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My Favorite Planner EVER! {A Plum Paper Review}

November 6, 2017 By Lisa Mullen 6 Comments

I’ve tried a lot of planners over the years, but my Plum Paper planner is my all-time favorite. In this post I will tell you all about why I love it so much and why I recommend it to everyone I know. 

My Favorite Planner Ever- Plum Paper Review
**Links in this post may be affiliate links. This means that if you click that link and purchase the product, I may receive a small compensation. I am, however, committed to honestly assessing the products mentioned. Please read my disclosure policy for more details. **

I am a total planner junkie. I have loved planners ever since they started making us use them in the sixth grade. Possibly even before then. I am a scatterbrain by nature, so I absolutely NEED a good planning system to keep my life in order and my head on straight.

As I mentioned in my post 8 Ways I Rock My Schedule (And Get More Done!), I use a combination of digital and paper planning. There is just no way that either one could be everything I need it to be. So I do both.

For my paper planner, I have tried mannnny different planners. Simple ones, cheap ones, complicated ones, specific ones, generic ones … I’ve tried a lot of planners. And there has always been something that’s not quite right about them.

Until now.



Last year, I was elated to find that I had FINALLY found my dream planner. No other planner I’ve tried holds a candle to this planner. 

That planner is my Plum Paper planner.

I know moms are always on the hunt for a great new planner that will organize the 100 different areas of their lives. And I’m confident that Plum Paper will do that for you!

**Full disclosure: Plum Paper graciously offered me 20% off the purchase of my planner for my review. I was already set to purchase this planner at full price, so that was simply icing on the cake! It had no bearing on my opinions or my review whatsoever. **

**Update: I originally wrote this in 2017. I have now ordered FOUR planners (plus several other PP products), and I love them more than ever!

About Plum Paper

Plum Paper is a stationery company out of San Diego. They started out making notecards and invitations, but quickly began to focus on planners as their line of planners and notebooks became their most popular products.

Each of their products is handmade from start to finish, and it is obvious that the people behind the company care about their customers. The thought and planning (*wink*) that goes into the design and layouts is amazing, and they are definitely made with their customers’ needs in mind.

As you will soon see, there is hardly a planning stone they have left unturned as they have crafted their wide line of products, and the possibilities with these planners are nearly endless.

**Update: Some of the specifics below may not reflect current offerings, as they are  constantly changing and expanding their selection to meet their customers’ needs. I encourage you to visit plumpaper.com to see what’s new!

Pros

Extremely Versatile

The #1 pro to these planners is the many, MANY different add-ons. The basic planner has several different layouts to choose from, which is a plus in and of itself. But then the add-ons — oh my! There is literally something for everyone.

There are two kinds of add-ons: section add-ons and page add-ons.

Section Add-ons:

  • Meal section
  • Blog section
  • Budget section
  • Fitness section
  • Baby section
  • Teacher/Class section
  • Direct Sales section
  • Wedding Planning section
  • Homeschool section
  • Brainstorm section
  • Travel section
  • Social Media section
  • Photography section

Page Add-ons:

  • Gratitude pages
  • Notes pages
  • To-Do List pages
  • Checklist pages
  • Contact pages
  • Student Contact pages
  • Party Planning sections
  • Parent Communication pages
  • Behavior Log pages
  • Bill Tracking pages
  • Cleaning pages
  • Correspondence pages
  • Meetings pages
  • Mileage Tracker pages
  • Prayer pages

Different Layouts

The 7 x 9 planners have 11 different layouts. You can choose between monthly and weekly, horizontal or vertical, hourly or sectional, and more. There is even a specific fitness planner, student planner, teacher planner, and homeschool teacher planner.

Layouts screen shot



Starts on Any Month

This is another feature that sets it apart from a lot of other planners. Most planners are either 12 month or 18 month, which makes it frustrating when you need to switch to another planner. You either end up wasting a good chunk of your planner or not being able to switch when you want.

Durable

Plum Paper planners come with a tear-proof, water-resistant cover that holds up and is easy to clean. I carry mine around in my purse all the time, and it’s still in great condition. 

Affordable

I wanted a cute, customizable planner, but I didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg to get it. The 7 x 9 Plum Paper planners start at $32. Extra months and add-ons do add to the cost, so depending on what you get, you could end up spending as much as you would on an Erin Condren planner. But the basic planner is much more affordable.

Customizable

Oh, the options for customization!! This is my second favorite feature about these planners, and one of the deciding factors that made me a repeat customer. Not only is my planner super functional, but it is beautiful and unique!

There are about a hundred different cover designs to choose from (not an exact number — I didn’t actually count them — but there’s a lot!), and for an additional fee, you can now get them as interchangeable covers.

But my favorite thing about the covers is the personalization. There are several different shape, script, and color options, and you can get your initials or name and a line or two of writing.

