I’ve been a personal finance blogger for 7 years now and it’s been such an incredible journey for me. What started as a seemingly good use of my free time back when I wasn’t married and didn’t have a kid has continued consistently throughout the 7 years. Only twice have I missed getting a post up for a week, and many weeks I’ve been able to do more than one. You may wonder (and sometimes I do too), why do I keep blogging? Haven’t I run out of personal finance articles to put up, do I ever feel like I’m just repeating myself or even do I ever get tired of it? I thought I’d open up a little and share why I still enjoy and continue to be a blogger! 

I love writing

There was a point in my life when I didn’t actually enjoy writing, and it started back in elementary school. I was much more of a math and science student and hated writing. Maybe it was because I’m left handed and would smear the pencil writing across the page. Or maybe because I didn’t get the best grades on them and found it very subjective vs math and science and how there was always a right answer. 

Finally after graduating all of my schooling, I found that creative writing on a subject I’m passionate about (personal finance) is actually pretty fun. I also find it relaxing, and somewhat therapeutic for me. It helps me keep my life in perspective and especially when I write about some of the harder things in life (like when my car got stolen), it helps me process and overcome the issue. I also find it a helpful use of my time and instead of just scrolling the interwebs which I don’t find productive or relaxing, I’m able to make good use of my time and write! 

I’m learning

Some advice I got early on in life was to never stop learning. Whether it’s more formal with degrees or certificates or courses, or less formal with reading articles and researching online, learning is important. Continuing to maintain this blog has helped me continue learning in two main regards:

Firstly, it helps me continue learning and to stay sharp on my personal finance knowledge. I get questions all the time from friends or fans of the blog and sometimes I don’t know the answers. Also, as I grow and have new life experiences (getting married, buying a house, saving for retirement, being a landlord, having a kid), I have to do research and learn on those topics, and of course I’m happy to share them with my readers. 

Secondly, I’m learning professional skills, both about blogging and business. Over the years my site has grown from a free WordPress.com site to a fully hosted WordPress.org site. (here’s the story of how I run the blog). I’ve upgraded the site in various ways and have tried new plugins or services on the site. I’ve played around with Facebook advertisements. I even started another blog more around my love for travel and miles/points. I learned a lot from that blog and although I recently decided to shut it down, am thankful for the learning opportunities. 

I’m helping young professionals

I like to think one reason I continue blogging is because I’m helping young professionals get better at managing their personal finances. I don’t have it all figured out and my finances aren’t perfect, but I am able to share stories and lessons learned, as well as offer my two cents on personal finance matters. I’ve developed core YoungMoneyFinance principles and have all articles on the site reflect them. 

In addition to articles, I’ve also had the chance to engage on a more 1:1 level with readers and have been able to offer some personal consultations. It’s been fun watching folks improve and grow over time. I also developed my personal finance guides which I offer for $0.99 on the site. I find that it’s tough to get credible, ad-free, quality and brief knowledge on subjects. For example, if you’re trying to buy a house, just google ‘how to buy a house’ and see what comes up. You’ll likely be overwhelmed! I like to think my guides offer easy to read, understand and take action on advice for many things young professionals go through. 

I’m having fun with my side hustle 

This isn’t my full time job and I run this site on my own time as a side hustle. I always say that side hustles should (if possible) be somewhat fun for you. You likely grind away at your 40 hr/wk job so if you need a side hustle, hopefully it can be fun, different or unique! Although this blog isn’t a rockstar super high profile blog, it’s got consistent readership and I’m able to earn enough to pay for the hosting fees which as someone told me early on means I’ve made it big time as a blogger ha! I really enjoy running the site and watching it grow. 

So, with that in mind, these are the reasons I keep and plan to keep blogging!