• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Join the free Facebook group
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My Debt Epiphany

A blog about getting out of debt and getting on the right track financially

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Categories
    • Budgets
    • Debt
    • Extra Income
    • Money Mindset + Motivation
    • Saving
    • Side Hustles
  • Start a Blog
  • Resources
  • Work With Me
    • Hire Me
    • Public Speaking
    • Guest Post
    • Advertising
You are here: Home / Updates / What I Learned in 6 Months of Blogging

What I Learned in 6 Months of Blogging

This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to read my disclosure policy.

I can’t believe I’ve been blogging for six months already! Soon enough it will be a year and knowing that I have so many ideas and goals for this blog, it’s safe to say I’m definitely here to stay.

I started this little blog in December because I knew I had a lot to share, and personal finance was a niche I was passionate about.

I was a little nervous because I started a couple of blogs before in the past in other niches and they didn’t last. I felt different though with this one because I educated myself and observed how others successfully ran their blog beforehand. In December I just literally decided to through myself out there and I’m so glad I did.

It’s been a wild ride and an amazing journey so far. Here are the key things I learned after 6 months of blogging.

1. Organization is Key

When you start a blog, getting organized is crucial if you don’t want to get extremely overwhelmed. I started out pretty organized and I actually had several posts written ahead of time before I even bought my domain name. I started out posting three times a week which was doable at first then switched to two times a week when I started writing for other websites.

Now I’m lucky if I can get a few days ahead on my posts. I don’t even use CoSchedule yet to schedule out my posts since I’m basically posting as I go. But I do have my own version of an editorial calendar via an Excel spreadsheet and handwritten in my planner. I brainstorm topic ideas in Excel but I change my mind so much as to when I will publish a particular post so I pencil in a rough calendar in my planner so I know when to have each post ready to go live.

Tools like Twitter feed and Hootsuite have helped me schedule Tweets and share posts from my favorite blogs. I also use a weekly schedule to prioritize my blogging tasks. I have specific days and times when I work on branding my blog, writing and preparing posts, commenting on other blogs and so on. I could definitely be more organized but the way I have things set up now keeps me from going off the deep end 🙂

2. Content is Everything

Producing quality no amazing content is the #1 thing I’ve been focused on these past few months. I admire a lot of successful bloggers but I’m happy I didn’t try to mimic everything they did on their blogs. Part of the hype about having my own blog was getting the chance to write about topics that were important to me and use my own voice and my own writing style.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a bit scary to put myself and my writing out there at first for everyone to judge but I’d rather be myself from the get go. When you blog it’s important to be yourself and understand that exceptional content can build readership and keep people coming back. I learned quickly that several (maybe hundreds) of other personal finance bloggers have similar experiences to me and tend to write about the same topics.

The best post ideas and content I’ve come up with have just come from everyday experiences and not the current fad in the blogosphere:
My Version of the Secret
How to Prepare Financially for an Unexpected Disaster
Why Creating a Vision Board is Worth Every Penny
The Man I Never Knew Who Changed My Life
What Do Your Friends Think of Your Frugal Ways?
How Do You Motivate Yourself Each Day?
The Unglamarous Side of the Personal Finance Journey

3. Blogging Can Be Extremely Time Consuming

People told me that blogging takes time, but I never really understood it until I started a blog of my own. I’ve probably spent countless hours on my blog already between writing, generating post ideas, finding pictures for posts, optimizing posts and pages for search engines, working on my them, website functionality and logo etc., and I still have so much more to do.

With blogging, you it can seem like your work is never done. No matter what you finish and achieve, there will always be another task lined up to complete and the trick is just to find a good stopping point from time-to-time and accept that fact that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Given the time that it takes to successfully run and manage a blog, I’d say you have to be extremely passionate about your blog because if you’re not, it’s going to fall apart. Fitting blogging in to my already busy schedule has been tough and I’m actually sitting here at 5:30 a.m. typing this post because it’s one of the only times I can get my thoughts out clearly without being distracted by my son or boyfriend.

I probably never would have woken up at 5a.m. to work on any of my other blogs and that’s why they failed. With blogging time management is everything.

4. Say Thank You

I love how each blog niche has its own community and I’m super grateful to be engaged with the personal finance community. When I first started my blog, Kay and Tonya were some of the first people to comment and keep up with my posts and that’s when I initially got the feeling that a supportive community of bloggers had my back.

While I try to offer helpful advice and tips to help readers save time, stress and money, I learn so much from reading other blogs and I love how everyone is so generous and supportive. So I just want to say thank you to anyone who came across my blog and stuck around for a while.

