Have you heard about bullet journaling before? Are you ready to start creating your own bullet journal, uniquely customized to fit your lifestyle? If you haven’t already, I recommend you read 13 Reasons You Should Start a Bullet Journal Today, The 4 Main Styles of Bullet Journaling Explained, and The Anatomy of a Bullet Journal to gain a solid foundation from which to begin creating your own bullet journal. You don’t have to throw down a mini fortune to start your own bullet journal. All I started with was a pretty, sewn binding journal from Walmart, that had thicker pages than a composition book, and only cost me around $15, plus a black ink pen out of our school supplies box. It wasn’t until I decided that I liked the whole “bullet journal thang” and it was something I would be able to stick with long-term, that I started investing a little more money in my bullet journal.
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Notebooks
You need a quality notebook when you begin your bullet journal. Some people use spiral notebooks or composition books. While these are nice, inexpensive options, I recommend that you invest a little bit more money on a notebook that will be able to endure daily use without the cover tearing or bending, pages falling out or the binding falling apart. If you are like me, your bullet journal will probably travel with you wherever you go. You’ll be opening and writing in your journal at least once a day, although, it will probably be far more than just once. Pick a journal with acid-free pages and high-ink compatibility. You want to make sure that your journal’s pages are thick enough that your ink doesn’t bleed through to the back side of the page, and you won’t get a lot of pen marks transferring onto your other pages. I prefer a sewn binding rather than a glued binding. With a sewn binding your journal pages will lay flat when opened. Prenumbered pages and a ribbon page marker are nice bonuses, as well.
1. Leuchtturm1917 Medium Size Hardcover A5 Notebook – Dotted Pages 15 colors
2. BookFactory Black Journal / Writing Notebook / Blank Diary / Lined Pages Book – 192 Pages, 5.25″ x 8.27, Banded Journal, Hardbound, Bookmark (JOU-192-CCS-K) 5 Colors
3. Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Ruled, Black, Hard Cover (5 x 8.25) (Classic Notebooks)
4. Essentials Grid-lined Notebook, Large, A5 Size (Journal, Diary) Hardcover
5. Rhodia Black Webnotebook 5.5 inch x 8.3 inch Dot Grid
6. Moleskine Classic Notebook, Extra Large, Plain, Black, Soft Cover (7.5″ x 9.75″) (Classic Notebooks)
7. Midori MD Notebook – A5 Grid Paper
8. Miquelrius Soft Bound Medium Journal, 300 Sheets/600 Graph Pages, Blue
9. Moleskine Cahier Journal (Set of 3), Large, Squared, Kraft Brown, Soft Cover (5 x 8.25): set of 3 Squared Journals
10. Northbooks Dots Hardcover Notebook / Journal 5×8 | 192 Dot Grid Pages | Made in USA | Sewn Binding
11. Minte writing journal | dotted journal to write in for women | bullet dot grid notebook | perfect for bullet journaling | A5 250 pages, faux leather hardcover diary, gift set with pen, pink
12. Bullet Journal – Lemome Dotted Numbered Pages Hardcover A5 Notebook with Pen Holder + Premium Thick Paper + Bonus Gifts (Mint Green)
Notebook Covers
If you choose to go with 7. Midori MD Notebook – A5 Grid Paper, you have an option to cover it with either a clear plastic notebook jacket or a thick paper jacket to protect your precious bullet journal from the wear and tear of everyday use, if you so choose.
13. Midori MD Notebook Cover A5 Size 49360006
14. [Midori] MD series notebook jacket A5 H220~W310mm made of light and stout paper
Pens and Pencils
Some people are very picky about the types of pens they use in their bullet journals. Honestly, I own several of the artist pens, such as the Staedtlers, Microns, and Tombows, but I always end up grabbing my 22. Pilot G2 Assorted Colors Gel Pen 20 Count pens that I bought at Walmart. I have the assorted colors pack and I love them. They write smoother than any other pens I’ve used and they don’t smear like other gel pens do. Pick a page in your journal to test any new pens you buy to make sure the ink doesn’t bleed before you start using it in your journal. I bought a pack of Infinity markers and tested them on a journal page before using them, thank goodness because they completely bled straight through the page I tried them on.
