Starting a blog can seem overwhelming and complicated. And if you’re feeling that way, don’t worry! I’m here to help!
Being an advocate for saving money, I wanted to start my blog on a budget. I didn’t want to spend a bunch of money on this hobby. But there were things I spent money on that were so helpful in growing my site. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on starting a blog, but here are the two things I would recommend spending money on when starting a blog.
1. Web Hosting
When I first decided to start a blog, I started with the free WordPress site (because-spoiler alert-I like to save money). So the domain of my site was thebudgetingwife.wordpress.com. And I didn’t own my site! There weren’t many options of themes, and I couldn’t monetize my blog because I had the free WordPress site.
Looking back, from the beginning I wish I would have just paid for hosting for my site. That is my biggest regret in blogging. It took me a long time between starting a blog and actually taking it seriously. And if I would have done anything differently, it would have been to sign up for hosting from the beginning.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to start a blog and the hosting that goes along with that, check out my post on How To Start A Blog. That is where I show you step by step how to start your blog with Bluehost’s hosting with the WordPress add on! It’s super easy.
Here’s what’s awesome about Bluehost. It is so affordable at only $3.95 per month. That’s like the cost of one cup of coffee! And to do something you love for such a low price is an amazing deal. With that, you get a free domain so that your site title is exactly what you want it to be. No “.wordpress” to add to your domain which makes your site look so much more professional.
You can make money from your blog when you own your site and have the hosting! Which is always an extra bonus when you can make money doing what you love!
The other thing I love about Bluehost is getting to use the free WordPress add on! WordPress is professional and easy to use, so Bluehost provides me with the best of both worlds.
2. Blogging Education
Blogging can be confusing if you’re just getting into it… How to write a good post… How to utilize Pinterest… And how to make money from blogging… And I’m sure you have a ton more questions!
The good news is that there are so many resources available to help you answer these questions. You can find some answers to your questions by searching on Google, Pinterest and even YouTube. Finding answers by doing free research is possible and will get you started. But paying to take some classes is so valuable as well.
Courses that you will pay for to help grow your blogging business is an investment. It’s an investment in you and your site. And it’s usually well worth it!
In October, I took the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course and it was amazing. I was wanting to learn how to make money off my blog, and this course showed be exactly how to do that with affiliate marketing. Michelle from makingsenseofcents.com teaches the course and she’s amazing! She earns over $100,000 a month from her blog, and in the course, she shows you exactly how she makes about half of that from affiliate marketing alone!
If you’re wanting to learn how to make money blogging, I definitely would recommend signing up for this class. It’s not free, but I’ll say that I made more in my first month after taking this class than the cost of the course itself. You also have lifetime access so you get to go back and refresh yourself once you’ve already gone through it. You can check out more of my review on the course here.
There are so many courses out there that will teach you so much about blogging. My tip would be to sign up for a course that you know the teacher is a master at what they’re teaching about. Take a Pinterest class from someone who has made it big on Pinterest themselves.
Just like Michelle from the Making Sense Of Affiliate Marketing class who makes over $50,000 a month in affiliate income! Paying to learn from the best is an investment that is sure to pay off with your blog.
Spend a Little
If you’re like me, then it’s hard for you to spend money! But there are some things that are worth spending money on when it comes to blogging. Starting out with hosting your domain with Bluehost and taking the affiliate marketing class are a couple expenses that are totally worth it when starting your blog! Fun fact, these are the only two expenses I have had for my blog so far and I have made much more in the last 6 months than what I spent on these start up costs!
So spend a little to learn and enjoy blogging even more. And happy blogging!