16 September 2011

Free for All Friday No. 148

For many, September is a time for returning from summer vacations and travel, and settling into new routines. I find myself faced with shopping for warmer clothes, travel gear for an upcoming trip to Ireland, and a Bat Mitzvah gift, as well as a few upcoming birthdays.

It also means I get to use my Filofax for one of my favorite purposes—shopping! Not that shopping is my favorite activity. It can be so stressful! Where should I go? Am I getting a good price? Have I already given my niece one of these?

My Filofax diary helps me remember birthdays, but I also use it for lots of lists. Shopping lists. Christmas lists. Lists of places to shop (starting with places that carry Filofaxes!) Gift ideas. I also keep a list of the colors/patterns of the bow ties I've given my dad, so I don't repeat myself.

Does your Filofax help you shop till you drop?

20 comments:

  1. omg yes my filofax is my shopping buddy! i make so many different lists from things i have to have to things i want really badly but have to wait for and it changes all the time. I find it helps though to make lists, if something has been on my wish list for a long time im more inclined to get it then get something that hasnt been on the list for very long. I make a list of things I want every few months and at the end of say 12 weeks i edit that list and cross things off or add something new and then evaluate which is more important. helps curb my shopping sprees that's for sure!

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  2. On a whim, switched books tonight (near midnight in NYC) from my Guildford personal to an older Durham zip. Transferred journal and projects, transcribed forward appointments - turned into quite the ceremony.

    Anybody else do this - unexpectedly or on a schedule?

    NB I was sorry to see how beaten up the Guildford had become from three months getting thrown into a bike bag (on a similar whim, I became a bike commuter a while ago). What looked nicely weathered when the G was filled now looks exhausted, like letting the air out of a balloon.

    Also, the Durham, I'd forgotten, has bigger rings - 30mm compared to 23mm. Very useful, that extra space - I can fit a week on two page calendar where I was previously using a week per page. Looking forward to what ideas this "new" book brings me. . . .

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  3. My personal Aqua Finsbury goes with me everywhere (as my Medical Info Filo) and I quickly realized it's the best place to keep my shopping lists so I can get what I need when I'm out and about. I keep an ongoing grocery list, a list of Random Things I need, and reminders to pick up certain items whenever I swing by the mall. I've also started a list of things to buy when we visit Scotland in December.

    Nan where will you go in Ireland? As many times as I've been to Scotland I've never made it over to the Emerald Isle. :)

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  4. i have a list of things i should do to prepare for the NYC meetup....

    @john you should come to the NYC meetup. i have never seen a guilford or a durham

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  5. Sorry if this has been discussed before, but I think I remember someone saying the leather on the new Aston is a lot like the Finchley leather, is that right? I'm considering getting myself a personal Aston in Orchid for my birthday but it's pricey for me so I'm thinking about it a lot before I take the plunge. Thanks for any info from anyone who has experienced the Aston!!

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  6. Hm, my various lists are a mess, I guess I still haven't figured out the best categories for them and then in time the items on them get all mixed up...

    I also have one more question for you, pH&FF veterans! ;)

    When you buy pens for your filofax, how particular are you about it matching your binder? I only cared about pen's quality so far, but had this funny situation with my vintage pink Malden recently; I've been struggling with it for 2 months and it just didn't seem right, and I also couldn't tell why there's no chemistry between us; just as I decided to retire it for a while, I half-heartedly switched a pen and voila, in a minute the loving sparks flew between Malden and me! :)
    I love Pilot friction, but in combination with my filo, both became unbearable to look at...

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  7. i use the filofax to-do-lists as my shopping-wish-lists. my categories are "music" "films" and stuff for my appartement. they are no "have to buy all that tomorrow" lists. but everytime one of my old favourite-movies or songs comes in my mind, i write it down to buy it eventually.
    i also got a monthly shopping list with all my cosmetics, soaps, make up and so on. when i buy them monthly, i save a lot of money.

    could be helpfull to use a current shopping list for my food, to buy just the things i really need.hm

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  8. @Laurie - yes the leather on the Aston looks to be the same as the finchley. In fact when I saw it I was relieved - I have an Antique Rose A5 finchley that I use as a home binder and it is very tactile - when I went to the Filofax shop the Aston just looked like a much more modern design of the Finchley - at least to me! I'd definately look at this binder again.

    @Vanjilla - I tend to match my pens to my ink colour (for example I have a Lamy Safari in the ltd edition turquoise colour which I usually have loaded with turquoise ink. I do like them to blend with my binders if possible - my Mont Blanc ball point looks amazing in my A5 Black Amazona.

    Bye the way I wouldn't mind getting hold of a personal size Black Amazona at the right price - if anyone has one they no longer use I would be interested in talking to you! You can always email me on my personal email which is ali at alisonreeves dot co dot uk

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  9. I find the personal pages too big for everyday shopping lists, because I need to look at them in the store, so I use a cheap tiny notebook. But I use it for all my other shopping and wishlists.

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  10. Alison I have a personal amazona in cream if you have no luck getting a black...

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  11. @justenoughsalt: I have a Guildford I can bring to the meet up in NYC for you to check out.

    As for lists, I have a whole section in my Filo for 'em. Generally I keep an ongoing grocery list, a list of needed sundries, a list of presents I need to get for upcoming b-days, holidays, showers and the like and I also keep a one-page wish list of things I'd like to save up for.

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  12. @Laurla - thanks - Let me know what you want for it and I'll give it some thought - haven't decided yet!

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  13. @Alison - I saw some Amazona's in Homesense (TK Maxx's sister store). They didn't have the cotton cream inserts though. Might be worth a look.

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  14. Vanjilla, I also love Pilot Frixions and match the colour to my filofaxes. My A5 Aqua Finsbury - work filo - has the light blue (the ink is an exact match) and the pink. My personal Crimson Malden has the red - works for me!

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  15. Just had my Great German Train Robbery order through. Heaven.

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  16. @ Saffy - thanks! Sadly there isn't one near me. if anyone sees one I'd be happy to reimburse postage!

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  17. Long time lurker here. I just love this site, and I'm happy to say it's cured my planner addiction. (Well now I just spend my time looking for new inserts and the actual binders...but at least I use my Filofax.)

    I just have a Personal Domino at the moment but hopefully I find one that's a little nicer that I like sooner or later. The personal is a bit difficult to write in, but I like that it's portable so I can't justify getting an A5 even if I do need the space with doing research, taking college classes, and working almost full time.

    Anyway, today I forgot my planner at home, and I feel completely lost. I probably would have turned around and went home to get it but I carpooled so it wasn't an option. I have to say it's a little weird to feel almost naked without it. My Filo is the only planner to ever make me feel that way.

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  18. Hi Alison, there is one on ebay at the moment, on Buy It Now that was put up there quite recently!

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  19. A bit late to this FFAF, but I'll see if anyone is still reading these comments!

    I am sure I read somewhere that someone has a slimliine A5. Did I imagine that? Do they sill make them?

    Thanks!

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  20. @Nellie: I think that's the Adelphi A5! Imy's just got one, see her blog!

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