Since one of my goals for the year is to be more organized, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a semi-personalized, high-quality planner. Although I think the Erin Condren Life Planner is beautiful and insanely functional, it was a bit out of my budget.

Luckily I discovered Plum Paper—whose regular planners start out at $31. I chose to add monthly bill tracking pages ($2), blog planning section ($4.50), and 2 pages of stickers ($3). With a 10% discount code I found online, my planner totaled $36.45 (not including shipping).

Ordering was a breeze, and they have a wonderful selection of covers to choose from. You can add your name or a photo to the cover, but I liked the simplicity of my monogram.

My planner took about 3 weeks to deliver (which is what they advertised), and it was wrapped securely and packaged in a sturdy cardboard box.

Now that I’ve started using the planner, here are my thoughts.

It’s sturdy

Apparently the cover is made with a new (to Plum Paper) material advertised as “tear-proof.” Well, they aren’t lying. My package included a tiny sample of the material, and Mark and I both tried tearing it to no avail.

I was also impressed with the coil. I’d read some older complaints about the coil’s quality, but I believe Plum Paper has upgraded in the last couple years.

It’s pretty

I waivered on whether I should’ve chosen a more muted cover, but once I saw the design in person, I loved it! The colors are not too bright like I’d feared. Each month has a different colored tab and ink which is fun.

It’s functional

Although there are 4 weekly layouts, I chose the basic lines for my pages. I like how the planner begins each month with an overview or “highlight” page. You can include your monthly goals, birthdays, and important events/notes on one page.

Following that page, there’s a notes page, a full calendar, and weekly pages which are perfectly functional.

In hindsight, I probably wouldn’t have ordered the bill tracking pages since each month already includes some basic lined notes pages.

As for the blogging section, I’m really glad I purchased it.

There are 12 monthly overview pages (with “websites & inspiration,” “blog to do,” “post ideas,” and “final post schedule”). Because I’m very visual, I prefer writing my post schedule on an actual calendar, but I still find these pages helpful.

Behind the monthly pages there are sections for income & expenses, post ideas, advertising & sponsors, giveaways & reviews, passwords, and notes.

Since my blog isn’t monetized (yet) and I do few giveaways or reviews, some of these pages are all but useless to me. Still, it’s a great way to keep track of deadlines, expenses, etc. if you’re a more established blogger.

I really have no complaints! Sure, other planners on the market use slightly higher quality paper, are more colorful, and feature more designs/quotes, but I think Plum Paper is a great value for the price.

It’s a little heavy and bulky, but that’s to be expected with this type of planner. I do wish it came with an elastic band for book-marking or holding the planner closed, but I could easily attach one myself.

If you aren’t quite ready to spend $60 on a planner, Plum Paper is a fantastic choice! Students, parents, and teachers—be sure to check out their more customized selections.

Looking for an affordable #planner? Check out my detailed #review of @plum_paper! Share on X

**I purchased my Plum Paper Planner with my own money. I was not compensated for this blog post, and as always, all opinions are my own.**