Erin Condren Planner Alternatives

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If you follow the blog, you know that Erin Condren LifePlanners are my go-to favorite paper planners for busy Moms. But what if Erin Condren’s planners aren’t for you? They tend to be expensive and simply don’t work for everyone. There are plenty of Erin Condren Planner Alternatives including The Happy Planners, Bullet Journal Planners, and Commit30 Day Planners.

Erin Condren LifePlanner

Let’s start with Erin Condren so that we can then compare the Erin Condren planner alternatives. The Erin Condren LifePlanner has everything a busy Mom needs to maintain her home, work, and social life as well as those of her family.

I have used this planner since 2018, and while I have tried the others below, I always come back to my Erin Condren LifePlanner. I am excited to try out the A5 Softbound Lifeplanner for 2024 to mix things up.

Erin Condren LifePlanner Sizes

• 5.8 x 8.3 inches
• 7 x 9 inches

Erin Condren LifePlanner Features

• 12 or 18-month duration
• Can start in July or January
• Monthly and Weekly Planner pages
• 4 weekly layout options for the LifePlanner (horizontal, vertical, hourly, or compact vertical)
• Available spiral, ring, or softbound
• Choose brightly colored or neutral interior pages
• Many beautiful covers to choose from and customize
• Personalize your cover with your name and or photos
• Choose your coil color (they have rose gold!)
• Interchangeable dry-erase covers
• Option for vegan leather cover now available
• Snap-in accessories (I love the meal planner!)
• Start on Sunday or Monday
• Notes pages at the start of each month for goals, birthdays, trackers, etc
• Double-sided pocket in the planner
• Snap-in ruler included (works as a page holder too)
• 118 GSM paper
• Free high-quality, coordinating stickers included in each planner
• Available matching accessories are updated annually and include washi tape, stickers, pens, bags, pouches, and folios

Erin Condren LifePlanner Pros/Likes

• Beautiful inside and out
• Reasonably priced interchangeable covers can change the look of your planner
• Multiple interior themes to choose from
• The best quality paper I have used in a planner. Ink and highlighter don’t bleed through
• Many customization options
• Durable, no lost pages even after 18 months
• Lots of compatible accessories, no matter which planner size you choose.
• Each spiral planner comes with a ruler bookmark, while softbound come with ribbon bookmarks

Erin Condren LifePlanner Cons/Dislikes

• Expensive
• Limited layout options, especially with the softbound cover
• Softbound covers do not come with monthly tabs

Happy Planner

The Happy Planner system is a build-your-own, customizable planner option. It is more structured than bullet journaling (see below) as the basic calendars and layouts are pre-made. Happy Planners still manages to offer endless customization through the brands’ stickers and accessories. This makes it a great addition to the Erin Condren Planner alternatives list.

Happy Planner products are widely available via their website, on Amazon, and in person at Michael’s, Jo Anne, and Hobby Lobby stores.

Even if you don’t choose a physical Happy Planner, you will likely end up using Happy Planner brand stickers at some point. They are absolutely beautiful and come in every theme you can imagine. From Disney to Mom Life, Fitness to Florals, they have it all!

Happy Planner Sizes

• Mini: 4 5/8 x 7 inches
• Classic: 7 x 9.25 inches
• Skinny Classic: 4.125 x 9.25 inches
• Big: 8.5 x 11 inches (standard paper size)

Happy Planner Features

• Fully customizable
• Available in 4, 12, and 18-month options
• Monthly, Weekly, and Daily Planner pages
• Horizontal and Vertical layouts
• Notes section for each week
• Lay-Flat Design
• Start January, July, August, or choose Undated to start whenever you’d like
• 120 GSM paper
• Disc-bound planners allow you to move pages and sections around easily

Happy Planner Pros/Likes

• Available to see in person at local stores, instead of only online
• Less expensive than Erin Condren planners
• Many different layout options
• Coupons can be applied at most JOANN and Michael’s stores
• Extension packs are available to continue using the same planner and not have to replace it each year
• Reasonably priced interchangeable covers can change the look of your planner
• Hole punches are available to add custom pages for the Big and Classic sizes
• The most and best sticker choices
• Available on Amazon, often for less money than in stores

