plum paper notebook review

All About Planners

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February 1, 2017

Plum Paper Planners Haul & Review (better than the Erin Condren?)

I’m a self-professed planner addict so when Plum Paper had their Black Friday sale I went a tad overboard buying tons of cute planners to try out!

Here’s a quick video of each of the planners and what I intend to use them for, or you can keep scrolling if you would rather read than watch.

To enlarge the screen of the video, click the square icon in the bottom right hand corner of the video (it will say ‘full screen’ when you hover your mouse over the icon).

Links mentioned in the video: 

• Anything checklists 
• Recipe Binder

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more planner related videos!

Horizontal lined with notes

I like that this layout keeps the lined writing space to plan your days completely separate from the list making space on a separate page. That way I can fold back the notebook to only see my to do lists (what I‘m intending to use the 2 lined columns on the left page for) or flip it the other way to see what’s coming up for the week, rather than having to have both pages open to see the entire week.

I also like the box at the top with a section to flag anything important. I’m intending to use this section to note what blog posts I’m going to publish each week. It would also be a good space for an inspirational/motivational quote, journaling etc.

I’m not so much a fan of the mini monthly calendar with the dates at glance as I feel this is wasted space when I can easily flick a few pages back to see the monthly view. The only functional way I can think of to use this space is to track my period or days I posted on social media (because I’m so slack at doing that!)

Related:  Plum Paper Horizontal Lined + Notes (and a comparison or colorful versus neutral)

Student Planner

This planner has the days split into 6 sections. While I’m no longer studying, I liked the sectioned layout (and used a planner layout similar to this when I was studying – which I included in my printable student planner. I’m intending to cover up any reference to school (such as the ‘Quizzes & Test’ section) with some custom header stickers.

I thought 7 sections would be a good idea to keep track of everything in my life such as:

• Each week’s blog posts (separate sections for each of the 3 things I blog about – planners, running an online business and graphic design)
• Products I’m working on
• Reminders/don’t forget/random misc./most important task of the day

The only downside to this planner is that Saturday and Sunday boxes are small. I’d rather these were bigger and the notes box removed.

Lists Notebook

I have lists for everything. I use my list makers printable kit which I bound into a notebook which I’m going to continue using for my master lists (things like movies to watch, gift ideas for my family etc. – things I don’t need to refer to every day)

I wanted a notebook that was only for ‘quick lists’ that both my sister and I could use. So this will stay on our hall table and we can both add to it as needed.

We also needed some way to store all our collaboration ideas for our shops. I do the YouTube videos and blogging, and she prints & cuts the planner stickers I design. In this notebook we can list ideas for sticker collections, product bundles, collaboration ideas, videos to film etc.

I’m sure the use for this notebook will evolve over time but that’s what we’re planning on it using it for at the moment.

The layout is similar to my anything mini checklists so when I saw it I thought – perfect! We were using a similar system with the arc notebook (discbound planning system) but I on purposely wanted a spiral bound notebook. The reason being is that one of us would have a tendency to pull out the page we needed and forget to put it back (ok, it was mostly me :p) so this way it will keep it all in one place.

I could’ve made my own notebook but I wanted to try something different but it was so cheap – only $20USD even with all of the add on pages!

We used to use notepads and trust me when I say that system didn’t work, once that paper was torn off the pad it would end up getting lost somewhere in out apartment. One of my ‘new year’s resolutions’ this year is to try and stop using notepads as much.

Recipe Book

I got this recipe book to give to my mum for her upcoming birthday (mum if you read my blog, pretend to act surprised!). She likes planners but is more of a ’done for you’ type person. She doesn’t like having to print off her own pages (her and her printer don’t get along very well). I was going to make a DIY recipe book but wanted it sized smaller than full page size. And since I was placing an order with Plum Paper anyway I though may as well – it was only $30USD.

Related:  Creating a custom recipe book with Plum Paper

Blog Planner

I like the month at a glance pages that are specifically for blog planning. I have created similar pages in my blog planner though, so I may end up printing at Plum Paper planner size and gluing these into the notebook instead.

I love the horizontal design with the box on the right. Some ideas of how I think I might use this box are:

• Meal planning
• Most important to do/eat that frog
• Blog post to be published that day
• Social media for each day (e..g pinning to pinterest)
• Statistics tracking e.g. blog pageviews, sales and revenue for my shop
• Favorite memory/journaling
• List making
• Income & expenses/daily spending tracking

I like that there are so many options for using the horizontal and that I can split the day into 2 by drawing a line or using some thin washi tape to create 2 sections – for me that will be work and personal.

