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My 7 Year Blogiversary: What I’ve Learned And Love About Blogging

Last Updated: March 19, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 105 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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My 7 Year Blogiversary: What I’ve Learned And Love About Blogging #blogging #howtostartablog #earlyretirement #travelblogger #digitalnomadIn August of 2011, just seven years ago, I started Making Sense of Cents.

It’s crazy to think that I started my blog seven years ago, especially when I consider all of the amazing things it has done for my life.

It was something I started and worked on in addition to my full-time day job as a financial analyst, and around two years after I started this blog, I quit my day job to blog full-time.

Blogging changed my life for the better, and it allows me to earn thousands of dollars a month, all by doing something that I love.

But, let’s rewind a little.

You may have heard this from me before, but the funny thing is that I created my blog on a whim after reading about a personal finance website in a magazine. It started as a hobby to track my own personal finance progress, and I honestly didn’t even know that people could make money blogging!

I knew absolutely nothing about blogging and I didn’t have any goals for Making Sense of Cents.

In case you are new here, I used to work as an analyst at an investment banking and valuation firm. I chugged along working the 8-5, Monday through Friday grind and didn’t see myself having an enjoyable future there. I had a stressful job filled with lots of deadlines and responsibilities that just didn’t interest me. Yes, I know this is the norm for some people, but I just couldn’t imagine myself living like that for 40+ years.

Blogging was an outlet for my stressful day job, and my interest quickly grew, even though it was just a hobby. It gave me space to write about my personal finance situation, have a support group, to keep track of how I was doing, and more. I did not create Making Sense of Cents with the intention of earning an income, but after only six months, I began to make money blogging.

A friend I met through the blogging community connected me with an advertiser, and I earned $100 from that advertisement deal.

That one deal sparked my interest in taking my blog more seriously and learning how to make even more money blogging.

I now earn a great living from my blog, and it all started on a whim, not even knowing that blogs could make money.

Blogging completely changed my life for the better, and I urge anyone who is interested to learn how to start a blog as well.

Blogging has allowed me to take control of my finances and earn more money. It means I can work from home, travel whenever I want, have a flexible schedule, and more!
I have had some of the most amazing experiences ever since building my blog – I have lived and traveled across the U.S. in an RV, bought and now live on a sailboat, and take some pretty incredible vacations!

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And, all of this happened because I started some random blog seven years ago.

I made so many mistakes, and I still make mistakes today. But, I continue to learn and improve, which has shaped this blog into what it is today.

I was so afraid to quit my job when I did, especially for a blog.

So many people thought I was absolutely crazy and making the worst decision of my life. Especially since my husband quit his job at the same time!

It’s now been almost five years since I worked for someone else.

Five years since I commuted to work.

Five years since I’ve been location independent.

Five years that I’ve been my own boss.

When I sit back and really think about it, I am still in disbelief that starting some blog has led me to where I am today.

And, I am so very grateful. Extremely grateful.

Here are five things I’ve learned about blogging and myself over the years.

 

There’s always something to learn.

Blogging is not a get rich quick scheme, and anyone who tells you that it is (or acts like it is) is lying.

Blogging is not easy.

And, you won’t make $100,000 your first month blogging.

Blogging can be a lot of work, and there is always something to learn. Something is always changing in the blogging world, which means you will need to continue to learn and adapt to the technology around you. This includes learning about social media platforms, running a website, growing your platform, writing high quality content, and more.

This is something that I love about blogging – it’s never stale and there’s always a new challenge.

 

I enjoy being in control and being my own boss.

I never had dreams of being my own boss. I always thought I’d work for some corporation.

Then I started blogging and realized how much I love being my own boss.

I love being in complete control of what I do, and becoming self-employed may allow you to feel that way as well. I enjoy deciding what I will do each day, creating my own schedule, determining my business goals, handling everything behind the scenes, and more.

I actually have a rule in my life/business that says I don’t do anything unless I want to. While I still say yes to many amazing opportunities, I’m not doing anything that feels like a total drag or is against my beliefs. This has really helped improve my work-life balance, which is great because being able to choose how you earn a living amounts to making sure you love everything you do.

I honestly love each and every service I provide – writing online, promoting everything, networking, interacting with readers, and more.

Running an online business (and being your own boss) may not be for everyone, but it’s something I enjoy.

 

Bloggers make great friends.

So many bloggers see other bloggers as enemies or competition, and this is a huge mistake.

As a blogger or other influencer (such as on Instagram), you should make it your mission to network and to do it successfully and genuinely.

Networking is very important if you want to create a successful blog. Bloggers should be open to making blogging friends, attending blog conferences, sharing other blogs’ content with their readers, and more.

