My First Blogiversary

One year ago today my very first blog post went live. I was ridiculously nervous, which is hilarious because no one was actually reading my blog at that point. After a year I have to say I’m insanely proud of myself with all I’ve learned.

I’ve come a long way learning about coding, posting, and working with the amazing community of bloggers. I can’t wait to meet so many of the bloggers I’ve looked up to at FinCon next month.

I also never would have guessed how much of an impact blogging would have on my life as it has opened up an entirely new world to me. A world where striving to be debt free against tough odds is normal, where retirement at a young age isn’t all that strange, and there is a never-ending list of ideas on saving and making more money to help me reach my goals. It is a world of financial possibility and it is truly inspiring.

I would like to commend and thank all of the other personal finance bloggers that helped to create this world. I love that there are so many people out there striving to help others with their finances by sharing their own stories, it is what got me started sharing my own.

Blogging isn’t always easy

It hasn’t always been easy to keep up with the blog and I’ve hit some bumps along the way. I’ve cried from frustration, of trying to get coding right and it just. not. working. I’ve at times wanted to throw my computer out the window when trying to figure out Photoshop (it can be so frustrating!). But I always managed to eventually put on my big girl pants and keep going.

It is true what they say, anything worth doing is worth working hard for, and this blog is no exception. All the frustrations pale in comparisons to the rewards of being part of this community and sparking someone else’s interest in their own finances. Not to mention what having this blog has done for me.

Since I starting this blog:

• I’ve learned all about budgeting, even more about paying off debt, and new ways to side hustle.
• I’ve paid off all of my credit card debt, that at this time last year stood at $6,177.41
• While I still have a way to go on my other loans, I’ve paid off over $10k in debt,  $10,520.73 to be exact. The two years prior I’d only managed to pay off a little over $3k of my credit card debt. (seriously what was I doing those two years?!)
• I moved from the Boston area to Raleigh, NC and took a pay cut with it but still managed to pay off over $10k in debt
• Most importantly I’ve gotten to go along for the ride as other PF bloggers have reached their goals, whether it is being debt free (GoodNightDebt, DebtFreeJD, The Single Dollar), pursuing their dreams (The Finance Girl, Broke and Beautiful Life, Financially Blonde), or living a more simple life (Frugaling, Blonde On a Budget, Frugalwoods). A post about all of the amazing bloggers out there and their journeys could be a post in and of itself, so these are just a few of my favorites. I love that they too are willing to share their perspectives and insights. Seeing them reach their goals is a never-ending source of motivation for me to reach mine.

I wanted to also say a very special thanks to some of the first blogs that mentioned my little ole blog in one way or another. Thank you, Sunburnt Saver, Dear Debt, and Paying My Law School Debt. One last thank you to Dream Beyond Debt for nominating me for a Sunshine Blogger Award.

So what are my goals for year two?

• Continue to grow the site, to help people get started conquering their finances
• Grow my side hustle income to a consistent $1k per month
• Learn the correct spelling for Blogiversary (I have no idea if this is right)

Thank you all for reading, supporting, and keeping me going my first year of blogging, I look forward to many more.