Control freak: All Diaries You Could Ever Need
After publishing a few posts about organisers, diaries and budget trackers, I thought it was a good idea to show on a quick post what are my real tools to keep the track of almost everything.
I use each of these diaries for different areas of my life and the problem has come now that I am almost on the very last page of one of my favourite ones.
Let me introduce you to the least important for my financial/personal life…
I wasn’t sure about mentioning this one, but why not? I use it to keep track of the task I need to finish each day in my job. My work implies having strict deadlines and like to be sure I know how much time I have left.
Now, let’s get serious….this is the biggest one, I keep it at home and use it around 3 times a month:
I use it to mark birthdays, special occasions and, important appointments. However, this one is the one that came with a great budget tracker that helped me keep the track of my expenses along several months. So, even if I just use it 3 times a month, one of them is to write down the amount of money I spent on each area of my life.
This diary keeps the amount of money I have been spending on food, clothes, personal care, etc… from January to September, and I can see how my expenses have evolved. It may seem like an issue for some people (it’s something nice to do for me) but thanks to that, I can see where my expenses go each month and I can also make sure that the clothes and eating out are not getting out of hand! It also has stickers on the last pages, so very important!
And the treasure that comes with me every day, the drama of the family…
This little diary helps me keep the track of everything I need to write off. It’s perfect and small so I can bring it anywhere. It has a soft cover, so I can squish it in my small bag and it comes with the empty pages (notes) for me to mark every single purchase I make. So, If I go to Café Nero and have a cappuccino, I can just sit and write in this diary the amount that I paid for the coffee (and mark it with the blue highlighter), so at the end of the month I will add all the coffees I have bought and make numbers.
Why drama? The last page (the ones I use for the expenses every day) are coming to an end. I need to buy another one and It’s getting impossible because there isn’t a diary like this one. There are small ones, but most of them don’t have the last empty pages, others have the pages but are bigger, or not soft and able to squish in a tiny bag.
And finally, for the sake of beauty…
Santoro’s designs never disappoint. Just by checking the diaries and books I have the need to find new ways to organize more parts of my life in stylish notebooks. I use it every single morning and night to clear my mind and remind myself of the plans for the day. It has a therapeutic effect and it’s a great way to start and end the day, as it works as an organizer and diary.
Do you also have different types of diaries like I do? Let me know if you think this is too much or if I should add some other for new plans.
10 Comments
Emma Crawford-Nash
Nice post, it’s great to know how do you organise yourself! I believe it looks great, and very detailed. I only have one diary and I never use it! I could lear one or two lessons from you defnitely!
Kiira Smith
Hi Emma!
The level of control over your expenses is always up to you.
I got used to doing it this way and I enjoy it, but starting with your diary (or an app) is also great 🙂
John Malone
Nice update! I have been hearing recently about this App called Wallet which also tracks your expenses. What are your thoughts about that?
Kiira Smith
Hi John,
I downloaded the app to have a look at it and I am really surprised.
At first, I was a sceptic about it because the categories that come by default are a bit general. However, I found out there are more sub-categories and you can add some more manually.
I was also unsure about the payments you do with cash (as the app is linked to your account and the payments with card), but apparently, you can also add them!
I am still not sure if you can see the evolution of the expenses in each category (or sub-category in this case) over the months.
The app is VERY complete, that means you may need some time to get used to it to get the most of it. I still haven’t tried all the features, as I am happy carrying half a library with me but seems great so far.
Karen
That last diary (the one from Santoro) is SOO cute! You have nice taste!
Kiira Smith
That’s lovely, thank you!
Have a great week 🙂
Jamie
Nice update, it’s good to know how do you keep track of everything!
Kiira Smith
Thanks!
I posted about that a lot so it was time to share it.
Carolyn
Hey, I also have a few different diaries. I have 3 of them, and I think it’s really cool how do you organise yourself!
Kiira Smith
That’s pretty cool, it’s good to know I am not the only using more than one 🙂
Take care!