10 Surprising Ways to Save Money as a Blogger

by | Jul 10, 2020 | Blogging | 39 comments

[social_warfare ]

Blogging could be really challenging, not to mention expensive, especially if you are like me who treats blogging as a business and not just a hobby. I made so many spending mistakes in the past that’s why I decided to write this article in which I’ll share with you the many ways you didn’t know you can do to save money as a blogger.

Before I begin, I would like to let you know that I’m a firm believer in investing in myself, particularly in my knowledge, because I know that it will help me become successful someday.

So if you think that this post will be all about FREE stuff, then you are entirely wrong. While I will be sharing some free resources with you, my aim in this post is to guide you in investing in the right tools and resources that will help you save money (and time) in the long run.

Now if this is something that resonates with you, let’s dive right in!

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links which means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here.

WAYS TO SAVE MONEY AS A BLOGGER


#1. INVEST IN A GOOD LAPTOP

invest in a good laptop to save money as a blogger

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had so many bad experiences with low-cost laptops in the past (e.g. losing all my work and freezing in the middle of a client presentation on multiple occasions *yikes*).

I was so frugal that I felt that I was saving money by buying a budget laptop when in reality, it was costing me more.

So I finally gave in to peer pressure and bought myself a MacBook Air. I’ve never looked back since.

I never had to worry about maintenance or its lifespan. I had mine for almost 5 years until I recently upgraded to a MacBook Pro for my Graphic Design studies. Until now, my MacBook Air works perfectly fine.

That’s why whenever I see people on Facebook groups asking what’s the best laptop for blogging, I always recommend MacBook which is hands down the best investment one could ever make.

Although it costs more than the average laptop, it will definitely help you save money as a blogger in the long term, not to mention you will never have to experience pulling your hair out every time you lose that blog draft you’ve worked so hard for.

(Note: I am not against other brands. I’m simply sharing what works well for me.)

#2. GET AN EXCELLENT WEB HOST AND CHOOSE A LONG-TERM PLAN

choose a good web host to save money as a blogger

As a busy blogger, the last thing you would want is to be with a web host that does not satisfy your blogging needs and then going through the hassle of transferring to another host which may charge you for the migration service.

I chose Siteground as my web host provider and I highly recommend it mainly because of their excellent customer service. You can get it for as low as $4.95/month and I can help you set it up here.

The only thing I regret is not getting a longer subscription which is the 36-month plan. The thing is, once the initial term is over, I will have to pay the regular price per month which is twice what I’m currently paying.

Aside from Siteground, you may check out Bluehost which is also recommended by professional bloggers. It is a cheaper option and if you choose their 36-month plan, you only have to pay $3.95/month, unlike their 12-month plan with which you have to pay $5.95/month.

#3. DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE PURCHASING A THEME

I’m all for saving money and I understand that you might opt for a free theme and that’s okay. I’ve been there.

Do take note though, that by getting a free theme, it may be difficult to get support if something goes wrong, not to mention there may be features you need but will not get with a free theme.

But if you do decide to buy a premium theme, which I highly recommend, make sure to do your research.

I wasted a lot of money buying themes in the past that were either not compatible with Elementor or did not suit my blogging needs.

For my current blog, I actually had to go through the long process of restructuring it with a new theme THREE TIMES and I hated myself for not doing my research and investing in a good theme in the first place.

So much of my time went to waste just because I was too lazy to search for better options.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is, if you have basic requirements for your blog, then a free theme may be a good option.

But if you’re like me who prefers special features and lifetime support, then do yourself a favor and buy yourself a nice premium theme from the very beginning (after careful research).

This will help you save a lot of time so you could focus on actually generating income from your blog.

I’m currently using Hello Sassafras by Hello You Design Studio and it’s amazing! You can find it on Etsy.

Here are my other recommended websites where you can find the best AFFORDABLE premium themes:

#4. BUY COURSES/EBOOKS IN BULK

If you want to be a successful blogger, you have to learn from the experts.

And trust me, they don’t just give away all their precious knowledge for free.

Yes, it could be pretty expensive especially if you are just starting.

But like I said in the beginning, I love investing in my personal development so one thing I do to save money as a blogger while getting all the knowledge I need is to purchase courses and ebooks in bulk.

The first ebook bundle I purchased was the Business Bundle by Stray Curls.

business bundle by stray curls

For less than $100USD, I got 3 ebooks, 1 planner, 1 workbook, plus 6 bonuses!

There’s so much valuable information inside that I’m able to use to improve my blog so I must say it’s a good investment.

My second bundle purchase was the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit from Ultimate Bundles and that’s when I officially became a bundle addict.

For an investment of less than $100USD, I was able to get a collection of 93 ebooks, courses, and workbooks which covered everything I needed to know about blogging. It’s been three months and I still haven’t finished the whole thing!

It’s only available for a few days each year but I’ll post it in The Blog Shop once it’s on again.

the blog shop

In the meantime, you can find more course bundles in my shop which you can check out through the button below.

