I’ve said this before, probably multiple times, but I love a good deal on things that I love and that relate to my hobbies or collections, so of course I love finding notebooks for a low price. If I’m going to spend $20+ on a notebook, I have to really love it, but for $5 or less, I just have to like it a lot to be willing to add it to my collection. The notebooks in this post were all $5 or less, whether bought at a thrift store (which isn’t common, since obviously a “used” notebook isn’t usually worth buying/selling) or budget stores.

Past posts about the collection I have so far: Post #1  |  Post #2  |  Post #3  |  Post #4  |  Post #5  |  Post #6  |  Post #7  |  Post #8  |  Post #9 | Post #10 | Post #11 | Post #12 | Post #13 |  Post #14 |  Post #15 |  Post #16 |  Post #17 |  Post #18

I found this at a Half-Price Books, and though no, I’ve never been to the Bahamas, I still loved the cover. (I have been to the Dominican Republic, so I figure that’s close enough.) Either way, I love the look!

This is the only post in this list that was from a thrift store. My husband and I were on vacation and, for him, that means new thrift stores, places we don’t already go to semi-regularly. We found one small place that didn’t really have much, but I did find this uncommonly proportioned notebook there for only $1. The cover is a bit scuffed, but the inside is completely blank and in good shape. 

This notebook came from Pop Shelf, the only time I’ve ever gone there. My husband thinks I like things with my first initial on them, so I didn’t have much choice. I do love the color and the little tassel though, so I’m not complaining.

There’s a store in a nearby city that is only open during the Christmas season. Besides Christmas decor and wrapping items, it also has a ton of various kinds of things that they spend the rest of the year buying from close-outs and such, at really good prices. You never know what you’re going to find—some years are more lucrative for us than others. And some years, like this last year, I get a notebook!

I didn’t really expect to find a notebook of interest at Dollar Tree, and in fact didn’t think to look when we were there looking for cheap Christmas decorations, but my husband found this for me. It’s pretty small but cute.

This makes something like 6 of this same type of notebook that I have now, all with different cover designs. They come from the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter in Kentucky, and every time I go I end up getting one or two. This one, though, I got online during a huge clearance sale they were having, along with several puzzles, some books, and other items.

An Ollie’s store just opened in our town. Previously, the nearest one was 45 minutes away. I always look at the notebooks when we go, but they’re usually fairly standard fare. Every once in a while one will strike my fancy, though, like this one did, since apparently I have a thing for notebooks with maps on them.

These came in a 2-pack from the same store as the previous. We actually went on opening day, with only about 20 minutes to look around, and I spent my time in the books and notebooks and couldn’t choose between the previous notebook and this 2-pack. These are full-size notebooks, which I don’t find often with covers that I like. They were cheap, so I got them all!

I’m around halfway through sharing the notebooks that I have collected since when I stopped keeping up with them over a year ago. More coming!

Do you collect anything related to reading or writing? Feel free to share!

No long explanation this time, I’m just jumping in (see post #17 below for at least the most recent explanation of what I’m doing, but to make it brief: I love my notebooks and love to talk about them). And like post #17, the below are all notebooks that have been gifted to me by someone.

Past posts about the collection I have so far: Post #1  |  Post #2  |  Post #3  |  Post #4  |  Post #5  |  Post #6  |  Post #7  |  Post #8  |  Post #9 | Post #10 | Post #11 | Post #12 | Post #13 |  Post #14 |  Post #15 |  Post #16 |  Post #17 |  Post #17

My daughter walked to a nearby Dollar General with her friend when they were hanging out at the friend’s grandparents’ house when she was a pre-teen several years ago. She came home with this notebook for me, with the idea that maybe I could use it to keep my gaming notes (because I do tend to take notes a lot when playing certain video games). It’s another one that I didn’t count as part of my collection until recently, this time because it’s basically just a regular spiral notebook, but that shouldn’t mean it doesn’t get counted. Plus, it has a fun cover!

My son got both of these notebooks for me for Christmas in 2024. He knows my tastes pretty well, since purple is my favorite color and I love the gold accents. And the blue one has sprayed edges and is just beautiful overall.

In 2020, my husband had a notebook cover custom-made for me that is still the shining gem of my collection. Then in 2024, he got these two beautiful notebooks (not custom this time and not covers, but handmade notebooks) from the same local leatherworker as part of a clearance sale. He knows that leather or leather-like covers are a weakness of mine and that I love a deal, so these were a perfect gift.

These were both Christmas gifts—the one on the left from my oldest sister in 2024, and the one on the right from my next oldest sister in 2025. When we did our gift exchange the last few years, on my list of ideas for my secret person to buy for me, I put something like “unique or interesting notebooks.” I really like that what they came up with both reflects what they think I’ll like (and I definitely do) and also their own personalities. So fun!

Now that I have momentum, hopefully I’ll manage to get caught up sharing the rest of my notebooks within the next few weeks!

Do you collect anything related to reading or writing? Feel free to share!

I have yet again waited too long to post about more notebooks, and they seem to have grown exponentially in the time since my last post. I know I keep saying that this has become a sickness, but it’s really starting to feel out of control now. The longer I went without posting more of the notebooks, the more of a weight it became (though of course I don’t have to make these posts, but I really do enjoy it). I’m going to start sharing batches of notebooks that are related in some way to make the posts a little easier to write. For example, this post (and the one that will follow it) are all notebooks that have been gifted to me by someone.

Past posts about the collection I have so far: Post #1  |  Post #2  |  Post #3  |  Post #4  |  Post #5  |  Post #6  |  Post #7  |  Post #8  |  Post #9 | Post #10 | Post #11 | Post #12 | Post #13 |  Post #14 |  Post #15 |  Post #16

I’ve actually had both of this mini notebooks for several years. They were a gift from my in-laws for Christmas one year, a set of 3 Doctor Who notebooks, one of which I later gave to my daughter. Last year, when I was sort of inventorying my notebook collection to compare it to my husband’s board game collection to use both as a “fun fact” to share during our 25th anniversary party, I realized that there were several notebooks that I hadn’t previously considered part of my official collection for one reason or another (for these, it was probably because they’re so small), but since they’re notebooks, they really do count. So here they are.

This notebook is also very small and was given out to children’s workers at our church as part of a thank-you dinner a few years ago. I suppose it was again the size that made me dismiss it (at least subconsciously) as part of my collection.

This is one of the most unique entries in my collection. It’s actually an accounting ledger (see pic below) that my dad and step-mom found when they were cleaning out the things that belonged to her brother who passed some years back. Because they know I collect notebooks, they thought I might like it, and besides that, I also do bookkeeping work for various people in my family. I know I will never get to using all of the notebooks in my collection, but oddball ones like this tend to be ones I really hope to use eventually in some way.

These both also came from my dad and step-mother. The one on the left they picked up at a bookstore in Nashville, IN, and boy does that title suit me. The one on the right was somehow procured due to a son that works at Wal-mart. I sadly don’t remember how it came about; I just know that they didn’t simply go to the store and buy it…it’s already been at least a year since they gave it to me. But I do remember it was the first notebook they gave me—my step-mother really enjoys giving things to people in her family as she gets to know what they like, so it’s special for that reason alone.

No more messing around—another batch of these will be forthcoming. And then hopefully the momentum will propel me into posting about the rest of the [redacted] notebooks that I haven’t gotten to yet before the number doubles!

Do you collect anything related to reading or writing? Feel free to share!