I bought the vertical because I wanted to see if stickers from the Erin Condren Vertical Life planner fit, and because I prefer lined writing space.

The columns in the Plum Paper are also open-ended (unlike the Erin Condren planner which is divided into the 3 sections of the same size), so if I need more room for one category than another, I can easily adjust it each week depending on what’s happening for my shop and my life.

Related post:  How to color-code your planner (so you’ll actually use it effectively)

Mini notebooks

I didn’t really need another notebook but they were so cute that I couldn’t resist. I got one for my mum for Christmas which she uses for patchwork quilting reference notes such as what fabric ranges, block sizes she’s used in quilts that she’s made etc. She’s now also using the Quilters Planner which I did a review of here . I may end up giving her the notebook I purchased for myself so she can use it for grocery shopping lists.

Better than the Erin Condren?

I’ll be doing a review of each of the planners and how I’m using them as the year progresses… I”ll also be doing a comparison between the Plum Paper planners and the Erin Condren but so far, the Plum Paper is willing for a couple of main reasons:

• Cheaper shipping
• Faster order processing times (I received my order weeks before my Erin Condren order arrived and I placed both orders on the same day)
• Cheaper price but same quality
• Paper in the Plum Paper planners… there’s just something about it that feels so smooth and easy to write on
• More pre-made designs you can customise the colors, patterns, frames, text style etc.

Update:  Ultimate Comparison: Erin Condren Life Planner versus Plum Paper Planners – Which planner is better? 

Some of the other Plum Paper Planners I’ve purchased <3

See this post for my 3rd Plum Paper Haul

More Plum Paper posts:

• How to print printables at Plum Paper planner size from your home printer (step by step tutorial) 
• Planner pen testing in the Erin Condren Life Planner, Plum Paper, Happy Planner by MAMBI and Limelife Planner 
• Arcing my Plum Paper Planner – everything you need to know if you’d like to try it yourself! 
• Ultimate Comparison: Erin Condren Life Planner versus Plum Paper Planners – Which planner is better? 
• Review of the Plum Paper Memory Keepers Book 
• Review of the Plum Paper Me Planner

See how I’ve planned using Plum Paper Planners:

• How (and why) I pre-plan the week using the Plum Paper horizontal lined with notes layout
• Week 3: Plum Paper Vertical Planner – Better than the Erin Condren?
• Week 12:  Planning using the Plum Paper Horizontal lined with notes
• Week 17:  Using the Plum Paper Vertical Weekly Planner
• Week 29:  Plum Paper Me Planner 
• Week 41 (part 3):  Daily planning bullet journal style (using a Plum Paper grid dot notebook)

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Home » A Review of Plum Paper Planners

October 30, 2017 By Amber 37 Comments

A Review of Plum Paper Planners

If you need a quality planner to get organized, I'm going to show you one of my favorite paper planners. The Plum Paper planner is all that I wanted it to be and more. Also, check out our video below to see more details.

For as long as I can remember, I've been obsessed with office products. Give me ALL the felt tip pens, post-it notes, and a crisp, clean paper planner. While technology has taken over in most aspects of my life, I love having a planner to keep track of everything. I recently got to try Plum Paper Planners, and I'm so excited to share them with you! I've partnered with Plum Paper to bring you this review and a chance to win your own 2017-2018 planner.

Now that I'm a mom, I literally can't keep track of anything without writing it down. For the past few years, I've been trying different planners to find one that is the perfect fit for my life, and I think I've finally done it ! Plum Paper Planners allow for so much customization that I can't imagine not having one in my life. I wanted to share some of my favorite features with you!

Plum Paper Planner

One of the best things about the Plum Paper Planner is that you can essentially create a one-of-a-kind cover. They have hundreds of designs to choose from . Whether you like neutrals, geometric, or wood patterns, the sky is the limit! I chose the Bouquet design because I'm loving all things floral lately. Once you've got your design, you can further personalize with text. With various font and color options, you can really make the planner your own.

The water-resistant, tear-proof cover has a clear protective sheet which is great when you take your planner everywhere like I do. You can also choose 7x9 or 8.5x11 dimensions. I chose a 7x9 ME Planner because I feel like it's big enough for my needs and is most relevant to my life out of the various options available (more on those later!).

