Reader Under The Spotlight - Bonnie

Today I would like you all to say hello to Bonnie.

1. When did you buy your first Filofax and what was it?

Through out my life, I have always been sort of a "planner person" and I have had many different planners. I remember how that when I was really very very young, I would rip pieces of paper apart and make tiny books and staple them. The very first actual Filofax I purchased was a pocket Dakota. I guess I did not want to put a lot of money into this. I tend to use the Filofax USA website in that I live in CT and this was the first introduction I got to Filofax. To be honest, I did not like the Dakota all that much. It was very stiff and did not have very many pockets. My guess would be that I bought this Dakota about a year or so ago.

2. What other brands have you used or considered using?

I have used many different planners. Some, I honestly have no idea of what brand they were. Recently, I have used Franklin Covey, and Day Timer as well as the Filofax brand.

3. Out of the organisers you own which is your current favourite (Style and Size)?

As of today, I am using a personal black Holborn. I love the Holborn's leather. It is just luscious. I also love the pockets. I have tended to do a LOT of posts about how I am lusting for larger rings. The Holborn just about holds what I need but I think that I am going to be limited as to decoration and how much I can do to personalize the pages with washi tape or stickers as things just about it the way they are now.

4. How many Filofax organisers do you own?

Let's see .. I think I probably have about 6 or 7 Filofaxes. In pocket, I have the Dakota, an Aston, and a Holborn. In Personal I have a Chamelon, a zip Holborn and the personal Holborn with the snap closure that I am personally using.

5. What is the oldest Filofax in your collection?

The oldest Filofax I own is the Dakota. However, as I said, I think I have become totally spoiled once I got some of the leather ones with the luscious leather that the Dakota just does not have.

6. What do you use your Filofax for?

I think that I have my "entire life" in my Filofax. I am probably the only person in the USA that does not have a cell phone. I just am not a phone person which probably comes from the fact that my job before retirement was one where I was doing very heavy phone work. My Filofax has my calendar which is a week on two pages. I plan my day using my Filofax and, then later, use my notes that I have made regarding my day to assist me in another hobby I have which is scrapbooking. I participate in, what is called, Project 365. I take a photograph every day and then scrapbook them weekly and journal about each day. My Filofax will jog my memory as to what I did on each day.

I also knit. I have a "knitting section" in my Filofax which has patterns and projects I intend to do. We do a 3 week vacation in Aruba each summer and it is nice to have these patterns safely in my Filofax while we are away.

I have a Notes Section, a To Do section, a Financial section and then I also have a Holiday Section. The Holiday section is quite important. I constantly am shopping for holidays and for Christmas all through the year and also making craft type items for each holiday. This section allows me to keep tract of these purchases so that I know, more or less, where I am throughout the year. If I did not mention this previously, I am a senior citizen and am retired. Working on holidays throughout the year rather than doing this blitz of shopping and spending all in one month would be difficult for me working with a fixed income. Using my Filofax to track where I am as far as holiday and other celebration purchases keeps me on track and helps me to save money.

I have what I call "permanent lists". I have a list of everything I make for holiday meals and shopping lists for them. I have a list of all of the Christmas cookies that I make each year and also have a "vacation" section on which I have basic packing lists for both my husband and I for our vacations.

I also have my "contacts" in my Filofax along with *gasp* my passwords for various on line sites that I go to.

7. What was the feature about Filofax you like most?

I think the feature I like best about Filofax is the fact it can be personalized. I can move my pages and entire sections around to my liking. I can decorate the pages if I want or leave them undecorated.

8. If you could design your own Filofax what would it feature?

OMG would I ever love to design my own Filofax. I think that it might end up a combination of several different features. I think that I would love the softness of the leather of the Malden or the Holborn. I do like the pocket arrangement of the Holborn that I am presently using but, for me, I think that having larger rings .. at least 30 mm or even 35 mm would be almost a dream come true. I do have a couple of Franklin Covey binders with really large rings. While I love the rings, the leather and the binder in general is just not as yummy and luscious as Filofax.

9. How do you carry your Filofax?

I have a large handbag I do carry my personal sized Filofax with me whenever I leave the house and I carry it in my handbag. Being retired, I am home a lot. I seem to always have my Filofax beside me here in the house.

10. Which Filofax in the current range do you like the most? Are you going to buy it?

Right now, I am waiting to see what the new Filofax line is going to be like. I know that I am not the only one who wants larger rings in a personal sized Filofax. I am thinking that maybe Filofax will think about doing something like that in the future and, believe me, I will be first in line to buy one. I have actually given some thought to moving into an A5 as those do have the larger rings and a much bigger capacity. I would have to see an A5 in person to see if it might be really large and ridiculous as far as carrying around in my handbag.

11. What is the most you have ever spent on a Filofax? Which model?

The most I ever spent on a Filofax is $72.00 for the pocket Holborn that I have. That was actually a sale price and so I think I got a pretty good deal.

12. What's your favourite Filofax tip or hack?

I m not sure I have any real Filofax tips or hacks. I have made a few dividers for my Filofax myself using family photos and then, for the rest of them, I have actually used these dividers with pockets that I bought at Staples. They have a pocket on each side and I put a tab and label on those and then have the pockets that I can use along with having a divider.

13. Turning to Philofaxy, what do you like the most?

I love Philofaxy. I especially love the "web finds" as I really enjoy seeing what others use their Filofaxes for and how they decorate them.

14. And what do you not like about Philofaxy?

There is absolutely nothing not to like about Philofaxy.

15. What was the last music track you downloaded or bought?

My latest music acquisition was: "Demons" by the Imagine Dragons.

16. Mark Darcy or Daniel Cleaver?

I guess I would have to say Mark Darcy although I am not all that familiar with the Bridget Jones movies and have only seen one of them.

Thank you Bonnie for agreeing to go under our spotlight.