When you are a mother of many one of the first questions you are ever asked is: “How on earth do you afford it?” and folks feel no shame in trying to figure out our family expenses. Literally jaws fall to the floor as they try to imagine the cost of living, let alone feeding “All those kids.” And as soon as they discover that I blog – there is an audible sigh of relief, well at least I am working and establishing some sort of an income for our family. That’s the funny thing, I get asked so many questions about how to make money from blogging, inwardly I have a quiet chuckle…
I have said it before and I will say it again… I blog because I love it… the actual cash I have ever earned relating to blogging would not take my family out for dinner, let alone away for a weekend!!! I am not a mother for the salary, trust me on this, and how many studies have we seen about how much a mom would earn if she really worked (really!!!): housekeeper, teacher, taxi driver, doctor… the list goes on and the “salary” goes up. I don’t get paid to be a mother – I love it though. And I am certainly not a blogger for the salary!!!
Se7en Audible Gasps About Blogging:
- I Don’t Have Special Endorsements:
- That Doesn’t Mean We Are Not Offered Special Endorsements: The things I protect our readers from – if only you knew!!! I have discernment and I am very careful not to fall into the trap of posting sponsored posts, just because they are sponsored… rather than because they are products or things that we would actually use. I spend a lot of my email time saying: “Thanks, but no thanks…” Our readers are a priority and I just don’t want to compromise our relationship by writing about things we don’t love, let alone enjoy!!!
- It is Important to Have a Little Hobby:
- It Can’t Take That Long to Write a Post:
- Why Don’t I Convert our Blog into Cash or Voyager Miles:
- You Have so Many Great Products on your Site:
- It is Just not About the Money:
- I Really Don’t Get Paid to Blog:
No free holidays, no free kitchen appliances, no free-people mover for shipping my family from event to event… No free school materials, no artsy craftsy boxes arriving by the crate… We blog about our outings and the crafts we do and the books we read because we love them… in fact, the dent in our couch would be a lot deeper if I didn’t blog… blogging makes me get out there and live a little, do things with my kids, learn with my kids and make stuff with them… in the quest for material to write about… I am a better mom because I blog!!!
No blogging is not a little hobby, it is far to time consuming to ever be that… in fact far to it is all about being the best mom I can be… blogging is a discipline and as a mother I need discipline to get me up in the morning, to start school. I can tell when I have been meaning to post a post on a garden project for the last three months that I really should get round to finishing the project first!!! Yes, blogging is a discipline for me… it keeps me on the path of doing stuff!!!
I stumble here… if I say an hour or two – folks eyes open wide – like really that long? Honestly though, it is much longer. There is no such thing as a quick blog post. Start to finish… a crafty blog post for example… an hour or two to do the craft and photograph it as we go. A craft post has easily fifty photographs… they all need to be edited, marginally – I trim out strange bits and pieces, I sharpen the details, nothing fancy, but editing takes about an hour… then I load the photographs up to flickr, we live in Africa folks and this takes time… half an hour so… and then I write. Well actually I drop the photographs into a post and then wrap some words around them to explain the details… that takes another hour. If it isn’t a craft, but a post where I actually write something, then it takes longer… the idea has to mull for a few days – then I write and often rewrite… and then at that stage I usually start from fresh and hammer a post out all at once… but the drafting and the thinking take time… Blogging takes time, lots of time. And why would anyone do so much work for free… you have to love it!!!
Just recently I had someone I didn’t even know tell me that I was insane not to convert my readers into cash… um… my readers are people too you know!!! I have this idea that when you start earning money for something it stops really being yours and becomes work. At this stage blogging is fun, light and I love it. But for example one Christmas my kids and I made thirty tie-dye t-shirts in a day… and so many folk said we should start a business… but I could see what was a fun day spent messing around with dyes would very quickly become a chore and just not worth the misery!!! Similarly blogging paid posts and sponsored posts are just that… you have to write about things that you may not have wanted to write about, even if you are staying true to your readers, sometimes you just can’t be inspired.
After nearly five years of blogging I do get product offers… most of them are quite terrifying and products that I would never ever use, let alone share with our readers. I still just blog about the things we love. So when I post about our kitchen tools, for instance, we did actually pay for them… I have written about the things that we definitely do not blog about… The one thing that we do get gifted with is books to review and the ones that we love we share… the ones that we only like… not so much!!!