Whether you comment or not, thank you for taking the time to read and share my posts with others. It really means a lot, and I’m a firm believer that communities help keep bloggers going.

5. That Task I Keep Putting off Just Needs to Be Taken Care of Already

Speaking of managing time, managing tasks is just as important. I’m not a major procrastinator by nature, but there are quite a few things I need to do for my blog that I just keep putting off. Some of them are simple, like adding a few new pages, working on my sidebar, and changing a few other things around but others are massive projects like a complete redesign I’d like to get started with before I reach my one-year mark.

I find that I’ve been getting overwhelmed with what I need done and I’m simply not doing it. Time is a big factor, but if I can prioritize these special tasks and just start knocking them out one-at-a-time I’d honestly feel sooooooo much better. What tasks am I talking about you might ask? Check out my goals for this blog below.

Goals for This Blog

I tend to share my life goals more often than my blog goals, but that doesn’t mean I’m not working on growing this little blog. Here are some of my plans for the near future, in no particular order but I’m shooting for some goals sooner than others.

  • Launch my Newsletter: I’m almost ready at this point. I’ve been building my email list since I started this blog and I’m planning to share a monthly newsletter with readers. In my newsletter I plan to open up more about my financial journey and share the latest news on the blog. I will also be including featured recipe ideas for those of you who have been struggling with dining out less. I love to cook and I’m drawn to new and easy recipes, so for the masses of people who are looking to trim down or maintain their grocery budget, I’m hoping I can help out in this area. So if you haven’t signed up yet, make sure you do!
  • Get More Established on Social Media, Maybe Start a Facebook Page: I’ve never been a fan of Twitter, but I am coming around and I do see how helpful it is to establish a social media presence for your blog. Currently, I have Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. I haven’t been as proactive about growing my following and that’s something I can improve on. The thing about social media is that I’d rather have more readers than a bunch of followers who don’t even engage with my blog. But, I know I need to step my social media game up though, especially on Pinterest since it can help generate more traffic to my blog.
  • Grow my Page Views and Readership:
    Ever since I started this blog my traffic has been steadily increasing and I optimize most of my posts for SEO and I believe it’s helping. I had the most traffic in April so far but I’m not sure if May will surpass it since there are only a few days left. After six months, I do think I’m doing well but I’d like to see my traffic increase to 5,000 – 10,000 page views a month within the next few months. I know that utilizing social media and Pinterest and continuing to post great content will help with this.Traffic
  • Host a Giveaway: To help me thank my readers I really want to host a giveaway this year as well. I should hopefully be doing something this summer but my issue is just finding something worthwhile to give away, haha.
  • Update My Design Theme
  • I’m content with my current theme and design, but I know it could be better so I’m on the lookout for a new blog design that will really depict my brand and I just have a ton of things to do visually so I will probably look into working with a graphic designer. My deadline for updating my blog’s design is by the end of this year.

what-i-learned-in-6-months-of-blogging

Learn How to Start a Money-Making Blog in 10 Days

20 healthy breakfast recipes for you to try %281%29

My free blogging course will teach you everything you need to know about starting a blog, increasing your traffic, and how to monetize it quickly so you can earn money doing something you love.

Success! You're now on your way to starting your very own blog that will bring in extra income. What's next? Check your email inbox for a course introduction and overview of what to expect over the next 10 days. Tomorrow, you'll receive your first lesson!

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit
Share This

Filed Under: Updates

More posts you might like:

  • How to Grow Your Blog by Being FearlessHow to Grow Your Blog by Being Fearless
  • 3 Life-Changing Benefits of Making Money Goals Visual3 Life-Changing Benefits of Making Money Goals Visual
  • Goal Recap and 2016 Goal OverviewGoal Recap and 2016 Goal Overview
  • The Art of Emotional Spending

About Choncé

Chonce is a personal finance blogger and freelance writer who enjoys sharing debt stories (as she and her husband work their way out of $40,000 in debt) along with talking about saving, budgeting, conscious spending and improving your financial house. In her spare time,she enjoys working out, playing sports with her son, cooking, and thrifting.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. thesingledollar says

    May 21, 2015 at 11:49 am

    Congratulations! I love reading your blog and look forward to the next six months 🙂

    • Chonce says

      May 21, 2015 at 1:31 pm

      Thanks! I enjoy reading your blog as well 🙂

  2. laqueen86 says

    May 21, 2015 at 12:21 pm

    I enjoyed your post! Congrats on 6 months! You are off to a great start!

    • Chonce says

      May 21, 2015 at 1:31 pm

      Thanks!

