Year in Review: What happened with my 2023 Stationery Resolutions?

Last week, I talked about my stationery highlights of 2023! This week, I’m taking a look at the pen plan I made for 2023 — it’s time to find out what happened.

Soumkine agenda(s) in Mustard: one in use, the other a spare; two fountain pens from late 2023: Scribo Piuma Impressione and Leonardo Momento Zero Fioritura Viola; vintage hand paper holder; on vintage Clarence House fabric.

I manage my collection using this beautiful Soumkine Agenda in Mustard (it is no longer available, but back in the day you could get it from The Gentleman Stationer’s curated shop; I got a backup from him for all my collection planning needs). Here’s the 2023 list I made, typed up:

1. Minimize pen collection - sell pens.

2. Sell some of the inks - sparingly.

3. Purchase a promotion pen.

4. Buy fewer pens than I did in 2022, which means less than 9, ideally less than 8.

5. Figure out when I buy pens and prepare accordingly.

6. Very sparingly add to the ink library if at all (10 or less inks).

7. Document currently inked twice a month.

8. Use up samples and inks.

9. Attend a pen show.

10. Consider notebook and other stationery usage before buying more.

11. Avoid FOMO purchases and rush - there will always be more pens.

Let’s take a closer look.

Soumkine agenda and my Hobonichi notebook; two fountain pens and the Uni-ball One P Gel pen in mandarin orange; Montblanc Stevenson ink; paintbrush (I am doing an inky art project.) All on this cool beast-ly Clarence House fabric.

1. Minimize pen collection - sell pens. Verdict: YES.

I did quite well on this one. I sold 8 pens and returned 2 pens. I still have some things to let go though, and this will become a project of 2024.

2. Sell some of the inks - sparingly. Verdict: YES.

I sold 8 bottles of ink, and moved (sold and gifted) a whole bunch of samples. Given that “sparingly” was listed as a keyword, I think this is a success. I still have some inks that need a new home, and again, this will become a project of 2024.

3. Purchase a promotion pen. Verdict: YES.

I see from my records that the Internazionale was on my grail candidates list in Feb 2023, but it took me a very long time to acquire the pen, and I wondered if I might actually not complete this goal on time. But the pen is here and I am very happy with it, and so this gets checked off the list.

4. Buy less pens than I did in 2022, which means less than 9, ideally less than 8. Verdict: KIND OF

Ugh. I squeaked by, but just barely. Technically I bought 9 pens total this year, but 2 were returns. Not counting the returns, I bought 7. I already sold one, and only 6 remain in the Gathering as of December 2023. So I am not sure if I actually get this one.

5. Figure out when I buy pens and prepare accordingly. Verdict: NOT REALLY

I started the year thinking that I will buy pens seasonally: one per quarter to a nice total of four. Nope - fail! Early in the year I had no special desire to buy pens, but I freed up some money from selling pens, so I bought a pen on a whim, and it was not a good buy. But this year I think I finally figured out my pattern: I do buy pens seasonally, but not one per season. I’m a Fall pen shopper. This was true in previous years too. I want something penlike for my birthday (September), and then I am tempted by FPD and Black Friday sales. So I’ll plan accordingly in 2024.

6. Very sparingly add to the ink library if at all (10 or less inks). Verdict: YES.

This is a yes, but only if one specifies inks as bottles of ink (rather than bottles and samples). I bought a total of 7 ink bottles. Given that I sold 8 ink bottles, more went out than came in, which is great. However, I did get a bunch samples (though I also moved a bunch of samples). I’ll give myself a yes on this one and be more specific in 2024.

7. Document currently inked twice per month. Verdict: NO.

Fail. I did once a month for most months, but skipped a few. I need to figure out how to be more consistent about my currently inked.

8. Use up samples and inks. Verdict: KIND OF.

Samples - yes; I finished 5 samples. Inks - no. I am yet to finish a single bottle of ink. I am not yet sure if “finish a bottle of ink” should become my goal for 2024 or not.

9. Attend a pen show. Verdict: NO.

I did not attend a pen show. I’ve been really sick most of the year, so travel did not happen at all.

10. Consider notebook and other stationery usage before buying more. Verdict: YES.

I did well on this one. I bought the things I needed, and did not create notebook and accessory overload for myself.

11. Avoid FOMO purchases and rush - there will always be more pens. Verdict: KIND OF.

To a degree, I succeeded with this one. I mostly bought the things on my list. But a few times I saw deals that I thought were too good to pass on: the Omas Dama was a spur of the moment purchase, and so was the Scribo Piuma Ratio (both were Pens of Interest and were available for a great price). I barely avoided buying the Stilo e Stile Leonardo special editions, but only because there was a website glitch, so I avoided FOMO on a technicality. Overall I did not fail, but I could have done better, so this is food for thought for my 2024 planning. I think my willpower dwindled after my birthday in late September :))) that is something to think about as well.

(My pen plan did not include “start a stationery blog” or “avoid starting a stationery blog” — more on this in 2024 though!)

Did you make a plan for 2023? How did that go for you? Please tell me on Instagram if you’d like!