Best Bullet Journal Supplies & Starter Kit Accessories

LET'S BE FRIENDS! FOLLOW US:

Pinterest | Facebook

Disclosure: Opinions expressed are our own. If you buy something through any of our affiliate links on this page, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting our site.

Jump to:

• Top recommended products
• Best journals
• Best pens
• Best colored pencils
• Best highlighters
• Best watercolor set
• Best accessories and extras
• Starter kits at different price points
• Under $5
• Under $25
• Under $100
• Conclusion

Best journals

Winner: Leuchtturm1917 Hardcover Notebook with Dotted Pages*

Across the board, the top recommended notebook is this dotted journal. It's hailed for paper quality and inclusion of an index, page numbers, two bookmarks, and a pocket at the back of the notebook. It comes in a classic black or a whole array of vibrant colors.

Thisclose Runner-Up: Scribbles That Matter, Dotted Journal Notebook Diary A5*

Very comparable to the Leuchtturm. Quality paper, two ribbon bookmarks, a pen loop, and built in index and key pages. A more vibrant feel.

Lesser Known But Of Higher Quality: Rhodia Black Webnotebook Dot Grid*

This notebook is actually a little lower in price than the Leuchtturm. The quality of the paper is smoother and better than the Leuchtturm, resulting in less bleeding through and ghosting.

Budget Alternative: Minimalism Art Notebook Journal, Dotted Grid Page*

A more budget-friendly dotted journal notebook that also comes in bright colors is this one, which is still of great paper and overall notebook quality.

Best pens

This one was a tough one since there were many suggestions, which goes to show that grip, point size, boldness and richness of color are all to your own personality.

The best suggestion is to go out and try different styles to see which you like, but if you do want a few suggestions, I've got them broken down by color and style.

Best black pens

Winner: Sakura Pigma 30062 Micron Blister Card Ink Pen Set, Black*

This brand is popular for its consistently crisp lines.

Alternative: Faber-Castel PITT Artist Manga Drawing Pens, Black*

This waterproof pen set comes as a variety pack so you can see which thickness you prefer for your everyday use. You can use these to write or draw, as they are meant to be manga drawing pens.

Budget alternative: Sharpie Pen Fine Point Pen, Black*

Sharpie is a trusted brand at a much lower price point. These fine-point pens are fast drying.

Best colored pens

Winner: Staedtler Color Pen Set (Triplus Fineliner Pens)*

These come in different variety packs, but the 36-color one is a steal. The triangular shape is more ergonomic, which is great considered how addicted you'll be when using them for all your collections and spreads.

Alternative: Stabilo Point Fineliner Pens, Color Set*

Another set of fineliners that are well-liked by those who own it. Seems to have a nice assortment of colors and works well with adult coloring books (though you'll need a piece of paper underneath to prevent bleeding onto your other pages).

Alternative: Sharpie Art Pens, Fine Point, Assorted Colors,*

A decent assortment at a reasonable price.

A steal: Crayola; Ultra-Clean Fine Line Markers*

The best deal would be this assortment. At least you wouldn't have to worry about getting the ink out if you were to accidentally get it on your skin or clothes because they're washable.

Other pen recommendations

These were other preferred supplies that didn't necessarily fit in the categories above.

Other recommendation: Paper Mate InkJoy Gel Pen*

These pens aren't ideal for coloring, but they are super useful in making you writing look pretty.

Other recommendation: Pilot FriXion Clicker Erasable Gel Pens, Fine Point, Assorted Colors*

A tad pricey, but if you are shy about making mistakes in pen, then these erasable ones would be perfect.

Best colored pencils

Winner (sort of): Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils*

Technically, these watercolor pencils* were recommended, but the price point is quite high. An alternative from the same company are the colored pencils you see pictured above.

Alternative: Crayola Colored Pencils*

If you don't mind 8 fewer colors, this set from Crayola is only about ¼ the cost of the set above.

Best highlighters

Winner: Zebra Mildliner*

This set is super popular among bullet journalists for the lightness, brightness, and not too wetness. There's also a glitter version* that's all the rage in the bujo community.

Alternative: Stabilo Highlighter Pens, Pastel*

This pastel set is another option, but by far the Zebra mildliners are a clear winner. If pastel is too light for you, here's a set with regular colors* like red, green, yellow, etc.

Best watercolor set

There are no winners for this category since there were different suggestions from the different bullet journalists. The one thing they agreed on, though, were these water brushes*.

As for the watercolor sets, this was a recommended budget option: Prang Oval Pan Watercolor Set*

Best accessories and extras

Here are additional office supplies that would be handy to have for the beautiful creations you'll make in your bujo.

White-out/correction tape

A whole set* might seem like a lot, but if you're going to spend a lot of time with your bullet journal, doodling, journaling, and whatnot, you probably need quite a bit of this stuff.

Washi tape and dispenser

There's so much you can do with washi tape, like decorate your pages, cover up mistakes you made, color code, and affix memorabilia. The hardest part is picking out from the wide variety of sets to choose from.

This thinner assortment* is under $10.

This thicker assortment* is also under $10.

And here's a handy dispenser* to keep them organized and easy to use when you need it.

Rulers

Having a straight edge will be very useful when setting up your monthly, weekly, daily logs or lists.

This clear plastic one* is lightweight, easy to match up when you want to make perpendicular lines, and will fit nicely in your purse if you want to take it on the go.

This particular one* is perfect for making circles and other more complicated shapes beyond a square and rectangle.

Post-its

These come in very handy when you want to record things in your bullet journal that you know will most likely be updated.

For example, some bullet journalists don't draw out daily log pages and instead use post its* that are easy to toss when no longer needed.

Or this suitable pack* for planning.

Clear date stamp

Here's a great shortcut to making calendars* in your bullet journal. Saves so much time!

Starter kits at different price points

All right, now that the top supplies of your favorite bullet journalists have been revealed, let's get into the starter kits at different price points.

Under $5

First off, the budget-friendly option. Truthfully, all you really need to make bullet journaling work is a basic notebook* and pen.

Under $25

If you're looking for a little bit more to your starter kit, here's one that comes in under $25:

• Minimalist Art notebook*,
• InkJoy colored pen set*,
• helix circle ruler*, and
• assorted post-its*.

With a set like this, you'll have a quality notebook, assorted pen colors to work with, a ruler that'll make perfect circles, and post its to help your bullet journal remain flexible for your needs.

Under $100

And if you want to splurge a little, here's a kit that comes in at about $75:

• quality notebook*,
• Sharpie black pens*,
• Tombow dual brush colored pen set*,
• Zebra mildliner highlighters*,
• straight ruler*,
• helix circle ruler*,
• washi tape*,
• assorted post-its* along with these planner versions* and
• mini month stamps*.

A set like this will give you a quality notebook, reliable pens for writing or coloring, a fun assortment of highlighters to help with color coding, rulers to make perfect lines circles, washi tape to embellish your notebook, post-its to take quick notes, and a useful mini month stamp to save you time when creating logs.

If you feel like spending more, feel free to include the watercolor set, colored pencils, or some of the other picks from above.

---

Continue Reading: DIY & Crafts posts →