Once you open the planner, you get a nice spread of the current and following years by month. I wish I could explain to you how buttery soft the paper is! It's heavenly. You can choose a colorful option or monochromatic as you're designing a planner. I, of course, love a lot of color!

The next spread is special dates, and I really appreciate having this feature in my planner. I have a hard time remembering people's birthdays and anniversaries (and our friends' kids' birthdays now!) so I write all important dates in this section. As I turn to a new month, I look back at this and add those important dates to my monthly calendar spread.

I love these goal planning pages also, and that they're so open ended. I can organize them by month, or by topic. For me, personally, these pages will become fitness goals as I am working on implementing more exercise into my life!

As we head into the monthly spreads, check out these gorgeous colors and details. I love how clean everything looks in Plum Paper Planners! Also, the colors just make me happy. You can start the ME Planners in any month, so I started mine up to finish off 2017 and go through 2018.

Plum Paper Planner Monthly Spread

Each month starts with goals, birthdays, events, and things to remember. I like having this general overview to start my month, and can add to it as the weeks go on. The notes page is great. Sometimes I use it for meal planning, but most of the time I use it to write down funny things to transfer to my kids' baby books. I always have my planner with me, so it's a great place to jot notes down.

Here's my favorite (and most used) portion of my planner. I like having a big monthly spread so I can see everything I have going on at once. Plus, I love making it colorful! I use Paper Mate felt tip pens and they don't bleed through at all.

Plum Paper Planner Weekly Spread

Following the monthly spread, the month is broken down by week. You can customize your planner to be laid out in a few different ways for this. If you like an hourly spread, that's an option. Or, if you prefer morning, afternoon, and night, you can do that too! If a horizontal layout is your thing, Plum Paper does that too. I personally like utilizing the ME planner option and customizing the rows on the left with my priorities.

As you can see, these are the seven things I find that I need to keep track of most. When you create your Plum Planner, you can change these to whatever is most important to you! I like having this breakdown of the week-it's just a more organized way of looking at all of the things I have going on.

At the end of each month, there is a bills section where you can keep track of due dates and exact amounts you paid. These pages are going to be an awesome resource for me as I budget out our electric and heating costs year by year. As you can see, I have a 'blog' tab in my planner. This is one of the add-ons available in Plum Paper planners, and there are TONS more depending on your needs.

With the blog add-on that I have, I can keep track of monthly blog tasks, post ideas, to-do lists, advertisers & sponsors, and a yearly overview with sections for all social media platforms.

Add-On Sections

Here are the options available to add into your customized planner: my home, meals, baby, wedding planning, and budgeting. On top of that, if you have a business there are add-on sections specifically for that too! Think direct sales, party planning, photography, social media, etc. Endless personalized options for your needs is really what makes Plum Paper planners stand out from competitors!

You can also choose from lifestyle add-ons (prayer, travel, fitness, gratitude), educational add-ons (my class and homeschool), notes, lists, and pages to be dispersed monthly (bill tracking, cleaning, checklist pages).

At the end of the ME planner, you've got a section for passwords and contacts. You can also choose to add stickers which I think are adorable and make things POP on my calendar pages. I chose two pages of the decorative stickers, but there are so many fun options.

The very end of the ME planner has two pockets to keep track of small items. I like to keep my pens in them, or receipts that I need to hold on to.

Overall, I'm absolutely in love with the ME Planner and I plan to continue using Plum Paper Planners for years to come! The fonts are so appealing and the quality is phenomenal.

Here's a little video I put together so you can see more of the inside of this amazing Plum Paper planner!

Disclosure: I received this Plum Paper Planner at no cost to facilitate an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.

If you're looking for more organization ideas for your home and lifestyle:

Check out our monthly budget worksheet

Reader Interactions

Lauralee Hensley says

October 30, 2017 at 6:13 am

I think I like best their Large Verticle 2-Hourly Layout 8.5" x 11" weekly Spread Days. Divided Hourly from 7am -9pm. It would really keep a body organized as to where they were suppose to be at a certain time, whether going somewhere physically, online, or whether needing to do a project, make a phone call etc... Of course with a daily planner like this you can always put family birthdays in as well.

