Bullet Journal On A Budget: The Best Cheap Bullet Journal Supplies

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By just looking at the Bullet Journal community, you’d think that you need to spend half your salary on piles of pens and tons of other stationery to start one.

Even though this is definitely an option, you can start a BuJo on a budget with these amazing and cheap Bullet Journal supplies!

Bullet Journal is a fantastic productivity tool. Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, a student, or a small business – Bullet Journal will help you stay organized, productive, and, most importantly – happy.

However, as often happens, many people have a limited budget for such things as stationery and planners. Bullet Journal is a perfect tool for you then because you need an absolute minimum investment to start one.

Below I compiled the list with some of the best cheap stationery for Bullet Journal, so you can choose something that you want and that won’t crush your bank account!

But first, an easy key to follow:

$: Very cheap. You can buy it with pocket money. Maybe.
$$: A little bit more expensive, but still pretty reasonable and worth the investment.
$$$: Kind of pricey. Which you won’t find down below, because duh.

And be sure to scroll until the end because it has a free guide to Bullet Journal supplies to help you get the things you’ll love and use.

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Notebooks

Of course, the most important thing is actually your notebook. You can Bullet Journal literally in any kind of notebook – lined, plain, dotted. That’s the beauty of the system.

Generally, however, the Bullet Journal community prefers dot grid journals that can go from 5$USD all the way up to 50-60$USD. If you’re ready to invest more in your BuJo, check my list of 13 Best Notebooks For Your Bullet Journal.

Here I gathered some of the journals on the budget side, but which don’t compromise on the quality.

Lemome A5 Dot Grid Journal $$

Lemome is a quality journal with a pretty slick design. It’ll offer you 190 pages of 120 GSM paper, an elastic band, and one ribbon. This is one of the highest paper densities among Bullet Journal notebooks, meaning that it will be withstanding more ink without ghosting or bleeding.

You won’t find any pre-made pages, and the pages aren’t numbered, but it’s a good quality basic notebook, definitely worth your attention.

It doesn’t come in many designs, and if you’re looking for something more fun and colorful you might want to try somewhere else, but as I’ll show you later this isn’t really a problem and can be easily fixed.

Minimalism Art A5 Classic Notebook Journal $

One of Amazon’s top choices, this notebook is a great choice for Bullet Journaling on a budget, since it comes at half the price of other popular notebooks like Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks, for example.

There are 192 pages of 100 GSM paper, an elastic band, and a ribbon – all the basics you need for your Bullet Journal notebook.

It also comes in 7 different colors, so you can pick whichever you like the most!

Poluma Bullet Journal $

Smooth faux leather cover, 128 pages of 120 GSM paper in light ivory color – this notebook is definitely one of the best in its price range.

Like all the other notebooks in this list, pages aren’t numbered and you’ll have to create your own key and index and such, but isn’t it a fun way to start your BuJo?

It’s a fantastic notebook to begin your BuJo adventures and join the more than 1.5k people who already enjoy using Poluma Bullet Journal.

Is your budget even smaller? I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about notebooks from Walmart or Macey’s, so go and check those out. Before you do though, read my post on How To Choose A Perfect Bullet Journal Notebook so you know what to look for when shopping for one.

Possible Notebook Problems

Buying a more affordable notebook means that you might have some minor issues with it. I’m not saying this will happen to you, but from my own experience, it’s a possibility.

Don’t worry though, I’m here to help you out if something actually happens. Let’s go through what can go wrong and how you can deal with it.

Binding Is Broken

This is what happened to my first journal; at one place, the binding just broke! But don’t worry, there are ways to deal with it:

• Washi tape. Just put some washi tape to hold the binding together and hide that it ripped on this page. It actually looks kind of cute!
• Glue. If you haven’t done anything on this page yet, maybe just glue the binding and the two pages together.

No Ribbon

The notebooks I mentioned all have ribbons. If you get any other notebook you might be missing one, which makes it more difficult to find information. Here are the solutions:

• Washi tape. Yes, this is my solution to most of the problems in my BuJo because washi tape is the duct tape of Bullet Journalists. But with washi tape, you can create dividers or fun decorated paper clips. Just add those to your current page to easily find it.
• Binder clips. Put some of your pages in a binder clip, and it’ll be easy to open the page you’re looking for.
• Bookmark. The good ol’ way for books will work for your notebook as well. There are so many designs available; you can find something that would add personality to your journal. Or make a cute one yourself!

Elastic Band Is Broken

If the elastic band isn’t sturdy enough, with time and use, it can break. There are, of course, many ways you can deal with such a problem:

• Fix it. There are ways you can fix your elastic band or even add it to a journal without one. Check out the video of how to add one below (or this easier method) and a blog post on how to fix it. 

