If you’re new to bullet journaling, you’ve probably wondered what are the best bullet journal supplies. There are so many choices when it comes to notebooks, pens, markers, journals, etc, and it’s not always easy to tell if things are going to work well together.
I’ve tried out hundreds of different bujo supplies in my quest to find the best. In this post, I’ll show you my favorite bullet journal supplies for beginners and where you can buy them.
The Best Bullet Journal Supplies For Beginners
First of all, I just want to mention that you’ll hear some people say that you only need a pen and a notebook to do bullet journaling. While this is true, it’s also fun to add your own creativity into your journal pages.Here’s a run-down of what supplies I would suggest for a bullet journal beginner:
- Bullet journal notebook
- Gel pens and felt-tip pens
- Highlighters and markers
- Rulers and stencils
- Washi tape and stickers
- Clips and accessories
- Bullet journal organizers
Keep scrolling to see my top picks in all these categories for bullet journal supplies!
Where To Buy Bullet Journal Supplies
You can buy bullet journal supplies from Amazon. I’ve got most of my bujo supplies from there because the price tends to be better than anywhere else. This is only true if I’m looking for brand-name stationery.
If I’m looking for the cheapest available, I check out stores like WalMart, Target (in the dollar spot), and Daiso (a Japanese “dollar store” type place, please google and see if there’s one near you and if there is GO! You can thank me later!).
Craft stores usually have a lot of great bullet journal supplies too, but it’s smart to check when they have sales because the prices will drop hugely for major sales. Michaels, Hobby Lobby etc all carry bujo and planner supplies.
Also, there are many specialty art supply stores (such as Dick Blick or Blick as it’s now known), Kinokuniya (a Japanese book store that also carries fine stationery supplies), and others.
Check out stores like Paper Source and other stores that sell paper-related art or craft supplies in your area.
1. Bullet journal notebook
In general, the notebook you use for your bullet journal should be sturdy and have good quality paper. You don’t want your ink showing through the pages, or the cover falling off after a month!
Here are some of my favorite options for bullet journal notebooks.
Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal
This is one of the most popular bullet journal notebooks. They’re similar to Moleskine journals except they have numbered pages and a blank table of contents page.
The Leuchtturm1917 notebooks are 249 pages and about 6″ x 8″ (roughly the size of an A5 or half-letter paper).
I think these notebooks are fine for people whose creativity will mostly be expressed in the color of the notebook cover – in other words, they’re not ideal for people who want to make drawings or doodles in their bullet journals.
The reason I feel this way is that the paper in these notebooks is thin. The thinness is fine if you’re only using a pencil or pen, and don’t really worry about it showing through somewhat on the other side of the page.
The paper itself is wonderfully smooth, which makes writing in them with a ball-point pen, gel pen, or fountain pen rather pleasant.
I am a fan of the pre-printed table of contents as well as the numbered pages.
Like most notebooks in this category, the Leuchtturm1917 bullet journals have an elastic band that helps hold it shut, a couple of ribbon bookmarks attached to the spine, and a pocket in the back that you can use to hold your bitcoin wallet, letters from your secret admirer, an emergency $20 bill or the spare key to your apartment.
Click here to check the price.
You can read my full Leuchtturm1917 bullet journal review here.
Moleskine notebooks
I’ve been using Moleskines myself – for YEARS – and I really love everything about them. They cost a little less than the Leuchtturm notebooks, and the quality is still excellent.
I still remember what a treat it was, buying my first Moleskine for myself when I was in college. That was when I started truly enjoying the practice of journaling and I believe that using a quality notebook that feels good to use helps you return to it often.
Click here to check the price for Moleskine notebooks.
Vivid Scribbles Bullet Journal Notebooks
- Vivid Scribbles notebooks have a 5mm dot grid print on each of the 200 numbered pages.
- Premium 150gsm paper that won’t bleed.
- These bujo notebooks already have an index and key page printed in.
- The cover has beautiful tactile cloth with gold embossing, making it a great gift to give to the creative person you know.
Find more bullet journal notebooks ideas here.
2. Gel pens and felt-tip pens for bullet journaling
Once you’ve picked your notebook, the next thing you’ll definitely need are some good pens. Why good pens? Well, your bullet journal will look a lot nicer if your writing and layouts look nice and neat. Using art-quality pens will help you get that precise look you want.
Uni Pin Fineliner Drawing Pens
Lots of bullet journalists recommend these Uni Pin fineliner pens. It’s easy to see why:
The ink is water-resistant, so you can use watercolors, highlighters or markers over the ink and it won’t smudge.
