inkWELL Press Review
If you’re like me, you not only love keeping a planner/calendar, but you need to keep one! As a busy mom, I have to keep up with everyone’s commitments and activities, church obligations, to-do lists for things that need to get done around the house, dentist appointments, haircut appointments, birthdays and anniversaries, and more! It really does sometimes seem like I have a full time job just making sure we all get where we need to go and get done what we need to get done!
When my new friends at inkWELL Press asked me if I’d like to receive one of their Flex Kaleidoscope planners to use and review, I happily said yes!
The truth is that I love planners and calendars, but it’s hard to find one that really works well for me. There are some things I feel like I must have in order to make a planner easy to use.
Things I Require in a Planner:
First, I want a planner with a nice hard cover. I carry my planner with me everywhere. (Literally everywhere!) For that reason, it has to hold up to being tossed in the car, carried around, dropped, and used as a lap desk when I’m out somewhere and need to write a note. And it occasionally gets doused with whatever I’m drinking or even rained on!
Second, I really need a planner that has a pocket or folder for putting papers, tickets, church bulletins, or loose notes into. I once found a planner I thought I loved, but it didn’t have a pocket or folder. It was a mistake.
Third, I have to have a planner that has each month on a two-page spread as well as a two-page spread for each week. It’s so helpful for jotting down appointment times on the monthly pages and then having the weekly pages to add details like the doctor’s phone number and any information I need to take with me to the appointment. (I have a special needs child, so I often have to remember to take specific papers or information with us to appointments. And because I have Mom Brain, it’s hard to remember if I don’t write down what I need to take with us!) I do the same thing for church activities, field trips, work assignments, etc.
I also love that this planner is beautiful and has a matte laminate film on the cover that makes it easy to wipe off. (Did I mention that my planner goes with me everywhere?!)
And it includes some features that I’ve never tried out in another planner before, but now that I’ve tried them, I’ll want them from now on! For example, the paper truly is thick and luxurious. I had no idea how much difference this makes! I’ve gotten in a habit of writing in pencil in my planner because pens bleed through, but I can use pencils or pens to write in this planner, and I don’t have to worry that it will bleed through to the next page.
I also didn’t realize how much I would love the wire-O binding. It’s so much easier to write in my planner and to easily see what’s going on for the month or the week when the planner pages lie flat.
Other Things You’ll Want to Know:
This planner has a horizontal layout that runs from July 2018 through June 2019.
It includes a little ruler that attaches to the binding (easily removable and replaceable). I had no idea how handy this would be!
It has pages at the beginning for important dates for all 12 months. It’s already proving to be so useful to be able to see birthdays and events all on these two pages.
There are pages with sections for goals and dreams! After all, if we don’t write down our goals and dreams, how can we expect to reach them?
There is a mission board, section for writing down plans, and a daily habit tracker for each month too! This is perfect for me because I have some new fitness goals I want to achieve this year, and I want to do a better job of tracking my eating habits and Bible reading.
There are pages for notes and ramblings at the end of each month. I love this!! It’s so handy to have extra space for writing down information and ideas.
At the end of the planner is a two-page spread for gift lists. I can’t wait to use this! In years past, I’ve had a hard time remembering who I needed to buy for and what I’d already bought, so this will be a great convenience!
There’s even a section at the back of the planner for keeping up with travel information such as airline information, car rental, hotel reservations, and a driving log.
And finally, there’s a monthly bill tracker page.
Want Help Setting It Up?
If you really want to try putting these many features to good use, you get a free series of set-up videos to coach you through getting started and finding the planner style that works best for you.
Discount Code (Expires June 30, 2018)
If you’d like to grab your own inkWELL planner and get 20% off, use this link to automatically get your discount! Or use the code HIPHOME20.
More Information
If you’d like to take a look at the inkWELL planners that are available and find out where you can buy them, click this link. You’ll see a selection of hard cover inkWELL planners along with information about where to find them.
You’ll also love knowing that inkWELL Press donates planners to teachers and to women in shelters and treatment centers. While most of us homeschool, we still like knowing that the companies we support are generous and giving.
And if you’d like to learn more about inkWELL press and what they stand for, click here!
In a Nutshell
These planners are awesome!
They’re beautiful!
They’re extremely useful for planning life, work, or school.
They can be used by moms or students.
But they’re not cheap.
I’ve learned, though, that it makes sense to spend my money on one really great planner that I can use all year rather than wasting money on planners that I don’t love and that don’t meet my needs. I will definitely buy myself a new inkWELL planner next year when my current one runs out.
I need a planner so badly. This one looks perfect!
I hope I win, I need some serious organization with our first year of homeschooling! ?
I would love to win this planner because of tbe layout and the grids. It looks perfect!
Thank you for the opportunity to win a planner! I, like many of us, am a planner junkie. I love the look and feel of being organized and personalizing my planner. We’ve fallen on financial hard times so this would be a huge blessing to us! Thanks again and God bless!
Ellie Stewart-Baird
Thank you for the chance! I currently use a different planner for *everything* and would love this Inkwell for only my homeschooling.
I saw this planner at office Max and really wanted it, but opted for a more budget friendly one. I would love to win one instead!
I understand! I tend to be willing to spend a little more on my planner, though, because it’s something I use literally every single day, so I want to love it! I’ll be setting aside money to buy mine next year. 🙂
I have tried planners and can never find the right one. Maybe this is it!
This planner is beautiful and useful. My 50+ year old brain really needs it. Thank you for the review and giveaway!
I’m in Desperate need of a new planner. I’ve got to get organized!!
I need to find the right planner that I will actually use! I would love to try this one!
Always searching for the perfect planner!
I don’t have a current planner, but I’ve used others in the past. I’d love to win this one for 2 reasons. One, I need some organization in my life right now and 2, all of the featuresame you pointed out about this planner, are the exact features I look for in a planner too.