Blogging on a Budget

An Important Recurring Task for MailChimp Users

November 14, 2019

Hey—want some one-on-one help getting this set up? Book a 20-minute consultation and we can work through it via video chat!

Because I blog as a hobby, instead of as a full-time job or side hustle, I try to be conservative about my blog spending. That’s why I still use MailChimp for my email marketing, even though a lot of bloggers have moved onto “bigger and better” email marketing systems.

MailChimp is free for users with fewer than 2,000 contacts, which is why I love it! I can practice email marketing and connect with my audience while keeping my overall blogging expenses low.

However, MailChimp has updated their policy on contacts recently, which means there’s a new crucial step for bloggers who use MailChimp!

Small Blogging Budget? Here’s What to Spend It On

May 9, 2019

This post contains affiliate links that I could make commission off of. All opinions are my own. Learn more.

Blogging is an awesome hobby, but unfortunately very few people actually make money doing it. It’s not exactly the best side hustle. It’s really more of a creative outlet.

But of course, because it’s such a huge industry, there are so many things you could spend money on. From basics like web hosting to fun services that are “guaranteed to increase your sales,” it can get pretty overwhelming!

And unless you’re one of the lucky few actually making money off your blog, chances are your blogging money is coming out of your personal budget. Which means you probably don’t have that much available to spend on it.

So when you’ve got a small blogging budget, what should you actually be spending that money on?

6 Places to Cut Your Personal Budget to Spend More on Your Blog

March 27, 2018

Blogging can get expensive really quickly. And I’ll be the first person to look for free or low-cost hacks to save money on my blog. But sometimes it’s just not worth the time investment, and you know your blog would do a lot better if you could spend more on it.

To avoid racking up credit card charges that you can’t pay off, I’ve compiled a few places to cut your personal budget so you can reallocate that money toward your blog. That way you can say “I need $29/mo for this tool, where can I find $29/mo in my budget?” so you’re not going into debt.

Note: I will never tell you to pay less toward your debt in order to pay for blogging tools. So student loans, credit card bills, car loans… don’t touch those.

How to Create Interest Lists in Mailchimp

February 28, 2017

Hey—want some one-on-one help getting this set up? Book a 20-minute consultation and we can work through it via video chat!

Around the blogosphere, it seems like everyone is getting jacked up about ConvertKit. And trust me, I get it. It seems like an awesome email service provider.

But holy cow, it can be so expensive, especially for those who are just starting out and have limited to no budget.

So, I’m here to help you learn how to hack Mailchimp to get similar features as ConvertKit without the hefty price tag. Some might call this using Mailchimp’s features, but I digress.

Today, we’re talking about interest lists. They’re segments of your master email list that designate your subscribers’ interests. So, if you’re a food blogger, you might have interests lists for vegetarian recipes, Italian recipes, and kitchen tips. I might have interest lists for blogging on a budget, graphic design 101, and being a feminist business owner.

But why the heck would you want these? And more importantly, how do you set them up?

Do You REALLY Need to Hire a Designer for Your Blog?

December 14, 2016

This post contains affiliate links that I could make commission off of. All opinions are my own. Learn more.

Working with a designer is awesome. You get all kinds of ideas for branding and content upgrades that you never could have thought of on your own.

But the downside is the cost. It can get expensive to work with a designer.

I know this because I am one. I work with clients to build a brand and create templates for images and content upgrades. It’s a ton of fun, but the cost can add up quickly.

So, it’s time to face the facts: do you really need to hire a designer to work on your blog?

How (and why!) to Clean Out Your Email List

November 15, 2016

Hey—want some one-on-one help getting this set up? Book a 20-minute consultation and we can work through it via video chat!

I, like many others (yourself included, I’m sure) love seeing my email list numbers grow. I’ll get random emails from Mailchimp saying one or two people subscribed to my email list and it doesn’t seem like a big deal… until I realize I’ve got about 100 more subscribers than I expected!

Talk about an awesome feeling, right?

And yet, every four months or so, I go through my email list and clean it out. I find subscribers who aren’t opening my emails and unsubscribe them from my email list.

Say what?!

Here’s why it’s a good habit to get into, and how you can clean out your email list as well!

How to Budget Your Life & Your Blog (& a Free Spreadsheet!)

September 21, 2016

Budgeting is… not the most fun thing to do. But that doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. In fact, it’s one of the most important things you can do!

So, where the heck are you supposed to start? Let’s walk through every step of the budgeting process. (Oh, and don’t forget to download your free spreadsheet so you can track your budget and spending habits!)

How to Create Fake Leadpages Popups for Mailchimp

May 25, 2016

This post contains affiliate links that I could make commission off of. All opinions are my own. Learn more.

If you’ve been in the blogging world for any amount of time, you know Leadpages is a big friggen’ deal. But it’s got an equally big friggen’ cost to it.

And really, when your blog is just a hobby or isn’t quite making money yet, who can afford $37 per month just on one program? Ain’t nobody got money for that!

So I was super pumped to discover that the lovely Marianne of Design Your Own (Lovely) Blog came up with a FREE way to create fake Leadpages! The only downside: you had to use ConvertKit to get the Leadpage-esque popups. At $29 per month, ConvertKit isn’t exactly in my budget either.

Womp womp.

Luckily, after some research, I found out how to create similar popups for a whopping $21 total. That’s a one-time payment of $21 to create infinite fake Leadpages landing pages, popups, and thank you pages, as opposed to $37 for one month’s worth. Yes please!

Want to find out how? Let’s get started!

How to Set Up a FREE Resource Library on Your Blog

February 25, 2016

Want to create a free resource library for your readers? Not sure how? Well, it's super easy to do! Click through for a step-by guide for how to set up a resource library for your blog.

This post contains affiliate links that I could make commission off of. All opinions are my own. Learn more.

As a blogger, one of my top goals is helping my audience learn the intimidating tech side of blogging and business and feel more comfortable with it. One of my favorite ways to do this is through my free resource library.

When I first got the idea, though, I had no idea how to do it. So, I figured it out on my own, and now I’m excited to share this info with you!

Blogging on a Budget: Creating Your Own Images + Content Upgrades

February 16, 2016

Blogging on a budget is super important for a lot of bloggers out there, myself included. It’s a hobby that can get expensive fast, but only if you let it.

So, how do you go about cutting costs on your blog without taking away anything from your readers? Lots of ways! My favorite, though, is creating your own images and content upgrades. And I promise, it’s a lot easier than it sounds.

How + Why You Need to Create a Media Kit for Your Blog (plus a free template!)

January 22, 2016

One of my favorite parts of blogging is collaboration. I’ve gotten to meet a lot of amazing brands and bloggers thanks to And Possibly Dinosaurs, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.

But how do you set up these collaborations? Lots of ways. I’ve used social media, cold emails, and even some advertising sites.

But one thing is pretty common when it comes to collaboration: the brand or blogger you’re reaching out to is going to want to know why they should work with you. And that’s where a media kit comes in.

Blog Purchases That are Totally Worth It

January 20, 2016

This post contains affiliate links that I could make commission off of. All opinions are my own. Learn more.

It’s no secret that blogging is one of my favorite things to do. It’s a great creative outlet for me because I can customize it to my interests.

But if you don’t have a lot of self-control over your finances (guilty!), blogging can get expensive, fast.

It seems like everyone and their brother has a set of e-courses nowadays, and there are a ton of different software options that make your blogging life easier. But which ones are worth your time, and which ones don’t make a ton of difference?

I’ve made a lot of purchases for my blog, and I’m here to help you figure out if you really need that blogging e-course or not. Ready? Let’s go!

Blogging on a Budget

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