• Use another elastic band. You can simply just get a piece of elastic, sew it, and put it around your journal. Or you can buy a new elastic band, especially for planners. These are amazing; they come with a pencil case, pen loop, and even a cellphone holder.
• Use a cover. You can always just get a cover for your journal or make your own. 

The Journal Is Ugly

It can happen – the journal is great, but the cover is just killing you. Here are a few things you can do to have your cake and eat it too (I’ve been itching to use this expression, and I thought it fit here):

• Washi tape. Find some adorable washi tape and just stick it all over the cover of your journal! This will create a cute pattern, unique to your journal. If you want to make it less noticeable, you can also add a piece of paper on the inner side of the cover, so nobody can see the ends of the washi tape.
• Scrapbooking / Wrapping paper. It’s that easy – use the paper you like and wrap your journal cover in it, so it’s all pretty and just the way you like it! Check out this little tutorial if you want to give it a try. 

• DIY journal cover. Creating a journal cover can actually be pretty fun and simple. Or at least simpler than I expected. Check out the video below for some ideas and step-by-step instructions. 

Now hopefully, you’ve got your journal exactly the way you want it, and we can start on our list of all the other fun stationery supplies.

Black Pens

Black fineliner pens are the basis of any Bullet Journal if you ask me. They are what help you create those sleek black lines in your tables and doodles.

I tried quite a few fineliners, and among my favorites is Sakura Pigma Micron. I heard a lot from different Bullet Journalists that the best fineliner they ever tried was Faber Castell Pitt Artists Pen.

However, all these are on the expensive side. Don’t worry, though; there are very good fineliner pens in a lower price range as well!

Staedtler Pigment Liner $$

Coming from a well-known and high-quality brand, the set of 6 will price each pen at around 1.6$USD.

The wide choice of nib sizes allows for a lot of details in your drawings and doodles.

UniPin Drawing Pen $$

This is my favorite pen at the moment, and it’s pretty reasonably priced.

The pens are very stable and last for a long time, even if you put your whole body weight every time you use them (or is it just me who does that? Disclaimer: Don’t actually put your whole body weight on pens)

Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner $

In this pack, you get 10 pens for a good price. And these are good solid fineliner pens.

However, Stabilo pens in the set come in only one size.

If you want pens for writing, these will be great. But if you’re looking for a variety to use different thicknesses in your drawings, these pens aren’t for you.

STA Fineliners $

If you have time to wait – give a try to these fineliners from Aliexpress. The delivery takes 12-20 days, but you can get them for half their price on Amazon.

The set has pens with different nib sizes, so you can add more character to your drawings, and they have 4.8 rating from 50 happy customers.

You can check these pens HERE.

For more recommendations, check my post Aliexpress Bullet Journal Supplies.

Colored Pens

Colored pens aren’t what I call a must-have, but they are pretty useful. You can use them to doodle, highlight something important, letter or just make your headers stand out.
In case you want to invest more in them, I could recommend my favorites: Sakura Pigma Micron, Zebra Sarasa, and Staedtler. For more options check out some of the amazing pens below.

Stabilo Point 88 $$

Amazon’s choice and my heartfelt recommendation since I have this set myself and enjoy it immensely. These pens are a timeless classic, and you’ll definitely enjoy playing around with all those colors.

Planner Fineliner Pens $

These pens are the Number 1 best seller on Amazon and are greatly loved among the Bullet Journal community since they have 4.8 rating by almost 2.5 k happy buyers.

The pack has 18 pens, so it’ll give you all the basic color palette to play around with.

For some more ideas, you can also check my post with Best Pens For Bullet Journaling.

Markers

Another way to add color to your Bullet Journal is markers, and it’s actually my favorite way since with markers, you can cover a wider amount of paper and they are perfect for coloring the doodles.

Stabilo Pen 68 $$

Stabilo always produces quality and very affordable stationery.

I love all that they do, and the beautiful bright colors.

Crayola Ultra Clean Fine Line Markers $

Crayola is always a good brand with high-quality affordable stationery.

If you’re looking for fine tip markers – these are your top choice! The pack of ten colors has all you need to create the most stunning Bullet Journal spreads.

Sunshilor Metallic Markers $

Coming in sets of 12 or 15, these markers are a great budget option.

Moreover, since they are metallic they will look absolutely gorgeous if you do any projects on the black paper.

Brush Pens

The popularity of lettering art created so many different brands and types of brush pens, that everyone can find something fitting their style and budget.

Some of the best and my favorites ones on the market are, of course, Tombow Dual Brush Pens, Sakura Koi Brush Pens, and the newly released Zebra Mildliner Brush Pens. If you’re thinking of investing in some high-end brush pens, take a look at these.

