Hello everyone!
Like I mentioned in my post, “Graduated and the Future,” I will be sharing about my newly discovered hobby: planning. If you are new to the planning community, or you just want to learn more about it, why not check out some “plan with me” videos on YouTube?
I had been contemplating even starting a new blog to talk about things not related to Lululemon but as long as I am transparent about the contents of my posts by titling them correctly, I figured that nobody would mind too much if I talk about other interests. So, if you’re here to learn more about why I chose the Happy Planner over the Erin Condren, THANK YOU for stopping by!
1. The first reason and easiest thing to point out is the price. The Erin Condren planners are $55, and that’s before any customization. If you use my code,* you can save $10, but $45 is still pricey compared to the other available options. The Happy Planners, on the other hand are almost always available for about $15. Although they are “regularly priced” $25, Michael’s and Hobby Lobby almost always have either a sale going on or at minimum a coupon “on any single item” for %40 off. I bought mine for under $15, and right now they are $12.50 at Michael’s.
*This is an affiliate link, anyone can get their own once they sign up for an account, but if you click it and use it- we both receive a $10 credit at the Erin Condren store.
2. That brings us to purchasing options. You will likely have to order the Erin Condren planner, and although I appreciate that it is assembled in America, the wait time is 8-12 business days. Plus, unless you spend $100 to qualify for free shipping, shipping is $7.95. You may be able to purchase an Erin Condren planner at a Staples, if you have one closeby, but you also wouldn’t be able to take advantage of some of the free customization options available when ordering the Erin Condren online if you decide to purchase in-store.
The Happy Planner is widely available at Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. My favorite thing about buying things in-store is that you can go see the different styles, choose your favorite and buy it on-the-spot. If you’re interested, they’re also available on Amazon*, but I’ve never seen them on there as cheap as you can find them at Michael’s if you wait for a coupon or a sale.
3. Then come some specifics. I must admit that the Erin Condren looks a whole lot sturdier than the Happy Planner. The coil bound system, the thicker covers and dividers. It’s solid quality. But the Happy Planner has been stepping their game up. Last year, there were concerns because the tabs were not laminated. This year, all the planners that I have seen have laminated tabs. In addition, the cover is wider than the tabs and hides them when the book is closed, unlike in the Erin Condren planner, where the cover does not go over the tabs. This leaves the tabs exposed and increases the possibility that they will be damaged.
Other details of the Erin Condren Planner vs. the Happy Planner:
The ECLP has pretty vellum page inserts and a few quotes pages, while the Happy Planner doesn’t always come with quotes pages and does not come with vellum pages. However, you can buy or create your own inserts for the Happy Planner. I have already created my own inserts- look out for a post about them in the future! The ECLP also has a folder in the back and comes with 4 pages of stickers, but again, you can insert whatever you like into the Happy Planner.
4. Size. One of the things that was tempting me towards the Erin Condren planner was the assumption that it was bigger, but after checking the measurements, I realized that the Happy Planner is actually just a little bigger than the Erin Condren planner. Honestly, I was surprised because I figured that one of the reasons that Erin Condren planner was more expensive than the Happy Planner was because it must have been bigger. But the truth is that the Happy Planner is 8.62″ x 9.75″, which is slightly larger than the EC Life Planner at 7″ x 9″. Definitely surprised me.
5. Let’s talk customizability and interchangeability. Both planners offer interchangeable covers. You can buy covers for either planner in-store, online, and at some Etsy shops. I really like the fabric and leather covers they have on Etsy! Very fancy!
However, because of the binding system, only the Happy Planner allows you to take out and put in pages without just tearing them out or unbinding and rebinding the entire planner. But if you’re interested in unbinding your ECLP: it is possible. The reason for this is that the Erin Condren planner is coil-bound, while the Happy Planner is discbound. You can easily remove and add pages to the Happy Planner.
To be honest, one of my favorite things about the Happy Planner is its customizability. I love that I can add and subtract pages, if I miss a week, it’s not a big deal- because I can just take it out! Or if there are too many pages and it gets too thick, I can remove pages without ripping them out. Or if I don’t like/need a particular page, no problem! Same goes if I want to add pages, they slip in effortlessly.
For this aspect, I think that it really depends on your personal perspective on planners & planning. For me, I’m planning to use my planner as more of a memory planner & as a creative outlet. Given that, I really like to have as many customization options as possible for my planner. If you are strictly using your planner for planning purposes, and don’t really need a ton of customization, you might not regard being able to add or subtract pages as a key feature.
Yet another point of customization that I could enjoy because of the Happy Planner is that if the planner gets too full, rather than removing pages, I might also opt for larger discs*!
So, there you have it. I chose the Happy Planner, and I’m sticking with it! I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope that it made your choice easier if you’re thinking about getting a planner.
Thanks for reading! Are you planning to plan this year? Which planner did you choose? Was it one of these two- or did you pick a different one? Why? Let me know in the comments!