**Update: Here is my current planner:

2020 Plum Paper planner

One final customizing option I wanted to mention is that you can also have your planner sent unbound and unpunched if you want to punch and bind it yourself with rings. This might be a good option if you think you may want to add or remove pages later.


Cons

Overall, I can’t think of any glaring cons. The only reason I can think that you wouldn’t want a Plum Paper planner is if you’re looking for a very specific layout or planning feature. But between all the different layouts and add-ons, these planners would fit almost any need.

But every review needs some cons, so here are a few minor drawbacks:

Price

Although more affordable than a lot of other planners I’ve looked at, and an awesome value for what you get, it is still more expensive than other, albeit simpler, options.

Add-ons placement

I don’t like that the pages add-ons automatically get added to the end of the month. I wish there was an option to have them added to the beginning. I added a page of to-do lists to my 2018 planner, and I really wish they were at the beginning of the month.


My Layout/Add-ons

To give you an idea of what you can do with a Plum Paper planner, I want to briefly show you my personal planner choices.

2016/2017

When I picked out my 2016/2017 planner, I opted for the hourly layout because I love time-blocking. And I liked it. But I really only need to time-block on my days at home (Tuesdays and Thursdays), and even then, a lot of days are fairly routine. So I didn’t end up using the hourly layout as often as I thought I would.

Time blocking layout

My 2020 Planner

Starting in 2018, I decided to try the customizable section layout. I’ve done that for three years now, and I think I’m going to stick with it. It works great for planning the various areas of my life!

2020 Plum Paper layout

This year, I also added the Blog section add-on as well as the Reflection and Habit Tracker page add-ons.

Plum Paper planner Habit Tracker

Plum Paper planner Reflection


I’ve had a lot of planners over the years, but none of them hold a candle to my Plum Paper planner. The array of layouts and add-ons is incredible, and the covers and personalization options totally put the “fun” in functional.

Take a closer look and see everything Plum Paper has to offer. If you like what you see and want one for yourself, send me an email and I will send you a coupon for 10% off your next order!*

**Offer applies to new account sign-ups ONLY through the referral link I will send.


 

You Might Also Enjoy:

  • How I Plan My Week (to Get Stuff Done!)
  • The Best Goal-Setting Planner I’ve Ever Used {A Clever Fox Planner Review}
  • How I’m Accomplishing More (By Doing Less)
  • How I Made Over My Evenings (and Restored Balance to My Life)

My Favorite Paper Planner - Plum Paper Planner Review

(Visited 12,815 times, 4 visits today)

Filed Under: Family, For the Home Tagged With: Planners, Planning & scheduling, Plum Paper

Comments

  1. Jessica says

    November 10, 2017 at 11:30 am

    Have you had any trouble with your pages tearing? My 2017 Plum Paper Planner has several months where the calendar has torn loose from the coil. I feel like the hole punches are too close to the edge, and since I often flip the monthly page over multiple times in a day, they end up tearing. This is the only issue I have had with my PPP, but I am seriously considering other brands for 2018 (and I’m so close to needing to order) just because of this one issue. Other than that, I love my PPP. I am hoping this was just a fluke with my 2017 planner.

    Reply
    • Lisa Mullen says

      November 10, 2017 at 11:41 am

      Oh dear! No, I haven’t had that issue at all. But maybe I don’t flip mine back and forth as much as you do. I clip my monthly spread to my current week’s spread to make it easier to flip back and forth. That might help with the tearing.
      They may have fixed that issue with next year’s planners. I’ll take a look at my 2018 planner and let you know.
      Otherwise, I have contacted the company a few times during the course of working on this review, and they have been super nice and helpful. You might try contacting them about this issue and see what they say. At the very least, I’m sure they would appreciate knowing about any issues or concerns. I know I would if I was making and selling a product! ?
      Thanks for sharing your thought and experience!

      Reply
  2. Lauren H says

    December 22, 2019 at 4:59 pm

    Have you used Erin Condren extra snap in accessories with this PP planner? I own a lot of EC extras but they changed the hourly layout and it no longer works for me. I’m going to try PP instead but wondering if I’ll be able to use all the accessories I already own.

    Reply
    • Lisa Mullen says

      December 30, 2019 at 10:50 am

      I have not used Erin Condren accessories, so I could not tell you for sure. I hope so, for your sake! 🙂 Let me know if you try it!

      Reply
  3. Aye says

    January 14, 2021 at 1:39 pm

    What is the best pen for it? I just got mine and it seems ghosting is a thing.

    Reply
    • Lisa Mullen says

      January 14, 2021 at 8:39 pm

      I use the Paper Mate Flair pens, and love them! But regular ball point pens have always worked for me, as well.

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Lisa! I am first and foremost a child of God, and secondly a wife and mother of two precious little misters and one sweet little missy.

I'm here to encourage, inspire, and offer practical help for moms to empower them be the joyful, peaceful, and intentional mom they want to be!

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