expensive. Which I understand because a lot of the designs were made with real leather. Nonetheless, I can't splurge €100+ on a planner, nor did I want to.

But then came Simple Stories with their Carpe Diem planners. Very similar to Filofax with the ring format, but much more affordable and in lovely colours, with cute inserts. Though I always used my own.

I have quite the Carpe Diem collection, which I still adore. And I might use them again at some point. For now, they're just looking pretty in my bookcase with the planner inserts of previous years.

When I was still using ringbound planners, discbound planners were up and coming as well, but I didn't see the appeal yet. And to be fair I thought the paper wouldn't hold up on the discs. I know better now. And while I still love Filofax and other ringbound planners like Simple Stories' Carpe Diem, I also fell in love with discbound planners in recent years.

But, anyone who knows me, knows I want to customise everything, and so while I did like some of the Happy Planner designs, I really just wanted to create my own. My own inserts, my own covers, my own dividers et cetera. So I got a discounted Happy Planner (undated/journal) so I know which dimensions to use for my own, discbound punch, and a weekly box punch as I like the vertical layout.

I did my own inserts and designs for 2022 and 2023. But then at the end of 2023 my youngest son got sick unexpectedly and ended up in the hospital, with me with him most of the time. Which meant I wasn't home, didn't do any of the things I usually did in December, including making a planner. And frankly, at the time, I didn't care either.

But now we're back home, and I don't have a planner. And I want a planner! So one could argue, you could just make one now Rosie! And yes, usually I would. However, I also ran out of toner, which is also really expensive. And making my own inserts is a lot of work. Something I currently do not have the energy for. And that's why I decided to get a proper Happy Planner (Classic) this year.

I went back and forth, looking at their current collection which I can get where I live. The choice is very limited, but I think I found my pretty planner for this year! It's a dated, vertical layout, classic Happy Planner. I like the colours and illustrations. I don't think I would normally go for this design, but it's growing on me. And I think it will look even prettier in real life.

If you want to look it up, this is the 2024 Star Lover Happy Planner (Classic, Vertical Layout). It looks like it's sold out on the official site, but maybe other stores still carry this one?

I'm hoping to share some spreads in 2024 ❤️

Which planner are you using and why?