  3. Jennifer @ WanderlustWallet says

    May 21, 2015 at 12:34 pm

    Congrats on six months of blogging! I love the ideas for your newsletter and look forward to your simple and frugal recipes!

    • Chonce says

      May 21, 2015 at 1:31 pm

      Thanks Jennifer!

  4. thedailywhisk says

    May 21, 2015 at 1:45 pm

    Happy 6 month! You are rocking it, Chonce! Keep it up!

    • Chonce says

      May 22, 2015 at 1:06 pm

      Thanks Kara!

  5. Tonya@Budget and the Beach says

    May 21, 2015 at 2:27 pm

    Congratulations on six months!! I though it’s been much longer for some reason. I always thought I was the odd duck in the PF world in that I almost never know what my posts will be ahead of time. I think, or at least I hope it keeps it fresh and current. I love your topics and I only see great things happening for you with this blog! Are you going to Fincon?

    • Chonce says

      May 21, 2015 at 2:30 pm

      Thanks for the encouragement Tonya! It’s seemed like a longer time to me as well. I am going to FinCon, I just need to book my room to take advantage of the discount and I’ve been lagging on that for a bit. What about you?

  6. Erin @ Journey to Saving says

    May 21, 2015 at 2:45 pm

    Congrats! Time flies by with blogging, doesn’t it? You’re doing so well and the plans and goals you have will get you even further, I’m sure. Newsletters and social media are huge. I honestly don’t use social media in my personal life, but it’s definitely important when developing your brand and presence online.

    • Chonce says

      May 21, 2015 at 11:37 pm

      Yes it definitely does! Thanks Erin!

  7. believeinabudget says

    May 21, 2015 at 3:57 pm

    Great job!! I can’t believe you have only had this blog for 6 months! I know nothing about staying current with blog fads and posts – is this a real thing?! Ugh, one more thing to learn. I feel like I am in the same position you are on with things. I really don’t want to have a Facebook page and I am ok with this. I am also working on a newsletter that I am going to debut this summer. And I also get up really early in the morning to work on my blog, which is crazy considering I’m still pretty much working for free 🙂

    • Chonce says

      May 21, 2015 at 11:38 pm

      Sounds like we have a lot in common. Time really does fly though. Can’t wait to check out your newsletter when it’s ready.

  8. Jason @ TheButlerJournal.com says

    May 21, 2015 at 6:55 pm

    Congrats on your 6 month anniversary. I know you will reach your goals before the year is over.

    • Chonce says

      May 21, 2015 at 11:38 pm

      Thanks Jason!

  9. Diane says

    May 21, 2015 at 10:22 pm

    I’ve been blogging a similar amount of time to you, Chonce and it’s been a bit shocking how much time blogging takes. It seems as though you’re reinventing the wheel for each post.

    It’s certainly a steep learning curve, isn’t it? 🙂

    Congrats on the first six months and best of luck for the next 6, 12, 18…

    • Chonce says

      May 21, 2015 at 11:38 pm

      It really is, but I love it so it’s time well spent in my book. Thanks Diane!

  10. kay ~ lifestylevoices.com says

    May 22, 2015 at 1:03 am

    Congrats on your 6 Month Blogiversary, Chonce! Thanks! It’s nice to know I was there at the launch. I wish you GREAT SUCCESS in all you do! 🙂

    • Chonce says

      May 22, 2015 at 1:03 pm

      Thank Kay!

  11. Prudence Debtfree says

    May 22, 2015 at 2:38 am

    I am so impressed by your organization. You manage to do so much with a full-time job and a young family in the mix. Your high level of organization makes you very effective. Just don’t burn yourself out with all of these ideas. We want to keep reading your story ; )

    • Chonce says

      May 22, 2015 at 1:05 pm

      Yeah, organization is key with me. Without it I’d be a mess. I try to take random days off from time to time or just get away from the computer for a few hours to recharge and avoid burnout. Overworking yourself is not fun.

  12. Christina @ Embracing Simple says

    May 22, 2015 at 1:51 pm

    Congrats on reaching 6 months, what an awesome milestone! I’m at the almost 5 month mark, and completely agree with all of these points. Blogging (well) is so incredibly time consuming. I have spent hundreds of hours on my blog and have still made no money off of it yet. But when you are passionate and love doing it, you start to realize that it’s time well spent anyway 🙂

    • Chonce says

      May 26, 2015 at 1:02 pm

      I agree, it is time well spent for me. I get to do something I’m passionate about and create posts to influence people all over the world. When you’re doing something you love it usually doesn’t seem like work and it’s pretty fun dare I say it.

