To spend £300 on a calendar?

[PearTreeSally]

I would really like a digital family calendar for our home - mainly to stop all the arguing about who planned what first and who definitely didn't forget to tell the other about an important event. I like the idea of a physical, in-the-kitchen display, as I don't think a shared app on our phones would work. Having meal planning and joint shopping lists would be useful too.

I've come across the Skylight, which looks perfect, but nearly £300!! Cheaper alternatives don't have great reviews, and if I was techy I suppose I could buy a tablet and put a calendar app on it, then wall mount it, find a way to switch off the screensaver etc, but that seems a faff.

YABU - don't be daft, you must have more money than sense
YANBU - it's the best purchase you'll ever buy, it saved my marriage and sanity

Why do you think a shared calendar app wouldn't work? It makes a big difference to our family life. I use cozi. I can notify DH when I add something and set reminders,link who is going to each thing etc.

Or... you could buy a paper calendar and hang it in a prominent place in the kitchen and write on it.

I think a phone app would be too easy to ignore. He's always on his phone so would likely ignore yet another notification, and I'm never on mine and always get in trouble for not seeing important texts for hours! Our wall calendar is used though, but we could do with more

I thought I was extravagant spending a fiver on a wall calendar this week 😂

Just get a family calendar with a column per person for £15.

This has got to be a sneaky advert.

I wouldn't but just using a shared Google calendar works for us.

But if you've got £300 to spare and you think it'll make your lives easier, why not?

I think it's stupid expensive and I don't see how it would fix any of the issues you have raised.

Sometimes you just can’t beat pen and paper.

Yes I thought so too.

I do think it would make our lives easier, and I do think it would stop arguments. I do NOT have a spare £300 though, this would be an extravagent xmas present!

It is a bonkers amount though, you're all right...

Ha, I promise not, but if they wanna sneak me a freebie or some commission, I wouldn't say no!

I agree, if it would make your life easier, go for it. However as you say you don't have it spare, would this make your family struggle to afford to purchase it, then it would be a No. If it may dip into a larger savings pot, then yes.

In what sense would a paper family wall Callander not work? One of those ones with a column for mum, dad, each child, the dog etc.

What about one of the larger Echo Show devices? There are some that have big screens and you can set them to show your shared calendar.

Oh and added bonus, you can set it up to do audio reminders for things as well 🙂

So you need to pay £300 to ‘prove’ to your husband that he’s being a dick? It won’t work. He’ll just find some other excuse

I obviously tried that first! The paper calendar works great, when we remember to fill it in. When one of us remembers an event, while we're in the kitchen and has a pen! The problem is that doesn't always happen. Similar to the shopping list hanging in the kitchen that's still there when I've gone to the shops and forgotten to rip it off. Would be nice to have it all with me at all times, but I'm not managing to justify the stupid price tag

Off to research now! Thank you

What makes you think everyone will use the digital calendar if they can't manage to use a paper one?

It sounds like the problem is poor organisation and communication and I don't think a digital calendar will solve that. There will just be another excuse...I forgot...I didn't have my phone...there must have been a power cut....I forgot to look.

You'd be better placed both making a commitment to stand in front of the paper calendar for two mins every morning and night and write down anything you need to write and read anything you need to read. Take a photo so you have to with you through the day.

A wall calendar with everything added on works for us, dates which we add to our phone calendar.

I'm struggling to understand why a shared Google calendar wouldn't work.

When you need to schedule something, you add it to the family calendar. Put name/s in the title to show who is involved.

Whenever you need to know what's going on, check the calendar.

That's literally it. We broadly have a rule that if it's in the calendar, you're expected to know about it - including if that means that you're the parent at home when the other one is going out. Now the kids are older they add their own events too.

We've run on this for well over a decade I think.

I am boggled by people who use a pen and paper calendar that exists only in their house. How the hell do you make plans when you're out?!

I carry a small week to view diary and a matching sized notebook in my bag. I write stuff in both. Couldn’t you just extend that idea by transferring stuff from those (or a piece of paper stuffed in your bag each morning) to the family calendar each teatime/breakfast time.
Problem solved imho for much much less than £300!

You write it on the physical calendar when you get home?