Seriously, there are heaps of ways to monetize your blog and their are heaps of people out there… earning a fabulous salary. Remember there is no such thing as a passive, part time income. Tons of my best blogging friends have gotten round to monetizing, but I never seem to get there, it just isn’t a priority. Seriously it would require far more time and effort for me to initiate, than I am prepared to put into it. This is not to say that we won’t one day make a little more effort to monetize our blog… but right now I am totallyly happy to post and create an on-line journal packed with the things we like to write about.
And the se7en + 1th thing:
I blog because I love it, I am in the business of capturing memories… in fact, our blog is working for us!!! No I am not a fabulous writer or a photographer and our life is not that intriguing. Just a family with a bunch of kids bumbling along… Sharing our adventures as we go. Our adventures might seem awesome to us, but lets be honest not everyone wants to start the day by taking eight kids for run on the beach!!! The fabulous thing about blogging is that folk can share the things that they want to share and leave the rest. It needn’t cost anything to blog… to write your story, to share your projects or your hopes and dreams. I reckon, if you have a story to tell then tell it… you will be thankful later when you look back and see it done.
This post just popped out in a week when more than a couple of folk have asked me… how much do I earn from blogging. Not a whole lot of cash… but what I have earned… memories stored in some sort of sequential order and more than that: Friends!!! I have made the most incredible friends all over the world thanks to blogging. Like-minded friends and totally not-like-minded friends, interesting friends and lovely friends… heaps of best friends. I have to say blogging for us is really not about the money at all and it is all about the people we have met and the journey we have traveled with them as we share our stories.
love this post. and so glad you blog. 🙂
ohhhhhh I just LOVE this post!!!!! You always take the time to articulate EXACTLY what I’m thinking!!! :):) I can really relate to what you said about blogging being a disciplined “hobby”… yes yes yes!!!! Blogging points us in a beautifully creative and productive direction. :):) I am also so glad to hear you say that your posts take SOOOOO LONG— I thought I was the only one!!! It was a pleasure reading this and I appreciate all the time, dedication and energy you put into this sacred place. xoxoxoxo
What a lovely post. I am so glad you love blogging because it DOES take a lot of time! Like an hour or 2 is nothing, lol! Anyway, keep up the good work!
Great post! Respect that you are not willing to sell your soul! Many more happy blogging years!
Super post – so much is true for me too. People keep over when I say a post of mine can easily take 10 hours to write! And I loved the line ” Yes, blogging is a discipline for me… it keeps me on the path of doing stuff!!!” – this rang very true for me too. x
Great post!
I have to agree, although I do make a bit of money from my blog, it certainly isn’t a salary, it does help feed by book addiction though.
Like you I only accept sponsored posts for products I already use and love but will always say yes to books!
I love blogging and do it because I love it not for the money – comes as such a shock to many!
Completely and utterly agree. Time taken, so true. I still smile when I receive emails that tell me they love my blog and would I let them write a totally unrelated guest post for my blog. Hmm. Like they’ve read more than my contact details!
The blogs I love to read the most are the ones which are written for the love of it. Love genuine reviews. Book recommendations are fabulous, but I scroll through the hand sanitizer/babywipe/health insurance ones. There is enough advertising in the world without being bombarded with it on your favourite blog.
I am fairly new to blogging so it is always good to read posts from people with more experience than me. Thank you for this post, I am glad that I am not the only one who seems to spend ages writing a post!
Loved this post! I totally identified with most of this post (my blogging is nowhere NEAR disciplined!) The one that resonated the most? The bit about turning a hobby into a full-time job. I’ve been told that from time to time about various things – especially crafty things I’ve made or done. The idea of churning out hundreds of Christmas stockings or whatever turns me cold! It would drain all the pleasure from it! I am so glad that you’ve stuck to your guns re: not accepting every offer that comes your way. It makes *us* readers feel honoured and looked after – you’ve got our backs! Thanks a million for looking out for us too. se7en.org.za is a blog of integrity! 🙂
Lori, Thank you so much for lovely comment, just thrilled that you stopped by and said hi, made my day!!!
Hay Katherine Marie… Yay, So great that you enjoyed the post… posts take a lot longer than folk imagine when they read them!!! Hours and days of work are poured into them!!! I am just so thrilled to have you as a fan!!!
Hi Carolyn, Thank you so much for your comment… My hubs always says: “There is no such thing as a quick blog post.” As he waits and waits for me to finish up!!! Have a fabulous day!!!
