the frugal millionaire - Page 3 of 26 -

3 Biggest Blogging Struggles

Whether you are just starting your blog or have been blogging for a decade, blogging struggles will exist. Your struggles will change over the years as your blog develops, but don’t expect blogging to eventually be easy, perfect and smooth. Blogging is constantly changing, as is your life, so expect to come across various challenges throughout your journey.

Right now, my biggest blogging struggles are staying motivated and coming up with topic ideas, both of which I’ll hit on below.

I hope this provides some encouragement to you in your blogging journey.

What I Learned in Three Years of Blogging

Happy September!! I’m excited to share what I learned blogging these past three years!

It’s officially (almost) my favorite season: Fall. September is a very special month for me. It’s when my middle daughter was born (she’s turning four this year!), it’s when we moved to Charlotte (we actually moved at the very end of August but the fall season is what I relate our move to), and it’s when I started my blog!

I started my blog exactly three years ago this month. One of my very first posts is on how to move across the country on a budget. You can see it here 🙂 The first thing I notice is that my images have (thankfully) come a longggg way. Graphic design is definitely not one of my talents, but I guess after three years of making images I’ve learned a thing or two, haha.

This journey has been so crazy but also so fun. Here’s how I got started blogging and what I learned in three years of blogging!

15 Ways to Save Money in Everyday Life

I don’t budget. Instead, I am acutely aware of my spending every single day. Whether I’m grocery shopping, out with my family or hanging out at home, I try my best to make choices that will save money. And by doing that every single day, you absolutely will see your bank account grow. Here are 15 ways to save money in everyday life.

How To Make Money This Holiday Season

This time of year is my favorite. I don’t want to miss out on Pumpkin Spice Lattes and fall festivals because I’m on a budget. Instead, I want to enjoy everything that encompasses the holiday season. And yes, that means spending some money. Here is how to make extra money this holiday season.

Instead of providing the normal “How to save money this Christmas”-style post, I wanted to do something different. I want to show you how you can make money this holiday season so you have a bit more wiggle room in your budget.

3 Ways We Paid Off All of Our Debt

Ready to learn how to pay off debt?

I’m 32 years old and my husband is 35 – and I’m happy to say that outside of our mortgage, we are debt-free. This was not always the case, though. Today, I’m sharing our story of how we paid off all of our debt (car loans, student loans and credit cards) in two years and how you can do the same!

Our Debt

When my husband and I first started dating almost 10 years ago, we both had a good chunk of debt to our names. Let’s look at the numbers:

My Car Loan: $15,000
Husband Student Loans: $16,000
My Credit Card Debt: $1,500
Husband Credit Card Debt: $5,000

We paid all of this off in less than two years ($37,500 total). During this time, I gave birth to our first daughter and quit my job. My husband was running a handyman business. Things were tight, but we were determined to start our marriage and family off debt-free.

How to Pay Off Debt

When my husband and I got married, we decided to get very serious about paying off every single item of debt to our name. This is exactly what we did (during this time, we were newly married and had just found out I was pregnant!).

These are the exact steps we took to pay off our debt:

Moved to a smaller apartment

Our current apartment was $1150/month for a one-bedroom. To help with our debt pay-off goals, we moved into a smaller one-bedroom for $750/month. With a smaller apartment also came cheaper utilities.

Downsizing is not ideal, I totally get that. But if you’re in debt it’s a small sacrifice to make. Home expenses can eat up so much of your income. And, honestly, part of me misses the simplicity of our small-living days!

Lived off of one income

I was making $45,000 per year at my full-time job and my husband was self-employed. We tried to the best of our ability to live strictly off of his income. Within nine months, we saved $17,000 to put toward our first home and had paid off all of our credit card debt and a good chunk of our student loans and car loan.

I’ll totally admit we used my income for extra food and other random items we probably didn’t need (remember, I was pregnant during this time). I really think paying off debt should involve sacrifice but you shouldn’t be miserable. We sacrificed by switching apartments and doing the best that we could with our variable expenses. We weren’t perfect, but paying off debt is a journey – not a race.

Started side hustling

This was key for us in paying off our debt!!! Once we bought our home and had our first baby, I was no longer working. We were living strictly off of my husband’s self-employment income which, at the time, wasn’t much. We definitely had to make a few transfers from savings to get by.

This is when I decided to start freelance writing. Within four months, I was making $1,000 and a few months after that I was consistently making $2,000+ per month.

If you’re interested in freelance writing, check out this post >>

This money supplemented my husband’s income and completed our debt pay-off journey! If I can do this, so you can you!!!

To this day, I am still hustling away. Side hustles are amazing and life-changing. I highly recommend everyone find something they love to bring in extra money. You can use the money you make from your side hustle to:

Pay off debt
Save and invest
Travel
Spend more freely, and more

Side Hustle Ideas: What I Do Now

I was a freelance writer for four years before stopping. If you need money now and can write, I really think you should give this a shot.

My side hustle right now is blogging. Actually, this blog allowed me to quit my full-time job a few months ago because my blog income basically replaced my job income. Crazy!!

So, I now am a SAHM to my three little girls (added two more since paying off our debt!) and I blog when I have the time. We still live off of my husband’s income and use the blog money for savings.

You can read my latest blog income report here >>

If you’re interested in starting a blog, I encourage you to go for it. I started this blog in September 2014 and quit my job after 2 1/2 years. I probably poured 10 hours or less per week into my blog for the first year, and then slowly reduced my time. I now spend about 2-3 hours per week on my blog and am still making over $3,000 a month! That’s the power of passive income!

Get your FREE guide on how to start a profitable blog here >>

Bluehost is offering a discount to my readers: You can start your blog for just $2.95 a month and that includes a FREE domain name. Check to see if your domain name idea is available here:

If blogging isn’t your thing, check out these five ways to make an extra $500 per month.