October 30, 2017 at 8:22 am

I like the Large ME Planner.

barbara brown says

October 30, 2017 at 8:31 am

I like the planner

Angela P says

October 30, 2017 at 8:56 am

I love their planners, stickers and adds on, notepads are awesome too

Amber Ludwig says

October 30, 2017 at 10:37 am

I love that they have interchangeable covers!! How fun!! I have design ADD so something I could change around makes me super happy!

Jacqueline Diaz says

October 30, 2017 at 2:49 pm

I love all their planners especially the blog extension no other planners seem to have it.

Robyn Embe says

October 30, 2017 at 3:06 pm

I like the 8 1/2 x 11 Large Horizontal Planner.

melanie huttner says

October 30, 2017 at 4:48 pm

I really love their large planner in the print cotton blossom!

denise says

October 30, 2017 at 6:35 pm

https://www.plumpaper.com/shop/group/8-1-2-x-11-planners

Linda Madden says

October 30, 2017 at 8:09 pm

I like the Spiral Notebooks. My granddaughter wants to start a journal so I think she would love this!

Randi S. says

October 30, 2017 at 11:42 pm

In addition to the planner itself, I LOVE the My Home Section of the planner. It's something that's missing from most planners today, so I appreciate that they have that option.

HilLesha says

November 01, 2017 at 9:09 am

I love the Large Me Planner.

Jeffrey says

November 01, 2017 at 10:30 pm

8 1/2 X 11 PLANNERS is a great looking item.

Diane Ricahrds says

November 02, 2017 at 9:44 am

BOUQUET PATTERN - LARGE MONTHLY looks awesome!

Karen Propes says

November 02, 2017 at 12:42 pm

I love their 7"x9" planner. I love how you can design it how you want, I have so many different items to keep up with throughout the day that would really make my life so much easier. Between doctor appointments, quilting, reviews and teaching craft classes, it all goes together at the end of the week. I love how you can keep everything noted and not have to search through a bunch of notebooks to find one thing you didn't finish. Their planners are beautiful, like a personal assistant right at your fingertips.

MC Kershaw says

November 02, 2017 at 8:26 pm

I think the personalization of the 7X9 planner is brilliant! We are buying a new home and I hope to use my planner to keep projects, contractors and expenses in check!

Jan Lee says

November 02, 2017 at 10:13 pm

I like their WEEKLY NOTEPAD 🙂 I think the weekly notepad is something I could carry in my purse to take with me to make take notes and keep appointments in for a daily basis 🙂

Vivian says

November 02, 2017 at 10:25 pm

Boutique large planner

Nicole H says

November 03, 2017 at 7:32 pm

I love the large ME Planner. There's so much I could do with it.

Danielle Phillips says

November 04, 2017 at 12:19 am

Oh my goodness! It's so hard just to pick one of their products as my favorite! I love the planners and they would be ideal for a mom like me who is doing so many things at once like being a mom, a wife, blogger, student, and working part time! I also love the notebooks!

November 04, 2017 at 3:21 pm

Large ME Planner.

November 04, 2017 at 7:17 pm

I would love to get the Large Monthly Planner in Boardwalk Stripe. I need a planner in my life. 🙂

Stacy Renee says

November 05, 2017 at 12:34 pm

I like the 8x11 planners because they have more space for detailed tasks and to-do lists!

Melissa Jones says

November 05, 2017 at 11:17 pm

I love the spiral notebooks.

Katie Bellamy says

November 06, 2017 at 8:12 pm

I like the Lily pattern the best!

mami2jcn says

November 07, 2017 at 7:18 am

I love the lily pattern ready to ship planner.

Brandy King says

November 08, 2017 at 4:36 pm

I love this cover design the most! I need a ME planner, and a notebook with graph pages!

Daisy Navarrete says

November 08, 2017 at 5:17 pm

I love their large monthly planners. As a mom to a 19 month old little girl, I need something to keep track of all of her appointments, and events she attends. And with her dad and I having opposite work schedules, I need a good planner to make sure we don't get our schedules wrong, and make sure we have a babysitter for her.

VALERIE GUERRERO says

November 11, 2017 at 3:30 pm

LARGE ME PLANNER

Melissa Storms says

November 11, 2017 at 9:25 pm

I really like the LARGE ME PLANNER. I have tried doing all of my planning digitally but there is nothing like pen and paper.

cheryl s says

November 12, 2017 at 1:02 pm

the large ME planner would be perfect for keeping work meetings organized

chrissy c says

November 12, 2017 at 7:18 pm

I love the 2018 Ready to Ship 8.5 x 11" Planners .