Thank you Aunty Muffin, Thank you – I think it may be just be a stubborn streak that won’t let me compromise!!! Thanks for your loyal following and commenting!!!
Hay Zoe, So glad you enjoyed the post… Yup some posts require extreme discipline, just to go the distance and complete them!!! I think there is a whole world of bloggers out there that are blogging for the love of it… blogging and blogging and blogging!!! When you have something to say, isn’t it great to have a platform to say it on!!!
And we got a very cold penguin postcard from you today… lovely!!! Thank you so much for thinking of us!!!
Jo, Thank you so much for the great comment!!! Lovely to have you stop by… I know, folks often think that something you work for so many hours on must be earning you a bunch… but no!!! But it sure does help a little bit with book addiction!!!
Oh Cheryl, Some of the things folk want us to receive guest posts about leave me rolling on the floor… others, not so much – this is a family site!!! And that is so true about sponsored posts, I certainly gloss over “banking, insurance… ” oh my goodness the list can go on… posts. And I tend to lose interest in those blogs pretty quickly as well… So sponsored posts generally don’t work for us!!! You right, those written from the heart definitely stand the test of time in my news reader!!! Hope you all have a good week!!!
Oh Catherine… Posts can take ages and ages to write… and I haven’t got better with that over time!!! Have a look at the comments – a lot of the more experienced bloggers said they took ages!!! A couple of years back I used to write a 30 minute blog post once a week… it was a real challenge!!! Wish you all the best on your blogging adventure… really enjoyed a peak at what you had been reading!!!
Hay Taryn, Thank you so much for the comment!!! You are right there is an ocean of difference between doing something for fun and the same thing for financial gain!!! Gotta say, I love looking after our readers and protecting them from the world of commercial parenting – ga!!! Everyone has to have a good cause right!!! Hope you have the most fabulous week… we are so enjoying the sunshine!!!
Hey there, I really do feel the same way you do and it’s just cool to read something when you feel the same way too. I must say I greatly admire all the effort you put into a post. My posts are much shorter and they often take me ages to write. Have a super week! Georgia
Oh Love and Lollipops… If I have learnt nothing else from this post it is that blog posts take an enormous effort and chunks of time for most of us – very reassuring to know that is the norm!!! Great to hear from you again!!! Hope you have a great week!!!
Thanks for your blog. You’re happy to write it., I’m happy to read it. That’s how the world works. Or should be. Contrasted to ‘money makes the world go round”.
Hay Nora, Love your comment!!! Hope you have a fun weekend!!!
Love this post! I blog as a hobby, and my payment has been primarily gaining new friends and ideas. I would love to monetize a little more, but I never want to lose the pure joy of blogging. I’m so glad I found your blog via the SITS Saturday Sharefest. I am a former homeschool mom with two graduates, but somehow I feel like “once a homeschool mom, always a homeschool mom.” I love your shoe header BTW! New follower.
Great post. I’ve been blogging for over four years, and it wasn’t until the last two years that I actually started earning more than a few dollars.
I enjoy earning money for writing about things I really do enjoy, but I truly blog because I love it. 🙂
Hi Pam, Thank you so much for stopping by!!! Just wonderful to meet you, I am always so excited to meet folk who have gone the distance!!! I am just off to explore the Sharefest… such fun!!! Hope you have a fabulous weekend!!!
Hi there Sandra, So good to meet you!!! Thank you so much for stopping by… and yes blogging is just one of those things – gotta love it!!! Hope you have a great weekend!!!
I love this post!!!! You hit so many topics right on the money for me! Hope you have a terrific weekend! Just popping in from Sharefest!
Cathy
http://apeekintomyparadise.blogspot.com/
Hi Cathy, Lovely to meet you, I have had such fun reading the sharefest posts this week!!! And I am thrilled you stopped by to comment. Glad you liked the post – hope you have a great week ahead!!!
Visiting from #sits Sharefest. I love this piece and can totally relate. I’ve read a number of blog posts from women who have since built huge followings. Some of them have turned to paid posts, but the ones they write from the heart are the best. They are more authentic and real, and that is what I want to read.
Hi Kerry, thank you so much for the visit… I have so enjoyed visiting the Sharefest this weekend!!! And your letter to Marissa Mayer was excellent!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and comment… I hope you have a great week!!!