#5. SEARCH FOR FREE RESOURCES ONLINE

free resources to help you save money as a blogger

Investing is crucial in the blogging business, but if you can find FREE resources that can help you save money as a blogger, then why not take advantage of them?

There are so many FREE resources online if you have the patience to look such as blogging courses, Pinterest templates, blog planners, and stock photos.

I also have tons of amazing tools in my FREE resource library which you can sign up for below.

 

Gain instant access to my FREE Resource Library!

By signing up, you’ll get exclusive access to my social media templates, planners, guides, and other amazing deals and freebies!

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#6. JOIN REFERRAL PROGRAMS

Are you aware that you can actually earn credits by simply referring your friends to a product you love?

That way, you can save and earn money as a blogger while enjoying the perks of a specific product/program.

Here are some good referral programs you should join:

  • TAILWIND – Get a $15 credit when you refer someone who upgrades to a Plus Plan.
  • CONVERTKIT – Unlock 100 more subscribers for every friend you refer.
  • CASH REWARDS – Earn $10 when you refer someone who makes a transaction worth $20.
  • CANVA – Receive 1 Canva Credit for every friend you refer which you can save and use to buy premium elements for your next creative project.
  • APPSUMO – Get $10 once your referral makes their first purchase.
  • FIVERREarn up to $100 for every friend who signs up and makes their first purchase.
  • SWAGBUCKS – Get 300 SB Bonus when your referral earns 300SB within their first 30 days. You’ll also get 10% of their SB earnings for life.

#7. BE ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Did you know that social media is the best place where you can advertise your blog for FREE?

Well, I’m sure you’re already aware of that. But the real question is… are you taking advantage of it?

One great way to utilize this is to join Facebook Groups. Personally, I’m a member of 30+ groups on Facebook and they really help me gain blog traffic and grow my other social media accounts.

I even got my first affiliate sale through a Facebook group and it costed me zero dollars!

If you’re not sure which ones to join, I’ve compiled a list of 70+ Facebook groups that you can get if you sign up for my newsletter here.

You can also try growing your own Facebook Group just like Sasha from Everyday She’s Sparkling.

Finally, you can take advantage of your Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Savvy Social School has some great social media courses which are a bit costly but could be a good investment especially if you would like to focus on social media marketing for your blog.

#8. BE ACTIVE ON PINTEREST

One thing you should know about Pinterest is that it’s not a social network. It’s a search engine.

It’s also an effective way to drive traffic to your blog without spending a single cent.

If you’re not sure how to get started with Pinterest, I recommend you take this FREE Pinterest Challenge by Cate Rosales that will teach you how to boost your traffic by optimizing your account.

You might also be interested in taking these premium but affordable Pinterest courses:

Pinterest from P to T by Marina Iapichino

Pinterest Popular by Nadalie Bardo

Pinterest, Simplified by Cate Rosales

#9. PURCHASE A LEGAL TEMPLATE BUNDLE

You might be wondering, “Why do I have to buy legal templates when there are so many free templates online?” or “How is this going to save me money as a blogger?”.

Well, let me tell you this… You can skip buying premium themes or blogging tools but NEVER EVER skip getting yourself a proper legal template.

Ask a lawyer. With professionally-drafted legal templates, you can save yourself from potentially getting sued not to mention spare you from tons of legal fees.

These will also give you confidence that you cannot get from free legal templates.

The four main legal pages you need are Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, Disclaimers, and Affiliate Disclosure.

Luckily, you can buy them all in one bundle which will cost you less than if you buy them individually.

Here are some great options:

Still not sure whether to invest in legal templates? Take this free legal course now!

#10. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LIFETIME DEALS

Finally, have you ever wondered what it’s like to use a program/software without having to pay for it every month just like the old times?

Taking advantage of lifetime deals is definitely a great way to save money as a blogger because you only have to pay for it once, therefore taking away the burden of paying for a monthly subscription forever.

Here are some awesome lifetime deals I found from AppSumo that you can get for as low as $49 each:

Surely, there are many other ways to save money as a blogger but those are my favorites. How about you? What do you do to save money and which products do you invest on as a blogger? Let me know below and please don’t forget to share. 🙂

[social_warfare ]
 

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Lauren Mullaly
3 years ago

Love this post. I bookmarked it and signed up for your newsletter. Glad to see fellow bloggers doing great <3

Heather
3 years ago

This is going to save a lot of newbies a lot of money. Couldn’t agree more with buy a long-term hosting plan. When I first started I only purchased 1 year at the discounted rate, the renewal price was such a HUGE increase. Now I make sure to max out the discounted term (usually 3 years).

Ivana Mearns
3 years ago

What a great and practical guide, thank you!

