You might recall this review I did a while back for a $2.50 Kmart planner. I liked the planner but it didn’t include proper weekly spreads. Well, the next time I went to Kmart I saw another new planner and this time it had a 4 page weekly spread… and it was only $5!
This is not a sponsored post I paid for the planner myself and as always, all opinions are my own.
Quick facts
- Size: 6″ wide x 8.25″ high (approx A5 page size)
- Thin hardcover
- Sewnbound
- 2 page Monthly calendar (starts on Monday)
- 4 page weekly spread (starts on Monday)
- Neutral inside pages
- 12 month duration
- Undated – start planning anytime
- 80 GSM thick paper
Let’s take a closer look!
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The Cover
The cover feels like a hardcover but is much thinner than traditional sewn bound planner (still feels sturdy though – it’s 350 GSM thick).
Slightly bigger than 0.5″ thick
The front and back covers are a plain single color but the spine has dots – I wish they’d continued the pattern to the front and back covers as well.
There were 3 colors to choose from – navy blue (the one I got), mint and orange.
Monthly Calendar
All of the months are clustered together at the start of the planner which I much prefer for undated planners.
Starts Monday which is consistent with the weekly spread.
As you can see the planner is undated – they’ve added boxes for you to write the date in. Undated means no pre-printed holidays wasting space 🙂
Each box is about 1.25″ wide by just over 1″ high.
Weekly Planning
After the months is all of the weekly planners clustered together. I do think this planner would be better with a tab or divider page or ribbon bookmark as there’s no division between the monthly and weekly planner.
A very functional weekly spread with generous boxes for each day and 2 boxes you can use for anything e.g. use 1 for projects and another for a weekly review.
The checklist column of the spread is 2.5″ wide which is much wider than most planners (I could probably fit 3 – 4 words on each line compared to about 2 words in most planners).
The unlined section of the spread is also 2.5″ wide.
Extra Pages
There are 10 notes pages at the back of the planner.
7mm line spacing which is typical for a planner.
Pages lay relatively flat on their own.
Pen Testing
I didn’t bother doing a pen test as the paper is only 80 GSM. I can already seen ghosting on the back side of the pages (it’s clearer to see in the video).
If you’re going to use this planner I’d recommend ballpoint pens – they always the least prone to ghosting.
Read more: My Favorite Ballpoint Pens for Planning & Bullet Journaling
Pros of the Planner
- Cheap! $5 for a planner is a bargain
- Minimalist spread you can decorate however you like
- Lightweight
- Pages lay relatively flat on their own
- No split boxes on the monthly calendar
- Functional weekly planner
- 4 page weekly spread is hard to find in a planner, let alone for $5
Cons of the Planner
- Plain cover (and only 3 cover colors to choose from)
- No pocket folder
- No monthly planning or monthly notes pages (or any other extra pages like dates at a glance or annual planning)
- No tabs
- No ribbon bookmarks
Would I use this planner?
Yes. On weeks where I have a lot to plan, this functional 4 page spread will come in handy. The paper is thin but for only $5… can hardly complain!
More planner reviews:
- $2.50 Kmart Planner: Too good to be true?
- Musboeken Feeling Plantastic Discbound Planner
- Otto Budget Planner Review (Undated)
Planning Tips:
- Favorite washi tape for planning, planner decorating & color coding
- Favorite color tools for making planner sticker kits (all are free tools!)
- The best white pens for writing on black paper
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Jean DiGiacomo says
Link to this Kmart planner? (If it’s here I can’t find it!!). Thank you.
Rachael says
Hi Jean,
If a planner is a seasonal product I don’t include the link within the post as I forget to come back and update it when it’s no longer available.
https://www.kmart.com.au/product/a5-planner—navy/2833824