15. Staedtler Triplus Fineliner 0.3 mm Porous Point Pen 334 – SB10, 10 pack
16. Micro-Line Ultra Fine Point Ink Pens – (SET OF 16) – Archival Ink – Assorted Colors in 0.3 MM Felt Tip – 5 Blacks in Tip Sizes 0.25MM to 0.5MM – Competes with Micron Fine Point Permanent Markers
17. Sakura 9 Pcs Pigment Liner Pigma Micron Ink Fine Line Pen Set 005 01 02 03 04 05 08 1 Brush with Pen Case, Black, Made in Japan
18. Tombow Dual Brush Pen Art Markers, Bright, 10-Pack
19. Prismacolor Premier Fine Line Illustration Markers, 05 Fine Tip, Assorted Colors, 8-Count
20. Prismacolor Water-Soluble Colored Pencils, 36-Count (Pack of 1)
21. Faber Castel Pitt Artists Pens for Art and Graphics, Set of 4, Black (FC167100)
22. Pilot G2 Assorted Colors Gel Pen 20 Count
23. Colore PRECISION Ultra Fine Tip Micro Line Pens – Waterproof & Vibrant Color Inking Pen Set With Variety Nib Sizes 16 Pack
Washi Tape and Planner Stickers
I would love to be one of those awesome ladies that turns my bullet journal into a work of art, but I’m just not one of those ladies. I love to draw, but I don’t do it much anymore. If it weren’t for my washi tape and Happy Planner Stickers, my poor bullet journals would be seriously plain. FYI, I’m totally buying #26 below. Washi tape for every holiday and season. How cute it that?
24. 50 Rolls Glitter Washi Masking Tape Set, Great for DIY Decor Scrapbooking Sticker Masking Paper Decoration Tape Adhesive School Supplies
25. MT Washi Masking Tapes, Set of 10, Bright Colors (MT10P003)
26. Recollections Year-Long Washi Tape Box
27. me & my BIG ideas PPSV-13 Create 365 The Happy Planner Sticker Value Pack Planner – BIG Color Story – 459 Stickers
30. Deco Fairy 4 Sheets Lovely Decorative Adhesive Sticker Tape / Washi Masking Sticker Tape Set
31. Masking Sticker Set, 27-Sheet, 3.9 by 2.5 inch
Planner Stamps and Stencils
Some of those artistic ladies out there can draw a square checkbox that looks completely uniform, super neat. Not me! Most of the time my checkboxes look more like parallelograms nizagara than squares. They’re really sad. If I want neat and uniform, I need stencils or stamps.
28. DadaCrafts(TM) Calendar Planner DIY Clear Stamps For Card Making Scrapbooking and 2Scratch-Off Stickers
29. Bundled Brands The Happy Planner Clear Stamps – Planner To Do and Planner Everyday Stamp Sets – 124 Stamps
32. GeMoor 20 Pcs Bullet Journal Stencil Set 1000+ Patterns Plastic Planner DIY Durable Drawing Template for Notebook Diary Scrapbook Craft Projects 4 x 7 Inch
33. Paxcoo 5 Pcs Stainless Steel Journal Stencils with Templates Ruler for Bullet Journal Diary Planner Drawing Painting
Pen Holders and a Journal Bag
I really like the LIHIT Lab Bag-in-Bag for carrying a bullet journal around. If you’re interested, you can check out the YouTube review for it here and the review from The Pen Addict. I also bought the K&Company Smash Elastic Pen Band, which holds six pens, and the VerneNation pen loops. My husband has two of the Everyday Innovations Booksling Pen Holders for his journals.
34. LIHIT LAB Bag-In-Bag, comes in Yellow Green, Orange, Black, & Brown, 7.1 x 9.8 Inches (A7553-6)
35. VerneNation 6 Pen Loops for Notebook+Ipad + Bonus Pen Holder Clip +Bonus Ebook + FITS ANY Pen or Apple Pencil
36. Creoly Large Genuine Tan Leather Pen Holder (7 x 2.5 inches)
37. 2x Pen Loop Traveler Notebook Leather Pen Holder with Stainless Steel Clip (Black)
38. K&CompanySmash Elastic Pen Band
39. Everyday Innovations Booksling Pen Holder And Bookmark, Grape (BS-Grape)
Like I mentioned above, I decided not to go all out and spend a lot of money when I began my bullet journal until I had tried it out and decided that I liked it prednisone and would probably stick with it for a while. I have gradually invested a little more money here and there, but I still haven’t spent a lot of money on my bullet journal obsession. Mainly because I already have a bunch of art supplies from drawing and scrapbooking. Although, I do occasionally find myself drooling over new artist pens, pencils, and markers when I go to Hobby Lobby. I’ve been known to get lost in the vast art supplies search results on Amazon, occasionally as well.
If you haven’t already, you should really give it a try! Are there any supplies you would recommend to others that I haven’t covered here?
For more bullet journal inspiration, please check out my other posts and get busy creating!
13 Reasons You Should Start a Bullet Journal Today
The 4 Main Styles of Bullet Journaling
The Anatomy of a Bullet Journal
Boost Your Productivity With a Bullet Journal
Using a Bullet Journal for Short-Term and Long-Term Goals
Using a Bullet Journal to Stay on Top of Finances
Schedule Your Time Efficiently With a Bullet journal
Color Outside the lines,
Melissa (BUJO-Lovin) Shantel