But really, anyone can have a side hustle! You just have to find something you love to do, make time for it and go for it! Blogging takes time to start making money, but I promise you if you stick with it, you WILL make money.

Are you trying to pay off debt right now? How do you make extra money on the side?

How to Create an eBook that Sells

Have an idea for an eBook and looking to make some passive income? Here’s how to create an eBook the easy way, market it effectively and make money.

I wrote my first eBook early last year and still make sales every single week. It’s a short, 34-page guide on blogging for beginners. It only sells for $12, but each sale adds up and it’s a nice form of passive income.

While I’m by no means an expert on creating eBooks, I do know the steps to create one. And, it’s really a lot easier than it seems. If you have an idea for an eBook but feel overwhelmed by the process, keep reading as I’m here to simplify this for you.

Summer Blog Slump: What Bloggers Can Do in the Summer

The summer blog slump is real guys. My traffic and income have been wayyyy down (you’ll see this reflected in August and September’s income reports), but I’m not worried. I’ve been spending my days with my kids, at the pool and on vacation, just as all of my readers have. But, that doesn’t mean I’ve completely stepped away from blogging. I may not be posting as often, but I’m still hard at work behind the scenes when I have time.

Here are 10 things bloggers can do in the summer to prepare for busier times ahead.

The Best Affiliate Program for Bloggers

Hi everyone!!

I wanted to share what I think is the best affiliate program for bloggers: Ultimate Bundles. I’ve been an affiliate for them for a few months now and have made a few hundred dollars in literally 30 minutes max. I love the company and am happy to spread the word and see others’ succeed as an affiliate!

What Is Ultimate Bundles?

Ultimate Bundles is a package of books, courses, webinars and more discounted for a super low price (think thousands of dollars worth of products for less than $100!). Bundles are released throughout the year for a limited time only and they’re always on a specific topic, such as blogging, parenting, homemaking, fitness, healthy eating, essential oils, and more.

No matter what niche you blog about, there’s an Ultimate Bundle that will fit in with your audience!

Join Ultimate Bundles Affiliate Program Now! >>

How Much Money Can You Make as an Affiliate?

As an affiliate, you’ll make 40% of each sale. The last bundle I promoted sold for $97, so 40% is a decent chunk of change! Others are less expensive, but each sale adds up! Plus, it’s super easy being an affiliate for Ultimate Bundles because…

They do all the work for you.

What does that mean? Once you sign up as an affiliate, you’ll have access to their affiliate portal which is full of promotional banners, images, links and… Sales copy (written by professional marketers). So, you don’t even have to write out the sales copy if you don’t want to! You can simply copy and paste what they wrote and send that to your entire email list or put it in a blog post! Seriously you guys, it’s so easy!

I usually read what the pros wrote and edit/change it to my style of writing. This takes about 1/3 of the time that it takes me to write a blog post or send an email on my own.

To see a list of the upcoming bundles, click here!!

And for more ways to make money blogging, view my six steps to profitable blogging!

Other good affiliate programs for new bloggers to join include:

And, if you need help with increasing your affiliate income, I highly recommend Michelle Schroeder-Gardner’s course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. I just purchased it and am loving it!! It’s the type of course that will make you your money back ten-fold, too!! I cannot wait to start applying her strategies!

What do you think is the best affiliate program for bloggers? Are you signed up with Ultimate Bundles? What has been your experience? Share in the comments!

P.S. If you haven’t started a blog yet, you can do so here for a huge discount! Blogging has been such a blessing to my family. I encourage you to take the leap; as you can see from above, there are so many ways to make money! Ultimate Bundles is just one of them 🙂

June Income Report: How My Online Income Has Evolved

Hi everyone!

Welcome to this month’s online income report, where I share exactly how much money I’m making online and how I’m doing it. This month, I’m not only sharing my June income report, but I’m also sharing a look back at my online income over the years. Hopefully, this will encourage you in your own blogging journey!

Blogging is not a way to make money fast or immediately, but it’s definitely a way to create a passive form of income for yourself after many years of work. Right now, my blog is sort of in “maintenance mode” but I’m still making $3,000+ per month. What is maintenance mode, you ask? Well, that’s where I’m still sharing posts on social media, sending out 2-3 newsletters per month (sign up here!), and writing 2-3 blog posts per month. So yes, I’m still working, and my income isn’t completely passive. But to be making $3K a month for maybe 10 hours of work total is a huge win in my book!

Once my kids go back to school in September (granted, I’ll still have my baby with me!), I plan on entering a more “active” stage with my blog. Active blogging (for me) is posting at least once a week, having specific strategies and goals in mind each month, creating new products, promoting and updating old products, joining more affiliate programs, and more. Hopefully, I’ll see my income increase even more by doing these things!

If you are on the fence about starting a blog, I highly encourage you to just go for it! Don’t overthink it or think you’re too busy to build a successful blog. If you can commit to doing one blogging-related task every single day (even if it’s an easy, three-minute task), you will see results over time.

If you’re ready to start blogging, head over here to receive a special discount on your plan! >>
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5 Unique Ways to Make Money Every Day

Do you want to get Starbucks (or any other splurge) for free…every single day?! I’m talking un-budgeted, completely extra money in your pocket each and every day.

If you’d like to have an extra $5-$100 EVERY DAY to spend on fun stuff for yourself and your family, keep reading…

I don’t purchase Starbucks with our family money, but instead find unique ways to make extra money every day. My coffee costs $3.19/day, so I strive to make at least that per day in an off-the-wall way. (Usually I end up making more!) Below are five unique ways to make money every single day!