I wonder if the Levenger Circa notebooks would work well as a DIYPlanner platform. From Emory's photos (thanks for the great reviews, Emory!), the Junior size looks maybe a little bigger than you're shooting for, but the Circa / Rollabind system would be pretty cool in DIYP mode, I think.

These are not cheap, but they're really nice products. I would think you'd be pretty impressive walking into a meeting with one of these loaded with DIY templates...

As for which templates to use, it's really dependent on what you want to do with it. I use the Hipster PDA edition, and I mainly use the Actions cards, a few Waiting For's, & I'm starting to get into using the Projects cards. The Agendas are super-handy for someone forgetful like me who wants to avoid calling the same person back 3 times in a row.

I also like printing the Notes or the untitled portrait-ruled cards, but I'd imagine that doing this on my inkjet at home is pricier than buying Levenger's preprinted cards...

School supplies will be going on sale soon and you can sometimes get decent quality stuff made or high school/college students. I've found small zipper binders around that size in black before and from a distance you can't tell them apart from the super expensive leather ones.

I still use a 7-hole FranklinCovey punch, but that's because I have it.

If you're looking for a cheap but decent binder, check your local Goodwill. That's where a lot of them end up after failed New Year resolutions. (I think the last time I was on the hunt, I picked up 4-5 for 99 cents each -- my favorite one is the Dilbert binder.)

:) i bot 6.5 x 8.5 atoma / myndology disc bound journals ; i can't wait to get hole punches to create dividers from reinforced stock ; add calendar foldouts ; also get the book " getting things done " david allen ...a great combo

Douglas Johnson of DIYPlanner.com has a great post on setting up a Circa DIY planner with templates. Concerning the cost of Levenger's products, I found the basic plastic cover notebooks more than adequate for my needs.

Daniel:
You could make your own ringed binder using plastic covers and binder rings. You'd have many of the benefits of a traditional binder without the bulk of fixed rings or a stiff cardboard cover, and you get the chance to make it your own.

I bought a couple of these directly from Rollabind.com (choose the corporate products page). They were $4.99 instead of $22. I did buy the punch (got the smaller one and it's fine) through Levenger because it looked nicer. You can also get bigger or smaller disks for your binder for $2 at Polymerclayexpress.com/rollabind.html.

I love this system, although you really have to find templates you like elsewhere and print and punch them yourself. Neither site offers much in the way of useful paper. Anyway, the binder is lightweight, it's cool looking (lots of compliments) and it's pretty cheap. Unless you have your heart set on leather.