# How many calendars do I need? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 6, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726 "2010-11-06T19:11:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726/1 "2010-11-06T19:11:40Z")
I’m tired of paying a small fortune for calendars every year, only to throw them out on New Years Day. From now on, I’m saving all my calendars and reusing them when there’s another year just like this one. The way I figure it, I’ll need 7 calendars for non-leap years and 7 calendars for leap years. Is it as simple as that? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726/2 "2010-11-06T19:18:02Z")
Yes, there are 14 possible annual calendars. See [Perpetual Calendar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_calendar) for more info. ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726/3 "2010-11-06T19:19:14Z")
If it doesn’t have the phases of the moon, and you don’t mind holidays like Easter or Passover being represented inaccurately, sure. On the other hand, my (snarky) answer to the question the thread title is “Zero”, considering that I do not own a calendar and seem to get along reasonably well. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726/4 "2010-11-06T20:28:22Z")
I use my computer calendar. It keeps track of everything for me and I don’t have to get a new one each year. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726/5 "2010-11-06T20:43:10Z")
You need one whiteboard calendar. My parents have a wooden wall hanging, which has about three dozen wooden squares to be arranged upon a line of five shelves. These squares usually have numbers on one side. Some of them flip to reveal something like a little graphic indicating Christmas, for instance. There are six rectangular wood pieces for the months, which are double sided. While I find this calendar to be attractive, it’s only good for telling the date…no good at all for writing in appointments, etc. I go to Dollar General or Family Dollar for calendars. These aren’t stores where everything’s a dollar, they’re the modern equivalent of five and dime stores. Most merchandise is fairly cheap in those stores. ---
**Author:** ![EdwardLost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726/6 "2010-11-06T20:50:20Z")
Reusing calendars is OK until you start showing up at the dentist office for non-existent appointments. And eventually the swimsuits will be way out of fashion. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726/7 "2010-11-06T21:12:19Z")
I have 6 calendars in various places around the house, but I certainly didn’t pay “a small fortune” for them – they were all free, provided by various businesses or non-profit groups. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726/8 "2010-11-06T21:24:54Z")
But you need one for _Peanuts_, one for _Dilbert_, one for _the Family Circus_, one for _Cathy_ Oh sure you could look on the Intenet, but what if an atomic bomb were droppend and it destroyed the electric grid. You couldn’t get on your computer to find what day it was nor could you get a good laugh by reading your _Dilbert_ calender And believe me after the A-bomb is dropped you’d need a good laugh 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726/9 "2010-11-10T01:36:38Z")
Actually . . . I’ve given this some more thought, and now conclude that I need only 7 calendars. For leap years, all I have to do is switch to another calendar for the remainder of the year, beginning March 1. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726/10 "2010-11-10T04:40:25Z")
> [@](#): > > And eventually the swimsuits will be way out of fashion. Yeah, but naked never goes out of style. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726/11 "2010-11-10T13:30:36Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Actually . . . I’ve given this some more thought, and now conclude that I need only 7 calendars. For leap years, all I have to do is switch to another calendar for the remainder of the year, beginning March 1. Excellent idea. Especially when you consider how long it will take to find all seven versions of the leap-year calendar. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726/12 "2010-11-10T15:32:07Z")
You really only need 7/12th of a calendar–one page starting on Monday, one on Tuesday, etc. They all have to have 31 days. If you have a reasonable amount of intelligence, you know how many days are in each month and when to put the new page up. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-calendars-do-i-need/559726/13 "2010-11-10T15:46:40Z")
If you wait until Jan or Feb you can get calendars cheap.