However, at this stage, you can get some great brush pens for a much, much lower price and with a pretty high quality nonetheless. Check out these options below.

Ohuhu Dual Tip Brush Markers $

These beauties can be a great alternative to Tombow Dual Brush Pens since they also have a double tip.

With a color set of 60 pens, you end up paying less than a dollar per one pen, which is as budget as it can get.

Tanmit Dual Tip Brush Marker Pens $

Another set of dual-tip brush pens that seems to be pretty popular among Amazon buyers.

The set of 36 bright colors will be a great help with calligraphy, coloring, and all other Bullet Journal things.

Crayola Super Tips $

Definitely, my favorite budget alternative to brush pens is these lovelies by Crayola. Even though they aren’t exactly brush pens, due to their nib, you can still create calligraphy with them.

It’s an established and well-trusted brand, and I personally really recommend those –I’m using them myself and love the colors!

Speaking of colors, this set has 50 or them, so you’ll never get bored.

Tombow Fudenosuke $$

If you can only buy one brush pen, I recommend you get this one.

Yes, it’s black and not a colorful set, but this pen has so many uses and is so worth it!

You can use these for brush lettering, for creating headers on your spreads, and of course – for doodling.

Other Materials

There are, of course, other stationery supplies you can use in your Bullet Journal, so here are some budget alternatives for those.

Highlighters – Stabilo Boss

My choice of highlighters is always Zebra Mildliners, but Stabilo Boss is a close second, especially since I discovered they have a pastel set as well as the usual bright-colored one.

Pencils – Arteza Colored Pencils

These are wonderful and colorful pencils that are so easy to use.

You can create some amazing color design in your Bullet Journal without ever being afraid of bleeding, ghosting, or damaging your notebook in any other way.

Watercolor – Prang

Amazon’s choice, this watercolor, will provide you with the basic palette to play around with and create art in your Bullet Journal without ever breaking your bank.

Possible Pen Problems

The most common problems with pens and other materials in your Bullet Journal are ghosting or bleeding. This can be because of pens or because of notebooks.

The first thing you should do is to check the density of your paper, or if you’re just looking for a notebook – look for the one with higher GSM. The average good one would be around 100-120 GSM.

The second thing to do is a pen test. Never ever ever use a pen in your journal before testing it – it might completely ruin the page you’ve been working on so hard. I always do a pen test on the last page of my journal.

A little warning about the pens and brush pens – watercolors and watercolor-based brush pens are usually slightly more damaging to the paper, so be wary.

Anyways, if something did happen to your page and you had some ghosting you hate, or even a bleed though – check my post with creative ideas on How to Deal With Bullet Journal Mistakes. The same techniques can be used in helping you hide any possible issues with the pens.

Miscellaneous Supplies

These are some things that you don’t really need to have, but they are very useful in Bullet Journal setups and might help you a lot. If you have some extra dollars in your pocket, check out some of these items.

Circle Maker

This tool is very affordable and can help you create lots of fantastic designs, from little bubbles to circle trackers and future logs.

Stencils

Stencils are a great help when you need a quick setup and can’t be bothered measuring things or spending a lot of time doodling very precise things.

There are stencils for everything in Amazon – lettering, icons. Whatever you need, you can use stencils to help you out. Plus, generally, they are very affordable.

Westcott Technical Drawing Template

I absolutely love this one, because it helps so much in keeping my Bullet Journal looking neat!

I love that there are all the basic shapes here, and I actually use this one a lot for my task list, to keep all the boxes and circles looking crisp and clean.

Washi Tape

You might not even realize it, but washi tape can solve most of Bullet Journal-related problems! (Again, it’s the duct tape of BuJo!) Check out my post with 13 Creative Ways To Use Washi Tape In Your Bullet Journal.

Washi tape is definitely so much more than just decor, and I’m sure you’ll find it super useful for your journal as well. Whatever your journaling style is, you’ll always be able to find a washi tape design befitting your BuJo.

Thankfully, washi tapes are also super affordable, as these little beauties here.

I hope all of this gave you enough options and clarified that you really can start Bullet Journaling even on a tight budget.

Free Stationery Guide

No matter your budget, there are so many options out there it’s easy to get overwhelmed and end up overspending on things you won’t like and won’t use.

That’s why I’ve created this stationery guide to help you choose the best supplies for your journal.

Sign up in the form below, and once you confirm your subscription, the Ultimate Guide To Bullet Journal Supplies will be headed straight to your inbox.

What are some of your favorite budget stationery finds for your Bullet Journal? Share with us in the comments!

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