To spend £300 on a calendar?

I have one. It’s stupidly expensive but I got it with a big discount on an amazon deal week. It works so well for me with teenage kids. They were always arranging things that needed me to drive them etc that clashed when I had a paper calendar. Now we have the screen in our kitchen and the app on all our phones.
they add to the grocery list when they want something and I can check it when im in Asda.
my eldest is away at uni and checks it to see when we have things on (relatives visiting, panto etc) that he wants to book tickets to come home gor in advance to get them cheaper.
I use the meal planning feature and set tasks for the kids. All without a subscription.

I’ve spent £195 on an advent calendar so knock yourself out.

I bought one after being at my wits end with trying to keep our family organised. It’s usually on promotion so wait until Black Friday for a better price.

You don’t need to justify the cost. If you can afford it, it’s worth every penny!

We use it every day . My little ones use it easily as well as my teenager

We use the free Family Wall app for the calendar, shopping list and lists function. Works brilliantly and can use for Apple and Android.

I've had a Dakboard for coming up to a year and I love it. Every Sunday I update the calendar, meal plan, to do list, shopping list etc. You can have so many different things displayed - I have a sideshow of photos, positive news, joke of the day, weather. It is literally the only thing that has worked in 27 years to keep my neurodiverse family on track with what is happening - highly recommend!

Me too ! I am a complete dinosaur but even I manage to use a google calendar, shared with my husband! Completely saves the day, I do still have to remember to look at it, I must get into the habit of setting up alarms for it, but at least I can see if there’s something on a particular day if I have to make an appointment. Faffing about with bits of paper and notebooks when out was an absolute disaster!

We have a skylight calendar, we use it in conjunction with a shared apple calendar on our phone which had calendars for meal planning and things we had booked in as well as appointments and kids clubs. It did the job but we wanted our young children to have access to the meals for the week (stopped the 'what's for dinner' conversation. My job is quite fluid and my wife is a foster career with training, appointments etc so it helps us know where and what is going on.

Why we bought one - well it looked good lol! You need to want to use its 'extra' functionality to make it worthwhile. Whilst the digital photo frame is great, there are cheaper options. The real game changer for us was the chores/routine and awards functions for the children that they can interact with themselves. We have 5 birth children between 4-8YO and foster children in and out but usually 1 more and so for a household of 8 it makes a real difference. Getting the kids to feed the dogs/make beds/tidy the front room seems like a small thing but it all adds up and their help really makes a difference. Now they are motivated to do it alongside the rewards functions. It also has the added benefit of encouraging them to save and work towards a goal, which has been hard to install without regular pocket money (something we don't really do). Most of the rewards are not financial and are about activities and time we have gained because of the help they are now giving.

I know that's a long response, but simply put - shared phone calendars do the job, unless you have children and want the extra functions of routines and chores that the calendar offers. For us, the £300 is a small price for the organisation of our large family.

@Soonenough glad it is just not me! I admit my job has to be quite fluid (child protection) so this level of rigidity is quite alien in my workplace at times. The thought of running family life this way actually makes me really sad

If you think it will make your life easier then go for it. But it probably will not. I say this as a lone, widowed parent who has invested in all sorts over the years to try and make stuff easier but ultimately everything comes down to old fashioned communication and clear expectations, a bit of a rigid routine when it matters and some outsourcing (for me it was a service wash).

If you have teenage children they won’t fill it in regardless of what it is or how much it costs. Maybe sometimes if you’re lucky.
Obviously younger children it’s up to you to organise the activities.
If it’s you and your husband just better communication is needed.

I must lead a really boring life as I can't imagine not bring able to manage a FAMILY schedule without all these devices . Can't you simply talk each morning and / or evening ? How many people are there involved ? It 's not a corporation you are in . Maybe I am too old .

Somehow, DH and I have ended up with a shared online calendar for some things (we share an email), so I know when he’s going to fly somewhere or has gig tickets, and he knows when it’s time for me to change my HRT patch.

If you can easily afford it and it will work YANBU.

I tried so many times with my lot, to use a shared calendar (Google cal) but I was consistently the only one to stick with it, so I gave up 😀

Good point, but then our diaries aren’t that complicated and I’d message DH to check
plans before committing to things.

ETA in response to@pastaandpesto (lost the quote)

What's the subscription for?
I was looking at one of these but I can't see much difference between using the Google calendar and then seeing it on the Google Nest I've got.

Look you'll spend 300 pound on in and they probably still won't use it.

We use family wall app - everyone just adds their info and it alerts you when someone has added something and I like you can colour code it for each family member - and it’s free!

Get the cheapest android tablet. Sticky velcro it to the wall, near a plug socket.
just keep it charging all the time. Doesn’t matter that it hammers the battery as it’s only ever going to be plugged in anyway.

Load onto it a shared calendar ie Google
make the settings on the tablet ‘wake up’ when you are near so you can see what it says.

also use the reminders on appointments but change it to a timescale that’s useful, like 1 day before not 10 mins before.

you can then use it for shopping lists and meal plans too. Just use an app you all have access to

Some of the family are too young to have a phone/ to reliably check one, and having it on the fridge means the adhd ones amongst us will look several times a day. If plans change or get added then we update the one on the fridge.
Essentially, the digital is for the adults and longer term plans whereas the fridge one is where the kids/ teens add in where they are going to be on that particular day.

I have been very tempted with those skylight calendars myself as we have 3 children and a very busy family life but I refuse point blank to pay that sort of price.

I have yet to decide what to do - we currently share a calendar but the kids (2 of whom are autistic) like to actually see this on a physical calendar. I'm torn between ordering an Alexa with a screen ( so they can access the calendar) and a paper calendar. I will probably buy a paper calendar and when our normal Alexa device stops working update to one with a screen. Won't buy one until then.

I think a PP is right, better off getting an EchoShow linked to a family Google Calendar for £89

We use a Frigobloc calendar. Has magnetised back so sticks to fridge. Has a rip off weekly calendar section as well as a shopping list pad and sticky pad. Our current one has monthly tear off calendar with seasonal fruit/veg on the back and a recipe. It’s all in French too. I bought the first one in a French supermarket and second from eBay. Has place for pen/pencil. I think it’s great although I seem to be the only one who uses it. I also send invitations and reminders to everyone’s online calendars.

I think we have the same friend!!