Cheap stationery that also works well – is there really such a thing? After much shopping… err… research, I’m happy to say these products are both cheap and good:
Favorite cheap stationery
1. Keji White Out
The Keji white out tape from Officeworks come in a pack of 2 for $1. The first time I saw it I was like nah, too good to be true. But I go through a lot of whiteout so decided to give the Keji brand a try. Well I was proven wrong – it’s the best (and cheapest) white out tape I’ve come across and is now the only white out tape I use.
2. Papermate Inkjoy ballpoint 100 1.0M
Probably unsurprising if you regularly read my blog, Paper Mate pens always make it onto lists of my favorite stationery. The much more expensive Inkjoy Gel pens write so smooth and their much cheaper ballpoint pens write almost as good for a fraction of the price. The pens are readily available and the packs always include the essential colors for coding
Related: Ultimate list of the best planner pen brands and how to choose colors for color coding
3. Aspire sticky notes
These sticky notes are not only in my favorite size: 1.5″ high x 2″ wide but are also super sticky.
Related: My favorite sticky note brands for planning
4. Self inking list making stamps
Stamps are expensive. You buy the stamps, but then you also need an acrylic block to put them on plus ink pads (which you should never go cheap on or they’ll dry out, smudge etc.) – it all adds up to be quite expensive. And time consuming. I really can’t be bothered with fancy stamps (as cute as they are). Instead I only use self inking stamps. My favorite are Frixon erasable and MAMBI self inking.
Related: Planning the week using stamps (MAMBI, Carpe Diem & Creative Devotion)
5. Cheap notebooks
For experimenting with weekly planner layouts / bullet journal spreads I use the Minimalism Art and Scrivwell notebooks. They’re dot grid but don’t have page numbers. The paper quality is obviously not as good as more expensive notebooks but I just skip pages and write on every second page. It’s still cheaper than some of the more expensive notebooks and by using a cheap notebook I don’t feel bad about messing up a page.
Related: Review of the Minimalism Art Dot Grid Notebook for Bullet Journaling
If you’re a fellow Australian and are after a simple planner, Kmart have basic planners (horizontal and day to a page) with cute covers.
If you’re in the USA, Blue Sky have functional, cute planners for usually $30 or less – much cheaper than the $50 + most planners seems to be these days.
Related: Blue Sky Noteworthy Planner
You could also DIY your own notebook with some printable note paper and a DIY cover. Or DIY your own planner with printables.
Related: Which is Cheaper: DIY Printable Planners or Pre-Printed & Assembled Planners?
More planning tips
- Buying a planner versus DIYing and making your own (pros and cons)
- How to make a DIY Erin Condren Planner Cover for less than $2 (plus free printable cover)
- How to clean your printer (prevent smudging, streaks and make the colors POP!)
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