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?