Blogging is a fun, free hobby, but like all hobbies, you can really get carried away. How many of us have picked up crafty hobbies and wound up investing a lot of money? I’m going to start self-hosting after I switch over to WordPress, so I’ve decided to create a budget to keep my hobby spending in check.
Things to budget:
1. Hosting
Blogger is basic free way to start blogging. If you want your own domain or if you want to host your site on WordPress, you’ll have to pay for it. Luckily, these aren’t too expensive. I’m bought a 36 month package through Bluehost that was around $5 a month.
2. Design
Blogger again has the free options. But I honestly weep to think about the first Blogger design I used here. It wasn’t pretty. If you use WordPress, you will have to pay for a layout. You can also pay for a custom design. I’m having the lovely Jane @ Poppiness Designs switch me over to WordPress.
3. Sponsors
Sponsors are a great way to support the bloggers you follow and to grow your own audience. Button swaps are a free options, and a lot of bloggers have perks (like social media shout-outs or more promotion) if you pay for sponsorships. Most blogs that I follow have sponsorships that max out around $10 a month.
4. Co-hosting or giveaways
Co-hosting and giveaways have the same perks as sponsorships: increased readership and page views. Each link-up or group giveaway is unique, but they can still be good uses of your blogging budget.
Do y’all have blog budgets? What do you include?
I don’t have a blog budget but it is something good to have for those that need it.
I don’t have a budget, but it’s a good idea! I use PayPal for all of my blog money so basically the only thing that goes in or comes out of there is blog related. I just have to make sure I have some money in that account & I don’t deplete it completely.
No, I don’t have a blogging budget. I’m always amazed at the amount of money that people say their blogs cost them. I’ve run Closed the Cover for 4 years and I have never paid for anything beyond my monthly hosting fee. Even the giveaways have never cost a penny as the sponsor is responsible for both the item and the shipping. Forever Ashley cost me $8 a month for hosting (GoDaddy) and I paid $45 for my theme which I then tweaked and customized myself. Other than that, I have no expenses that I attribute to blogging. I feature recipes on occasion but that’s household budget for groceries. I feature fashion sometimes but again that’s personal budget. My career and travel blogging is all part of work.
I know a lot of bloggers have a “budget” set up for their blogs but I’ve never really understood the need for it. The only thing I do is track income for tax purposes.
This is a helpful post in my opinion! I’m still a new blogger so still getting a hang of things. Started with Blogger & moved over to WordPress, but still not my own domain yet. I’d be interested in any tips you have for increasing traffic & views or finding people to participate in co-hosting/giveaways with!
I use Paypal as a type of budget for my blog and I definitely have a specific amount in mind to spend each month. It’s such a good idea to budget in your blog if you tend to spend on sponsorships and giveaways. 🙂
I don’t have a blogging budget either. I really only change my design once a year and pay to have that done. I’ve been a part of a few giveaways but the amount I contribute is very small. As long as I clear it with my husband and he’s okay with it, I go for it!