Happy Planner Cons/Dislikes

• My pages always seem to fall out of the disc system (this could be a me problem!)
• It can be expensive to add in everything you want/need individually

Bullet Journal Planner

If you’ve never heard of bullet journals, search them on Instagram or Pinterest and prepare to have your mind blown. The creativity and talent seen in Bullet Journal Planners is inspiring. Bullet Journals, or BuJos, are a visual planning system completely designed by you. This makes for a unique and 100% customizable type of planner if you have time to invest in the process. Bullet Journals are sold at most bookstores, and of course, Amazon sells tons of bullet journals and supplies.

Bullet Journal Size

• Journals and planners can be any size, depending on the notebook you purchase. I’ve listed the most popular below:
  • B5: 7 x 10 inches
  • A4: 8.25 x 11.75 inches
  • A5: 6 x 8.25 inches
  • A6: 4 x 6 inches

Bullet Journal Features

• You decide what types of pages you want and where
• You design each page individually
• Typically made using dot grid notebooks
• You choose the notebook you like best (consider paper quality, style, and covers) with no concerns for the interior pages since you will design them yourself

Bullet Journal Pros/Likes

• Endless layout options
• 100% customizable
• Lots of online resources, templates, and idea pages on Google, Pinterest, and Instagram
• Each journal is unique and beautiful
• Less expensive than other planners. You truly just need a blank dot grid notebook and pens (maybe some stickers and wash tape for fun!)

Bullet Journal Cons/Dislikes

• Very time-consuming to design spreads for every single page, week, month, etc
• Purchasing stencils, stickers, pens, and everything you need to customize a blank slate can be expensive. BUT you will be able to use your supplies moving forward, ultimately saving money the longer you use this planner system.

Commit30 Day Planner

Commit30 started as a Fitness Journal. They now offer full paper planners in addition to digital planners and planner accessories (notepads, monthly tabs, note cards, motivational cards, pens, and paper clips).

Commit30 offers a variety of sticker books as well, including fitness, lifestyle, holiday, and goal-planning themes. There is even a 30-day challenge sticker book, which I am planning to grab to use in my planner this year.

Commit30 Planner Sizes

• Compact: 5.75 x 8.125 x 0.75 inches (15oz in weight)
• Deluxe: 7 x 10 x 0.7 inches (21oz in weight)

Commit30 Planner Features

• 224 total pages
• 12-month duration
• Monthly and Weekly Planner pages
• Daily Action Steps and Goals
• Vision Board Pages
• Life and Work To Do Lists for each week
• Motivational Quotes for each month
• Monthly 30-Day Challenge Tracking Tools
• Monthly Goal Setting pages with Action Steps
• Lay-Flat Design
• Back Pocket
• Notes Pages- 40 blank notes pages at the end
• Elastic Band Closure (however mine broke within 2 weeks of receiving my planner so don’t depend on that too much!)
• Sunday or Monday start
• Vegan Faux Leather Soft Bound Cover in a variety of beautiful bright colors
• Page marking ribbons
• 100 GSM paper

Commit30 Planner Pros/Likes

• Beautiful bright covers
• Lower-priced planners and the website’s frequent offers include sales, free stickers, and sometimes even free planners!
• I love the idea of the goal-setting pages, I just didn’t make the time to commit to and complete them after a few months
• Lightweight, soft cover binding. Allows for lay-flat writing.

Commit30 Planner Cons/Dislikes

• The elastic band closure broke within 2 weeks of purchasing my planner
• The interior colors are only beige and black on white paper. This leaves lots of room for personalization on your part if you have the time
• Purchasing washi tape, stickers, etc to brighten up the interior adds up in price
• Monthly tabs must be purchased separately
• Certain colors only offer a Sunday start, with others offering Monday only. For example, for 2024 you cannot get a purple planner with a Monday start

Erin Condren Alternatives

I would love to hear your favorite Erin Condren planner alternatives. While I love my 2023 Erin Condren planner, I am also always up for trying something new in the future!