Blogging is no longer just a hobby for me, but a real way to quit the rat race and stay home with my son while we build our dream homestead. Here are the tools I’ve used to go from hobby blogging to making real money online.
Disclosure: I may earn money or products from any of the companies mentioned in this post. I only recommend products and services I trust to serve you. Purchasing through an affiliate link comes at no extra cost to you. You can learn more here.
Several years ago, we kept getting real-life requests for us to share our natural living knowledge online. These requests started when we were in the thick of cloth diapering, but really took off when we started our homesteading journey.
Lots of people were interested in seeing us document the whole experience! Initially, it was actually my husband who began the blog and did the first few posts, but as time went on it became clear that the blog would be MY baby. Since then, I’ve gone from hobby blogger to creating real income, all while staying with my son on our off-grid homestead.
Related: Your guide to making the decision to quit your day job
With that in mind, I want to share the tools that helped me start a blog, boost traffic, and earn some money writing about what I love.
Getting Started With Your Blog
If you need help getting set up, see here for a beginner’s quick-start guide to creating and setting up a new blog.
1. Self-Hosting with SiteGround
I have a more detailed review here, but if you’re planning to create a profitable business through your blog you need to be self-hosted. Between our music websites and this blog I’ve gone through my fair share of hosting and no one has come close to the service that SiteGround has provided us.
2. “Make Money Blogging At Any Level” by Victoria Pruett
This is the book that took me from earning next to nothing to making a viable income in a matter of weeks. Yes, I said weeks. I looked at a lot of the materials and literature out there from the “big bloggers”, but nothing really hit me quite like this book. Seeing how she’s managed to take two blogs from zero to earning her over $5000/month from her homestead is seriously inspiring. Check it out!
3. “Powerful Pinning Design Bundle”
This is an easy design guide with templates to help you make the perfect Pinterest pins, even as a beginner. Pinterest drives 60-70% of my traffic AND of many bloggers. Creating powerful pins can help grow your audience and influence.
4. PicMonkey
How I create all of my pins and shareable images. I used the free version and loved it so much I bit the bullet for the paid version and haven’t looked back. PicMonkey is an intuitive, easy to use online photo editor that doesn’t require you to download software.
What next?
I’m not going to tell you that blogging is a quick and easy way to make money, because it isn’t. It takes time to set up a blog with great content that can really serve others. It takes time to figure out what you’re doing creatively, not to mention navigate the business aspects of it.
But for me and my family it has been the pathway to being able to stay home with my son and earn an income at the same time. If nothing else, I wish I would have gotten serious about monetizing and improving my blog sooner! These tools will help you get started on the right foot.
Want to know what got this blog started? Check out our homestead progress and find out more about our cordwood homestead project here. You should also join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I’m always pinning lots of great ideas on Pinterest too! Thanks for reading!
