I was shopping at Joann Fabrics around the time the new school year started, and I spotted some really cute planner stickers and two empty shelves at the end cap. There was only ONE  planner left! It was The Happy Planner and it was in a kit along with stickers, sticky notes, and magnet book marks.

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I had heard about The Happy Planner and knew that it was similar to the Erin Condren Life Planner but that’s pretty much all that I knew. I didn’t even know it was sold in stores! I decided to stop and see what the planner was all about. My first impression was that it looked simple but yet very organized and I loved the monthly pages because it had a page to write goals, birthdays and more! It was colorful (which I love) and had a great cover. I wish there was more of a selection to chose from, but at that time there was just the ONE planner on the shelf (I guess they sold out quickly). It was on SALE too!

I’ve been a planner girl for the past 4 years and I always splurge on a $50+ planner every year and spend lots more on planner stickers, washi tape, and pens. I’m a sucker for all things pretty and all things planners, so I felt the need to take The Happy Planner home! It was about $16 after discount! For the price, I just couldn’t NOT give it a try. I bought it with an original intention to use it as a budget planner for 2018. After rethinking it, I decided that I will be using The Happy Planner as my main planner for 2018! (It will be my first year in 4 years that I won’t be buying a Life Planner).

About The Happy Planner

After visiting MAMBI‘s website, I have learned that The Happy Planner was created by a mother and daughter. Their names are Terri and Stephanie. They came up with an idea, back in 1998, to start creating stickers designed for scrapbooking. Today, they sell planners, stickers, and a wide variety of planner accessories.

I could not find the exact planner kit that I bought, but if you would like to see a similar one click here.

The Happy Planner is available for 12 months or 18 months and there is a wide selection of covers to choose from. The cover of the planner will determine the color theme for the planner pages. It is disc-bound and not coiled. I was a bit skeptical about this, but to my surprise, the pages stay in very nicely. I’ve turned pages over and over in this planner with no issue and there has been no damage to any pages by turning. The discs have a heart cut-out in the center for an added decoration touch!

Create 365 Planner Box Kit

The Happy Planner that I bought has a cover with black and white horizontal lines along with floral decor on the top and bottom right side. The tittle reads “best year yet” in gold with a few gold polka dots. It is a 12 month planner and it came in a kit along with 4 planner sticky notes, 3 magnet book marks, and 4 sticker sheets. The Happy Planner that I bought is not designed for a specific year. It came with stickers to customize it. That is why the pictures below don’t have the month and weekly pages labeled. I’ll be labeling my planner’s pages for January 2018 through December 2018.

First Page

Whenever I look at a new planner, I always look at the first page. This is my favorite page of a planner. To me, it is important for the first page to be pretty and beautiful! The Happy Planner did not disappoint. I am IN LOVE with the roses in gold! I just love everything about this page. It usually takes me a couple of weeks to write my name on this page because it has to be done just right! You know…the right pen, the right color, the right spacing. Ah, so much pressure! Please, don’t tell me I’m the only one who thinks this way!

Monthly Page

I am so excited to start using the monthly page each month (located right before the month calendar)! It has 5 sections: 1) Currently this month 2) Goals 3) Birthdays 4) Notes 5) Important Dates. This is brilliant and it’s a very organized way to start each month. Why don’t all planner have this!?

Monthly Calendar

Nothing special going on in the monthly calendar. Sunday is the first day of the week and there are 5 rows in each month’s calendar. I do like how Saturday and Sunday are in a different color which makes them pop out. Yay for weekends! I would much more prefer to have the notes section on the right side instead of the left, but it’ll still work. Again, these pages are not labeled because the planner kit that I bought is designed for the planner to be customized with the stickers that it came with. The kit came with monthly/number stickers.

Weekly Spread

Notes section is on the left and first day of the week is Monday. Each day of the week is planned vertically in three sections (could be used as morning, afternoon, and evening). After using Erin Condren Life Planners for 4 years, I will miss having an extra space in the bottom of the page, but these boxes are larger so it might work out.

Notes Page

If there’s one thing that I don’t like about The Happy Planner, it would be this section right here. There is only ONE  notes page. What!?? That note page will fill up quickly because I love note pages in planners. There is a solution, though. There is a hole puncher available for an additional purchase. It is designed to hole punch sheets of paper which will then be able fit into The Happy Planner’s discs. Me and My Big Ideas also sells additional sheets for this planner (no hole puncher needed). I also thought the “to be continued…” was a very cute and thoughtful added bonus to the back cover of the planner.

PROS

• Price (if using a coupon, it can be under $20!)
• Variety of covers/colors
• Available at craft stores (no need for online ordering and shipping costs)
• Available for a specific year or you may choose a planner to customize with stickers
• 12 or 18 month planners
• Variety of planner accessories
• Similar to an Erin Condren Life Planner
• Pages or sections in the planner can be re-arranged

CONS

• Cover is not customizable
• Front and back cover are bigger than planner pages
• No extra space at the bottom of the weekly spread pages
• Notes section in the month calendar is on the left side
• Pouch folder not included in planner
• No year at a glance calendar page
• Only has one notes page

Read about The Happy Planner BUDGET Edition by clicking HERE.

Overall, I believe The Happy Planner is a great buy. It’s very affordable, colorful, and it’s able to the job of keeping one organized! I’m excited to use this planner as my main planner for 2018! I’ll be spoiling myself with new planner accessories with the money I saved by purchasing a Happy Planner. 😉

What are your thought on The Happy Planner? What planner do you use? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!