Meet Yellow Dog Press

I am an organization junkie. I still can remember being in Elementary school at the start of each academic year. Usually, our teachers would come in during those early September days with a box of planners. For some students, this was a terrifying moment: with planners came homework and with homework, the true end of summer fun. For me, it was one of the best parts of the school year: a book full of fresh pages just waiting to be filled with upcoming events (and, yes, homework).

I may not be in school anymore, but I still carry a planner—yes, a paper planner. While I absolutely love my iPhone and rarely can be found without it, there is something about writing plans down, being able to easily view them all at one time, and being able to check things off a printed to-do-list that I love. As I prepared to start my first full time job, I started researching planners. A big love among bloggers online was the Erin Condren Life Planner. After a few weeks of wavering back and forth on making a purchase (they’re pretty expensive!) I bit the bullet and ordered one. However, I still continued to read online reviews of Life Planners. That is how I came across Yellow Dog Press.

 Isn't the name "Yellow Dog Press" adorable? I might be biased since I have my own "yellow dog!"

Becka, the owner and designer of Yellow Dog Press paper goods, once used a Life Planner and had written a review of her experience with one. However, linked at the top of her post was a “Coming Soon!” notice—she was planning on launching her own planner: Something to Due (how cute is that name?!). I was intrigued, and with her launch just a few days away, I tuned in, following her on facebook and twitter. Last week, her Something to Due Planner launched, and she hosted a fabulous giveaway. Sadly, I didn’t win…but my mother did! I was so happy when my mom offered to let me pick a few planner pages from the Yellow Dog Press Etsy Shop. I selected the Blog Calendar and Blog Planner-Blog Section, Pet Sitter Notes, and Packing List. My mom chose the actual Month and Week planning pages, the Bill Tracker, Grocery Shopping List, and Christmas Gift Planning List. All of these sections totaled to just $29, and my mom’s giveaway prize included a $25 gift card. Thanks, Becka!

Today, I’m featuring a very quick review of the “Keep it Together: Time to Get Away” packing list. As my mom and I use the different sections, I’ll continue to share our experiences here.

I’m going to a wedding next week, and while it is a short trip, I don’t want to leave anything important behind (after all, it is two hours away!). I used the list to organize everything that I’ll need for my one night stay. Here is what it looks like!

Now, Becka's designs all are BEAUTIFULLY colored--I just happened to print this out on a black & white printer. In the process of doing so, I realized that if you wanted, you could even color a b&w page in yourself! So you can use the preset, gorgeous brights, or come up with a combination of your own!

I absolutely loved the categorized sections—it was easy to think through everything that I need to remember to pack. I was particularly impressed with the ‘Travel Outfit’ section. I’ll be driving to the wedding straight from work, and this reminded me that I should pack an outfit to change into before I hit the road. I work in a business casual environment, but yoga pants are far more comfortable to drive two hours in than business pants! I didn’t find that I needed any additional categories of items to pack.

If you’re going on a long trip, you might find that you need to write smaller in the ‘Clothes’ category. However, the other areas should be more than sufficient for a two day to two week journey—after all; you use the same toiletries on a regular basis.

Overall, I’m really happy with the packing list, and will definitely be using it again come November, when I pack for my first business trip. 

How do you like to keep organized? Let me know by leaving a comment below. Plus, be sure to check out the Yellow Dog Press Etsy Shop and follow on facebook!

Love,
Sarah

Disclaimer: My mother won a contest sponsored by Yellow Dog Press, and we received the products mentioned above for free (with the exception of $4 extra we paid to purchase more planner sheets). However, this post is not sponsored nor was it solicited—I was so excited to try out these products that I volunteered to write a post about them! I’m not being compensated, and all opinions are my own. I love organization, and am happy to support a new small business.