In an age where everyone and their nephew’s pet fish has a website, blogging seems overrated to some. Why would you want to put personal information about your life on the Internet, and who the hell cares about reading it? It’s tough to grasp that some blogs make thousands of dollars every month, and some are actually making a living off of blogging.

I would be a liar if I were to say launching a blog will make you millions right away, or you’ll be getting even 10 viewers a day for posting an article when you start out. The Internet is a pretty big, and you can’t expect people to see your articles. That’s why blogging is it’s own job – as the owner of the blog, it’s your responsibility to market your blog. That, in itself, is another article!

But it’s all worth it – trust me.

But why should you, as a frugal individual who is trying to save money while paying off your mortgage (or monthly rent!), blog? Here are some reasons we at Gaucho think you should be blogging:

• It encourages goal planning. What I suggest to everyone who starts blogging is to have their first post outline their goals and what they want to achieve through blogging. Every year, reevaluate these goals, make sure they’re the same, and inform your readers of how you’re doing.

• It helps you stay motivated towards those goals. If you write one article a week to update on how much you saved or put towards your debt, it’ll help you track your adventure. Especially if you’re getting some traffic, you may feel more obligated to meet those goals and not look like an idiot to your peers.
  • Quick tip: Why not try and team up with some other frugal bloggers and comment on each other’s sites to motivate one another? Knowing someone is watching your blog and keeping your eye on others can really help in meeting those goals, too!
• You can make some good money out of it. Blogging makes you money. Especially if you’re a good writer and have what it takes to make your blog successful. Here are two main ways you can make money by blogging:
  • By allocating a little bit of time each week to write an article, you can sell your articles to blogs like ours. Writing about topics you love is fun, and getting paid for it is even more fun. If you’re interested in writing for Gaucho, you should check out our writer’s introduction page and contact us for more information!
  • You can sell advertising space on your blog. Whether you go through a service like BuySellAds to sell adspace on your site or you get in touch with companies yourself, advertisers pay good coin for sites that get a lot of traffic.
• You get to help others. By updating others on ways you saved, you’re helping others find better ways to save. It’s always good to give back to the community!

How Do I Start a Blog?

There are many ways you can start a blog. Since we’re frugal, we want the cheapest way. Lucky enough for us, the cheapest way is free. With sites like Blogger, LiveJournal, and WordPress, you can make a blog in minutes. There are tons of platforms that allow you to do this, but it’s up to you to decide which community is right for you and what you want to blog about.

If you want to take it a little more seriously, you can pick up some sweet and cheap templates at sites like ThemeForest, and shared hosting isn’t expensive on sites like Site5, HostPapa, and A Small Orange.

Oh, and Gaucho.com also has a pretty nifty blogging platform too. Blog alongside other frugal bloggers and share your experiences through our GauchoPages feature. Sign up to Gaucho today!

Are You Blogging Yet?

We’d love to read your blog just as you read ours – share your links in the comments, share your experiences, and don’t forget to check out our writer’s page to make some money on the side writing for the GauchoBlog!