Hello, friends! Today, I'm super excited to share my review of the Clever Fox Budget Planner - Lavender Compact Edition. If you're like me, always on the lookout for stylish stationery to make budgeting a breeze, you're in for a treat! As we dive into this review, get ready to discover how this charming little planner can bring joy and organization to your financial journey.

I have tried keeping a budget planner in a dotted notebook before. I tried various printables from Esty. I mastered spreadsheets and iPhone apps, but ultimately would always go back to pen and paper. However, finding a planner that works for me was extremely hard. I have large handwriting, usually do not like lined pages, and I tend to gravitate to bigger planners. And then I came across the Clever Fox brand.

I admit. I was sceptical. I do not usually trust Amazon finds. I tend to still to the brands that I know (Erin Condren, Filofax, etc). I was hesitant about its compact size too (as it slightly smaller than A5) but then I decided to give it a go. Plus, that lovely lavender cover is an instant mood lifter! I mean, when I saw the brand name AND my favourite colour, it was an instant buy!

I started it in September of 2021, so I am on my last month now. The fact that this budget planner is undated, allows you to start at any month.

Here are some of the key features of this budget book:

Comprehensive Budgeting Made Simple: With its thoughtfully designed pages, this planner lets you set monthly financial goals, track income, and plan expenses—all in one place. I like that there is a month attached to each budget tracker.

Elegantly Categorized Expenses: Sorting your expenses has never been easier! The Lavender Compact Edition comes pre-labeled with categories like bills, groceries, entertainment, and more. I do admit that some of the categories are not applicable for me and I would have preferred maybe more unlabelled categories, but even this worked for me well. The planner comes with additional stickers too!

Savings and Debt Success: Keep your savings on track and wave goodbye to debt stress with dedicated pages to monitor your progress. I LOVE the idea of a visual tracker where you can either cross or colour your progress. This Clever Fox planner has those trackers as a simple table after all monthly spreads. I found that the space allocated for each goal/debt was too small for me. I would have preferred it to be page full.

Monthly Budget Reflection: The planner's monthly review section allows you to analyze your budgeting journey, tweak your plans, and celebrate your achievements. This is a great idea but I barely used this section.

Durability and Portability: The cover has a slightly velvety feel. It is a hard cover, but it feels a bit soft. I thought it would be easy to scratch the planner, but it remained scratched free till this day. It’s big enough but also compact, so you can carry it around if you want. It comes with the elastic, one bookmark, a pen loop and a pocket on the back cover.

Conclusion:

In a nutshell, the Clever Fox Budget Planner - Lavender Compact Edition is the perfect blend of practicality and simplicity. I did not have high expectations for this planner but its monthly layouts turned out to be quite useful for me. I thought it would not have enough space for me as I have a pretty large handwriting. However, it was just enough. I added an extra page only once.

As a fellow stationery lover, I highly recommend adding this budgeting gem to your collection. I am considering buying this budget book again - perhaps, in dark purple colour! 🌸💰

p.s. This post is not sponsored by Clever Fox. I am just a user :)