  13. Jessica says

    May 22, 2015 at 8:55 pm

    Congrats on a great 6 months! I totally agree that blogging takes more time than I initially thought it would and that there’s always more to do. I really need to follow your lead and get better organized and have better time management. Sometimes I’m so lazy that I wind up driving myself crazy! 😛 Good luck on your blog goals; I know you will knock them out of the park! I look forward to continuing to follow along on your journey. 🙂

    • Chonce says

      May 26, 2015 at 1:03 pm

      Thanks Jessica! I think you’re doing fine 🙂 I could be a bit more organized myself but organization really does make a big difference.

  14. DC @ Young Adult Money says

    May 23, 2015 at 2:17 am

    Congrats on six months! I’ve been working on and off on updating my theme for nearly two years now…it’s been really difficult for me to find a theme (and designer) that I’m happy with. On a side note you are not alone with this -> “I was a little nervous because I started a couple of blogs before in the past in other niches and they didn’t last.” I started a few blogs before YAM that didn’t last, but I think it made me more serious about YAM than I otherwise would have been.

    • Chonce says

      May 26, 2015 at 12:59 pm

      Thanks DC! I feel like those other blogs were just warming me up for this one. I’m hoping that the whole redesign process won’t be that tedious for me but we will see.

  15. Kristine Manley says

    May 25, 2015 at 5:43 pm

    Congratulations! Your blog is nice and clean, and the information is wonderful. I have had my website up since 2006, but it was just that, a website. I really started blogging about 2010, and have redone my site. I am making money off of my blog, but it’s slow going. You’ve gotten off to a wonderful start.

    • Chonce says

      May 25, 2015 at 6:06 pm

      Wow that’s a long time, but I can tell you’ve been doing it for a while because your blog is so nice 🙂 Thanks for the support Krtistine, and also thanks for the editing tip, can’t believe I missed that!

  16. Cat Wilson says

    June 10, 2015 at 7:04 am

    I love reading your blog and return to it time and time again. I’m learning to be a freelance writer and trying to create a budget that works for me. I found so many great ideas in your posts and look forward to more!

    • Chonce says

      June 10, 2015 at 12:14 pm

      Thanks so much for the comment cat! That’s great to hear and I appreciate you stopping by to check out my blog 🙂 I’m actually starting a side hustle series next week and I’m going to start it off with some awesome tips to help interested readers get started with freelance writing so stay tuned.

  17. Kirsten says

    June 12, 2015 at 11:35 pm

    I am so behind commenting here but I did want to say that your voice is valuable and unique. You have done a great job and I know you’ll achieve your goals.

    You aren’t kidding about blogging taking time. I get up at 3 am and never quite accomplish as much as I set out to do!

    • Chonce says

      June 15, 2015 at 1:09 pm

      No worries, you’re fine! Thanks so much and that’s crazy how early you get up. you must have to go to bed really early. I try to get to bed before 10 since I get up at 5am.

  18. Ellie says

    January 28, 2016 at 6:42 am

    Wow, i just came across your blog and wanted to say how impressed i am with how you have been getting on when you only started 6 months before this post. I have blogged on and off for a while but health issues stop me progressing with it quite a bit. I still enjoy it though and love the fact it keeps my mind active!

    • Choncé says

      January 28, 2016 at 7:30 pm

      Thanks for the kind words Ellie and thanks for stopping by!

Primary Sidebar

Hello!

Hello!

I'm Chonce. Join me on my journey to balance finances with living a great life now and preparing for the future.

Check out the Love Your Budget Course (Now Enrolling)

Your Income is Abundant. Ready For Side Hustle Success?

There is lots of extra money to be made. Sign up for the free Side Hustle Success online workshop so you can learn how to find the right profitable side hustle for you.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

By gaining access, you're agreeing to join the email list. We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit
300-x-250
Top debt blogs

Top Posts

Rockstar Finance

Alexa Traffic Rank

Footer

Join the Tribe

Subscribe today more exclusive money tips and content via email along with full access to the financial resources that helped me pay off debt, break the paycheck to paycheck cycle, and live a more fulfilling life.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

You are also agreeing to our privacy policy. Powered by ConvertKit

Disclaimer

I am a Certified Financial Education Instructor, but the content on this site is not professional advice. I speak from my own personal views and opinions. I may be compensated by a third party company either through advertisements, affiliate links, or reviews found on this site or in my email newsletter but I never recommend products or resources I don't believe in. Read more here.
Copyright © 2019 My Debt Epiphany · Custom site by Moonsteam Design