What Would You Buy With $35 at JetPens? Four Stationery Bundles Worth Copying

Introduction

If you had $35 to spend at a stationery shop, what would you actually pick? We put that question to our own team, and the results could not have been more different. One bundle focused on markers with unusual colors, one on letter writing, one on journaling with a fountain pen, and one on a minimalist’s everyday carry. Together they make a practical snapshot of how to stretch a small stationery budget, whether you are shopping for sketching supplies, snail mail essentials, or planning tools.

Markers and Pens for Sketching and Journaling

This bundle is built around markers with unique colors or features that work as sketching, coloring, and journaling supplies in one, with stickers and gel pens for decorating the finished pages.

Iconic 2 Way Marker Pens in Retro Colors

These dual-ended markers can double as highlighters, but the fine tips are genuinely good for sketching. The subdued retro colors are a standout, and because they are markers you can draw over your lines to darken them. Flip to the chisel tip side when you want to fill in color.

Livework TwinPen Vintage Pen Set

Similar in spirit but cleverer in format: each marker has a different color on each end, so a single set gives you ten hues. The colors read as soft but still vivid, which makes them easy to layer in a journal or sketchbook.

Zebra Kirarich Glitter Highlighters

For anyone who loves a little sparkle, these highlighters are seriously shimmery. They shine as a finishing touch on art pieces rather than as a primary tool.

Pilot Color Eno Erasable Mechanical Pencil (Soft Blue)

Even artists who work mostly in pens sometimes want to erase a sketch layer. The Color Eno is great for base sketches that do not leave a messy-looking page behind.

Sakura Arch Foam Eraser 60

The companion eraser is compact and erases cleanly without much pressure, which matters when you are working over marker-friendly paper.

Livework Gradient Stickers

These letter stickers have a lovely gradient aesthetic, and because the sheets alternate the gradient direction you get two color options of each letter. Used only for headers, a sheet lasts a long time.

Pentel Hybrid Dual Metallic Gel Pen

If you would rather write headers by hand, this glitter gel pen has a broad 1.0 mm tip and a juicy ink flow, so you will not be scratching at the paper trying to emulate broad strokes. It suits faux calligraphy especially well if brush lettering is not your strength.

Letter Writing Essentials

This bundle is for fountain pen enthusiasts who journal and send snail mail, and it covers everything from the pen to the envelope it ships in.

Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen

The Platinum Preppy is affordable and easy to use, which makes it the natural starting point. It comes with a cartridge, but you can upgrade it with a converter later if you want to explore bottled inks.

Tomoe River Paper

A favorite paper for fountain pens, Tomoe River is super smooth and ink resistant. Depending on how much you mind show-through, you can even use the other side of the sheet.

MU Print-On Transfer Stickers and Bande Washi Tape Stickers

Decorating letters makes them more personal, and these two sticker options do the job well. The print-on transfer stickers add delicate detail, while the washi tape stickers bring color and texture.

Life Airmail Envelopes

These envelopes are charming, with a fun retro-inspired design that stands out from plain white. The flaps are self-adhesive, though an extra piece of washi tape on top adds both security and flair.

mt Washi Tape

mt Washi Tape works especially well for sealing and decorating those envelopes, and it is easy to find a pattern to match almost any letter.

Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen

Every piece of snail mail deserves a bit of hand-lettering. The Fudenosuke has a small brush tip that is easy to control yet capable of really nice line variation. Its ink is waterproof, so your addressing should survive bad weather on the way to your pen pal.

A Pocket Fountain Pen, Ink, and Three Notebooks

Another fountain pen enthusiast’s bundle, this one aimed squarely at journaling rather than mail.

Pilot Petit1 Fountain Pen

The Petit1 is a pocketable mini fountain pen that, when posted, is comfortable to hold. It ships with a cartridge, but the real appeal is the option to use any fountain pen ink once the cartridge is used up.

JetPens Ink Syringe

A small but clever accessory: the ink syringe lets you refill an empty cartridge with bottled ink of your choice, unlocking far more ink options than the pen’s price suggests.

Herbin Vert de Gris Ink

For people who love inks you cannot quite place, Vert de Gris fits the bill as a greenish-grayish-tealish shade. It is the kind of color that looks slightly different in every notebook.

Midori MD Notebook Light (Grid, Pack of 3)

The journal itself: a three-pack of grid Midori MD Notebook Light notebooks. Keep the first for daily journaling, the second for brush lettering and penmanship practice, and the third as a catch-all for doodling or creative inspiration. They are filled with MD paper, which suits any kind of writing utensil, and each comes with label stickers and index tabs. Alternatively, dedicate one to documenting a trip or reviewing movies and music.

Mark’s Maste Writable Washi Tape

For decorating pages, this washi tape stands out for its Japanese cafe theme, and because it is perforated you never need a ruler or scissors to get a clean cut.

Uni Pin Pen

The Pin Pen is used both for writing titles on the washi tape and for drawing. Sketches done first in fountain pen ink with black linework over top look great, and the Pin Pen delivers an excellent, saturated line.

Pentel Fude Touch Brush Sign Pen

A felt-tip pen that works for beginner and expert calligraphers alike, adding expressive strokes without needing a true brush.

Pentel Hybrid Dual Metallic Gel Pen (Second Pick)

This bundle also finishes with a Hybrid Dual Metallic, whose unique ink and metallic sparkle color combinations pop off the page. It writes so smoothly it makes you want to cover the whole page in shimmer.

Everyday Carry for Minimalists

The final bundle comes from someone far less into stationery than the rest of the team, someone minimalist enough to buy only what will be used regularly. The picks reflect that: practical planning tools and one storage upgrade.

Midori Slim Pocket Diary

This monthly planner suits a simple schedule, and the slim format fits whatever bag you happen to carry. It is genuinely cute, which never hurts.

Uni Style Fit 3

Already a fan of Uni gel pens, this pick is the customizable Uni Style Fit 3. The gel pen refills use Signo ink and the ballpoint refills use Jetstream ink, so you already know what you like. The only open question is what to put in the third slot, perhaps another gel pen color since those tend to run out faster.

Uni Jetstream

A separate Jetstream stays in the bag for signing receipts and similar quick tasks, and it remains a dependable low-effort pick for everyday writing.

Hightide Nahé Packing Pouch

The big-ticket item here: a bag-in-bag organizer that moves from one bag to another, keeping keys, cards, cash, and lip balm from being forgotten. It was chosen over a flatter general-purpose case because bulkier essentials like keys and makeup need the extra depth, even if a small planner fits a bit awkwardly inside.

Buying Advice

The right bundle depends on what you will actually use. If you sketch or journal in color, start with the dual-ended markers and an erasable pencil. If you write letters, a budget fountain pen, smooth paper, and charming envelopes go a long way. For dedicated journaling, a three-pack of reliable notebooks plus one expressive ink covers months of use. And if you are simply organizing daily life, a slim planner plus a customizable multi-pen is hard to beat. Since the whole exercise was built around a $35 budget, each bundle shows that a modest spend can still deliver a complete, satisfying setup.

Conclusion

Four team members, four completely different takes on the same budget, and every bundle is usable as-is. Whether you lean toward glitter highlighters, waterproof brush lettering on airmail envelopes, or a pocket diary and packing pouch, the lesson is the same: pick tools that match how you already write, decorate, and organize, and even a small order will feel like a big upgrade.