Click here to check the price.
Fine Tip Gel Pens
My personal favorite pens, though, are these super-duper fine point gel pens you see below. I first discovered them when I was in Japan over 10 years ago and I still buy them.
Click here to check the price.
Here’s what I love about them:
- Unlike a felt-tipped fine point pen, these gel pens have metal nibs that won’t lose their sharpness even after extensive use.
- They’re perfect for making dainty drawings or minimalist bullet journal layouts.
Color Fine-tip Gel Pens
Some people like to use colorful fine-tip gel pens to doodle in their bullet journal. They are also fun to write with.
Click here to check the price.
Brush Pens
I’ve tried many different brush pens and these are by far my favorite. I’ve been practicing my brush lettering every day using one of these pens and it has held up VERY well, unlike other brush pens I’ve used in the past. I love it that it comes in a pack of two, one harder and one softer, which allow you to write in two different sizes.
Click here to check the price on the brush pens.
Muji Gel Pens
Lots of people love the minimalist aesthetic of Muji products. Muji gel pens are a great pick for bullet journaling, too!
Click here to check the price.
Watercolors For Journaling
Watercolors literally add a “splash” of color to your bullet journal layouts and also breathe some life into the pages. I recommend using a journal with thicker paper if you intend to use watercolors in it.
My favorite watercolor set is this one:
I love this set because the colors are highly pigmented. I’ve been using this particular set for about three years and I kind of feel like it’ll last me forever!
Click here to check the price on this watercolor set.
Watercolor Brush Pens
Another option, that I think is slightly easier than a traditional watercolor set, but still perfect for that color-wash look, are these little kits of watercolor brush pens.
They have actual bristles but the pigment is loaded into the shaft like a marker.
Click here to check the price.
3. Bullet Journal Highlighters and Markers
Glitter Highlighters
Can you believe it’s this easy to make glitter in your bullet journal – just use these special markers?!
Click here to check the price on these magic glitter markers.
Zebra Mildliners
These highlighters are extremely popular for bullet journaling. They come in a ton of colors, too!
Stabilo Boss Highlighters
Another type of highlighter that’s also super popular with bullet journal-ers are these:
Tombow ABT Dual Brush Pens
If you want to get really fancy with your bullet journal design, check these out.
They’re not cheap, but they ARE the best. Click here to check the price.
They are also available in pastel colors, like these:
4. Rulers and Stencils for Bullet Journals
This is a great metal ruler you can use to create straight lines in your bullet journal:
Bullet Journal Stencils
I’m also loving this set of TWENTY bullet journal stencils!
Circle Stencil
For making circles, I recommend this stencil which is perfect for making many sizes of circles for a bullet journal:
5. Washi Tapes and Stickers For Bullet Journals
Washi Tape Set
Washi tapes are basically just little rolls of masking tape with cute designs and patterns. They’re used for all kinds of crafts – and decorating bullet journals!
I love this set of washi tapes:
Glitter Washi Tape
If you check out bullet journals on Instagram or Pinterest, you’ve probably also seen a lot of cute bullet journal layouts with glitter washi tapes like these.
Click here to check the price.
This solid color glitter washi tape is great for making borders or adding other design elements to your bullet journal. I’ve seen some really pretty minimalist bullet journals that use it, also!
Washi Tape Dispenser
You can keep your washi tapes organized (and make them easier to cut) with these washi tape dispensers:
Click here to check out this washi tape dispenser and see the price.
6. Bullet Journal Clips and Accessories
Rose Gold Paper Clips
How friggin’ cute are these rose gold paper clips? And they come in their own little box to make your desk look chic.
Gold Mini Bulldog Clips
These gold wire clips shown below are also a really popular style.
7. Organizing Bullet Journal Supplies
Stationery Supplies Organizer
Once you get all your bullet journal supplies (and you’ll probably get a LOT of them!) you’ll want to keep them organized.
The best organizer I’ve found, by far, for bullet journal supplies is this one.
These are surprisingly expensive. Click here to check the price…
Yep, it’s the perfect way to organize all your bullet journaling supplies – beautifully!
Here’s another more affordable option you can go with to organizer your bullet journal supplies.
Acrylic Desk Organizer
This little caddy would be another great solution to keep your bullet journal pens and markers organized:
That’s all for now, bujo pals! I’ll be updating this page in the future as I learn of more great bullet journal supplies.