CHRISTY SWEENEY says

November 13, 2017 at 2:55 pm

i really like the LARGE ME PLANNER!

Lindsey T says

November 13, 2017 at 4:48 pm

A record keeper book is just the thing I need,plus that it's within my budget.

Shelley B says

November 20, 2017 at 9:22 pm

I love the style and look of this planner! I love that is has plenty of room for notes, etc. I also love office products! Staying organized makes me happy and this planner would definitely help me do that!

ellen beck says

February 06, 2018 at 11:37 pm

Such a pretty planner. I write everything down sometimes more than once! I like how it has different sections and is divided . It would make life more organized.

February 06, 2018 at 11:38 pm

sry if a double, trying to get link.

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Charmingly Modern

Knitwear for the Heart and Home

January 8, 2014 By Amanda 2 Comments

Plum Paper Planner Review

Every year, it seem I ask myself the same question: What planner should I use?!

I spend weeks (sometimes even months) trying to find my answer. And even when I think I’ve found it, I usually spend the better part of the first year refining my planner. It’s okay, you can laugh at me. I realize this is not normal, haha.

In the past, I’ve made moleskine notebook planners (see my 2012 planner , and my 2013 one too ). I’ve also tried Erin Condren’s life planners and, while I wasn’t as big of a fan of the daily layout, they’re still nice planners.

For most of 2013, I ended up putting my moleskine aside – after all that work!!! – in favor of a Plum Paper Family Planner . I got it mid-year, so it ran 2013-2014.

One of my friends introduced me to Plum Paper Designs back in the spring and as soon as I saw the family planner and that you could customize the tabs I knew I had to have one. It seemed like the perfect solution for keeping every thing I organize in my moleskine notebook together on one weekly page.

With the family planner, you can specify six sections. I went with – personal, family, study, shop, blog, budget and meals.

Since I bought the planner in July, it runs July 2013-June 2014. So, I technically have a planner until mid-2014 but… you know me… I may not be able to stick with the planner for that long.

But I do really enjoy it!

The months are setup pretty simply. There are sections on the left side of the page for birthdays and events. I usually don’t use those for what they’re labeled for, because I put birthdays and events in the box for whatever particular day they are happening. So, instead, those sections contain goals or a main idea/word I’m focusing on for that month. There’s also a notes box which I use for…….. notes!

The month above – December 2013 – is  crazy looking, I know. I was still working on my color coding that I wanted (you can see what I settled on in the weekly view picture above) plus the highlighter was to mark out when we were moving out of our first house and closing on the sale of that house, too. That was a crazy time.

So, with all that said, what are my favorite features of the Plum Paper Planner? Well, I’m glad you asked. They are (in no particular order):

• The paper. Oh my goodness, the paper! It’s a decent thickness, and is  so smooth. There is minimal shadowing with pens and highlighters. For a coil-bound planner, I find this impressive because many coiled planners tend to have thin paper to accommodate for, well, the coil.
• Speaking of the coil, it’s nice and thick. I like that it’s a double coil. No bending, and no snagging.
• The boxes for the monthly layout are nice and big.
• I like that there are lines on the weekly spread. I tend to write slanted when there are no lines.
• The tabs are laminated.
• The option for customization on the family planner. The options are endless here, folks.

Things that are not my favorite about the Plum Paper Planner –

• The cover page is just thick cardstock. There is a plastic transparent cover over it, but even so. I think a laminated cover, like what the Erin Condren Life Planner offers, would be nice.
• Color schemes. This is entirely a personal preference thing, but I’ve come to realize that color schemes are not for me. I prefer a black and white planner. But a lot of people are the total opposite, and having color schemes for each month will not bother them.

I think for the price point, the two things that I don’t particularly enjoy about the Plum Paper Planner can be easily overlooked. You can’t argue with the fact that it’s an affordable planner, especially when you consider all the features that are packed inside.

Have you ever tried Plum Paper? If so, what did you think? Thanks for reading 🙂

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[…] had the tab open for a few days after I shared my 2014 planner and was finally ready to commit, and when I refreshed the page the planners were totally sold out. […]

[…] 2013 Moleskine Planner 2013-2014 Plum Paper Planner […]

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