Jess
3 years ago

These are great tips!! I recently bought a bundle of blogger (and other business) courses and loved that I got such a big discount. Thanks for sharing! x

Amber
3 years ago

Amazing post! These are all great tips! I recently purchased a new web theme which is from Hello You Designs as well! I have the “Hello Boho” theme ✨🧡

Widny Lherisson
3 years ago

This post is golden and resourceful! I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve wasted money when I began blogging four years ago. Granted, I don’t regret most of the spending becasue most of it went towards investing in bettering myself. 

Thank you for sharing!

xoxo,
Widster

Robyn
3 years ago

Investing in my MacBook Pro was the first thing I did before I started my blog! It is definitely a worthy investment. Thank you for compiling these other great investments for me to consider. 😊

Harumi
3 years ago

This is super helpful!! Nice tips.

Sara
3 years ago

Extremely helpful! Definitely made some overspending mistakes when I started out lol

Jayanth
3 years ago

These are really handy and helpful tips for beginners in blogging. They may need to check this out before starting it. This might help them

Idalmis Holmes
3 years ago

Thanks so much for these great tips.Investing in a good laptop is one of the best things we did since we starting blogging. Thanks!

Jessica Dowell
Jessica Dowell
3 years ago

Thanks for the laptop recommendation! I’ve been thinking about making a new purchase.

Nathaie
3 years ago

Thank you so much for highlighting topics that bloggers tend to take for granted. Also, sometimes we just don’t know what we don’t know. I will make sure to refer back to this to improve my site.

Lekha Chellani
3 years ago

I am fairly new to the world of blogging and took it up as a hobby. I can definitely use some of these tips!

Ngumabi
3 years ago

I’ll also add that bloggers should research and learn certain things on their own to safe money. Thanks for these tips.

Rachel Roy
3 years ago

This is a great list of resources, nice work! I wish I had seen this list as I was first starting out. I started with everything free and am slowly purchasing. There are sooooooooo many courses out there, I am also a fan of the bundles.

Lois
3 years ago

For good list, I do use themeforest and really like it.

Faith
3 years ago

This is so Great. I blog about blogging too but I love this.

Sara
3 years ago

This is an amazing post! It can be quite costly to run a blog. For the most part, I search for free resources as there’s a lot of information available on the internet for free.

Tana
Tana
3 years ago

These are awesome tips! Blogging can be such a slow burn in the beginning it’s important to know how to spend your money in the right places as you’re working to monetize.

Summer
3 years ago

You’ve put together a great list of resources! I really like that you pointed out the long-term investment savings like with hosting plans or the lifetime deals on software, even though the up-front charge is higher, you save so much money.

Tegan
3 years ago

This is such a helpful post! I think a lot of bloggers try to go the “free” route and end up disappointed when they’re business doesn’t take off. I would say all of these items you mentioned are a MUST!

Hallie Sayre
3 years ago

Love this post! There are so many great free resources for bloggers so I love that you brought attention to that!

Delux Designs (DE), LLC

Great tips!

Tahryn
3 years ago

Such great tips! I’ve been burnt by a slow expensive theme too.. but lots to learn from here.

Ana de Jesus
3 years ago

This was such a comprehensive and well thought out blog post. You are right in saying that it is important to do your research before you choose a site theme!

Stephanie
Stephanie
3 years ago

This was so helpful for me to read! I already do a lot of these things, since I’ve been blogging (full-time) for five years – but there were still a few I was unfamiliar with. So thanks for sharing!

JoJo Hall
3 years ago

Great post with lots of tips!

Jo Anderson
3 years ago

Great money saving tips for bloggers. I love when there are course and ebook bundles, they are such a great value for all that comes with them.

Joha
3 years ago

These are super helpful! Thank you!

Sarah S
3 years ago

great list! I wish I had signed up for a long term hosting program ahead of time. Just starting to dig into Pinterest more consistently as well- will check out your suggestions. Thank you!

Jennifer Bradley
3 years ago

I definitely agree about being very selective about choosing a theme – that was a big money waster for me in the beginning!

Remonia
3 years ago

Great list! My top priority was getting a good laptop. Although you can complete a lot of blogging tasks on your phone and tablet, I find it’s much easier to use my laptop for certain tasks because I’m able to move faster.

Tracy Colon
3 years ago

Wow! This post was so full of info. I really need to get myself a legal bundle and a new theme. Will refer to this post for the future!

-Tracy
<a href=”https://www.findyourdazzle.com/”>Find Your Dazzle</a>

Isabella Gallatin
3 years ago

What a great post! There are so many helpful tips.

Stacy Zeal
3 years ago

Awesome tips! I’m always looking to cut back as a blogger.

Diana | cozyhomehacks
3 years ago

Great post, didn’t know Canva had a referral program. I also agree on the laptop point. I have a Lenovo one and it’s working great for me, but I am thinking about getting a MacBook.

Alondra
3 years ago

These are such great tips! I love the ebooks and courses bundles. This definitely saves you a lot of money.

Tammy Miller
3 years ago

This is a really great post. I will bookmark this so I can be more effective on my blog.
Thank you.

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