State of the Blog


I wasn’t sure if I should just start posting as if there hadn’t been an over three month hiatus since I last posted. Do I owe my readers an explanation? I’m not even sure I really have regular readers for that matter! I started this blog in April 2013. The blog is four and half years old, which is ancient in blog years. Before I started this blog, I was an avid reader of personal finance blogs and would comment occasionally but didn’t really interact all too much with the personal finance blogging community.

One of the reasons I decided to start a blog of my own was because I was so passionate about the topic that I wanted to write, read and interact with others who blogged about it. However, I will be very honest and say that what really motivated me to actually learn how to start a blog and pay for the associated costs was when I read bloggers’ income reports. I was amazed that you could make money from blogging and thought it would be nice to earn a little side income doing something that I enjoyed. Most established bloggers said that many new bloggers don’t last more than six months because it is a lot of work and if your only motivation is money, you will likely burnout. Plus, you weren’t going to earn a decent income from blogging overnight. You’re playing the long game with blogging. That was fine by me as I spent most of my time on personal finance blogs anyway and wasn’t pursuing it purely for monetary reasons.

My first year blogging, I posted consistently three times a week. Even with the birth of my son, I continued at this pace for about a year. I started losing steam as I released all the pent up ideas stuck in my head. Then with work and family life getting busier as well as the birth of my second son, the blog started to take a back seat. I barely made much income from the blog, but I found the interaction with the personal finance community and the creative outlet writing on the blog to be more valuable and motivating.

This past summer, a few of the blogs I followed were sold. They cited time constraints. Brian from Debt Discipline reduced posting to once a week, preferring to help people offline which I respect. Not too long ago, J Money from Budgets are Sexy considered selling his blog. Two bloggers who had sold their blogs, eventually bought them back. Awhile back, I was approached by a blogger who noticed I rarely updated my blog, showed interested in buying it. My immediate reaction was “NO!” This blog is my baby, I wouldn’t sell it. But of course, a part of me wondered about the value of my blog which I had worked on for over four years. Of course, the price put on it would have to do with my traffic and income, so it probably didn’t hold much monetary value. Outside of sentimental value to myself, did it provide value to any readers. I’m not sure. Was it worth it to spend so much time working on the blog rather than a side hustle which would earn a better income?

While I love interacting with like-minded people, there is the Rockstar Finance forum, the Choose FI Facebook group and the Mr. Money Mustache forums which I can visit to talk to like-minded personal finance nerds. I can also continue reading and commenting on blogs. Another thing is that after blogging for a few years, it’s hard to find things to write about that I haven’t already written about. For example, when it comes to investing, I’m a proponent of index investing, but I’ve probably written as much as I can write about it. It’s not that complex. Plus, the Stock Series on JL Collins’ blog provides a much better information than I ever could.

So what does the future of Living Rich Cheaply hold? I honestly don’t know but I think I’ll be sticking around for a while longer. I still feel like I have some things that I haven’t said that I want to say on this blog. I will probably write about whatever is on my mind and whatever personal finance issues or even non-personal finance related issues I’m personally dealing with at the moment. Hopefully others will find it interesting and/or helpful.

For the other longtime bloggers out there, how do you keep consistently producing content? For the ones with a busy job, family, etc., how do you find time to blog? For readers, is there anything you’d enjoy reading about?

14 thoughts on “State of the Blog

  1. The Luxe Strategist

    I’m not a longtime blogger, but I can relate to worrying about running out of things to talk about. I’ve had my blog for about 7 months and I’ve held back on some topics for this very reason. But yeah, I so admire those who have blogged for years and years, and still come up with fresh perspectives on the same well-worn topics.

    I’ve always enjoyed the personal stories you’ve shared in your posts, and how posts seem to have been inspired by something you recently observed, etc.

    Anyway, I’m glad you’re making the decision to continue to blog!
    The Luxe Strategist recently posted…Clueless About Saving? Here Are Seven Steps to Start.My Profile

    1. livingrichcheaply@gmail.com Post author

      Thanks Luxe Strategist! I will try to share more posts about things that are going on in my life which may be relevant to others. Also, great to hear there is a NYC blogger meetup. I swear one of these days I’m make it to a blogger meetup and/or FinCon. As another personal finance blogger explained…I’ll check with the bosses (the kiddos)! =)

  2. Done by Forty

    I feel like you and I came up blogging together, Andrew. So, and I say this with all of the respect and kindness that I can, you are not f****** allowed to quit.

    I do not care if you don’t like it as much or are busy with your family. I enjoy reading your blog, so why should you get to stop writing just because you feel like it? Quit being so selfish.

    1. livingrichcheaply@gmail.com Post author

      Haha, thanks! I felt the same when I was on your blog awhile back and notice you hadn’t posted. I was like, “what happened?? He better not have quit blogging!”

  3. Brian

    I know how you feel Andrew, and my kids are a lot older than yours. I kicked off my blog in 2013 too. I think sharing generally personal type stories like we have for 4 years is a hell of a run. I believe that why so many other blogs fade away well before that. They just run out of things to write about or can’t juggle other responsibilities. Many of the bigger blogs, have turned it into a business and don’t really share the personal stories too often or if they’ve reached FIRE they’ve got the time on your hands to maintain a blog. I may be taking a sabbatical from my blog for a bit too, and figure out what I want to do next. The good news is that there will always be new voices in the community, and a few of the old timers around too. Good luck figuring it out!
    Brian recently posted…How Renters Can Get Their Security Deposits BackMy Profile

    1. livingrichcheaply@gmail.com Post author

      Yes, I think we’re at the stage in our blogging progression. I do remember you saying that you were scaling back but didn’t hear about a sabbatical…Good luck to you as well in figuring out what you want to do.

  4. Jason

    I fully admit it has been hard. I have been blogging for over 3 years and haven’t really monetized the blog. Although I have more page views over the past 4 months than probably a year prior so that is good. I get inspired by listening to other people’s blogs and/or I will write on my perspective when someone else brings up a topic, but it is hard.

    1. livingrichcheaply@gmail.com Post author

      Yes, I read one of your blog posts back in the summer where you expressed those thoughts. It is definitely hard but the increase in traffic is a little motivating…

  5. Ms. Frugal Asian Finance

    Thank you for sharing your honest thoughts, Andrew! I can totally relate to your post. I too worry about running out of topics to write about. I’m glad you took the needed break to take care of your family. I consider my blog to be my baby and don’t know if I’ll ever sell it. Looking forward to reading more of your posts! 🙂

    1. livingrichcheaply@gmail.com Post author

      Thanks Ms. Frugal Asian Finance! I need to reread your blog post about how to get over blogger burnout!! =)

  6. Biglaw Investor

    I don’t know what I can offer. Like you said, you’ve been doing it for four years! That is a very long time in the blogging world. What I didn’t see you say (and didn’t see it in the comment section either) is that maybe you should make some changes to start monetizing your blog a little more? You write everything for free here and clearly a lot of people like and read your blog. I don’t think any of your readers think it’s fair for you to do all this work for no compensation at all. You produce great content and deserve to get paid to do it! If there was a little more money coming in, what it keep you a little more motivated to write?
    Biglaw Investor recently posted…The Little Expenses Are Killing Me!My Profile

    1. livingrichcheaply@gmail.com Post author

      Yea, you’re right…receiving some income from the blog would be motivating. I wouldn’t say I haven’t tried, although I’m probably horrible at it. And to be honest, I’m not sure how much I could monetize based on the amount of traffic I receive. Also, thanks for the compliment!

Comments are closed.