However, I believe that many bloggers skip this area, which holds many of them back.

Networking can help you enjoy blogging more, learn new things about blogging, learn how to make money blogging, make great connections, and more. If you want to make money blogging like I have done, then you will want to network with others! After all, networking is the reason why I learned how to make money blogging in the first place!

The key is to be genuine and to give more than you take, which are the two main things I always tell people when it comes to networking. I receive so many emails every day from people who clearly aren’t genuine, and it’s very easy to see.

I’ve made great friends who are bloggers and influencers, and it’s truly a great community to be in.

 

Having a flexible schedule is amazing.

One of the best things about working for yourself and being a blogger is that you can have a flexible schedule.

I can work as far ahead as I want to, I can create my own work schedule, and more.

I love being able to work for a few hours in the morning, do something fun during the day (such as a hike or a lunch with friends), and then work later at night when I have nothing planned. I can also schedule appointments during the day and it’s really no big deal.

I can work at night, in the morning, on the weekends – I can work whenever.

 

Location independence allows me to work from wherever.

Being location independent over the past five years has been great.

I love being able to work from wherever I am, and it’s allowed me some of the best experiences I’ve had, like living in an RV and now on a sailboat. All I need is an internet connection and my laptop. Can’t beat that!

The only problem with being location independent is that it can be hard to separate work from the rest of your life. You may find yourself working all the time, no matter where you are, and while that may seem great, being able to take a true vacation can be a hard task.

However, I’m not going to complain because the work-life balance I’m rocking right now is great.

What major change have you made in your life?

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Filed Under: Blog, Extra Income Tagged With: Blog, Extra Money, Self-employment

About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Michelle is the founder of Making Sense of Cents, a blog about personal finance and traveling. She discusses how her business has evolved in her side income series. She paid off $40,000 in student loans by the age of 24 mainly due to her freelancing side hustles. Click here to learn more about starting a blog!

Comments

  1. Emenike Emmanuel says

    September 5, 2018 at 6:54 pm

    This is pure gold, Michelle.

    Happy Blogversary and congratulations!

    You inspire me big time. My business blog will be 2 years on 21st September, 2018.

    Since I came across your blog in 2016, it made me realize that I could make money from this blogging thingy so I held on to it.

    I had options to work for people but I said no because it won’t give me the chance to focus on the blog so that it will generate income faster.

    Look at me, blogging has changed my life.

    Thanks for creating this platform.

    Emenike

    Reply
  2. EcoAnouk says

    September 8, 2018 at 6:38 am

    This is so inspiring, Michelle. Happy 7 years of blogging! Cheers to many, many more!

    Thanks for being such a motivation, and for so readily sharing what you have learnt over the years!

    Reply
  3. The Daily Hustle says

    September 9, 2018 at 4:11 pm

    This is so inspirational!

    I started my blog back in February but left it alone for a few months not posting any content (I have a real problem with procrastination…)

    Reading this has given me so much motivation to keep on pushing with blogging!

    Reply
  4. Pearl says

    September 10, 2018 at 2:57 pm

    Happy 7th blogverssary Michelle. You are #goals. Thank you for being honest about blogging being hard. I started my blog back in May this year, it’s such an amazing, exciting, frustrating and tiring journey all at once.

    Reply
  5. Serena says

    September 14, 2018 at 3:19 pm

    Happy Blogversary.! You have given me hope I am 1 year next week and yes it is hard. Thanks for the honesty.
    Great post.

    Reply
  6. Jessica @ The Budget Savvy Bride says

    September 16, 2018 at 8:20 pm

    Huge congratulations on your blogiversary! You’ve been such an inspiration. Can’t wait to see what’s ahead for you 🙂

    Reply
  7. Jaime says

    September 17, 2018 at 2:40 pm

    I agree with you…other bloggers aren’t your enemies. For some reason many bloggers seem to get hung up on that that there are other bloggers out there besides them. In other industries people don’t care as much if their field is saturated i.e. Nursing, software development, the law, engineering, accounting, graphic design, web design, illustration, etc.

    But for some reason bloggers feel threatened by the fact that a lot of talented people are blogging but any industry that has been around for roughly 20 years will attract talent. I wish bloggers could be more supportive of each other. 😀

    Reply
  8. Chris says

    September 18, 2018 at 11:51 am

    Congrats on 7 years Michelle. I hit my 10 years blogging in August however I didn’t have near the success as you.

    One question I have for you is how much content do you write in a given month especially for someone who’s starting out.

    Reply
  9. Holly says

    September 19, 2018 at 10:06 pm

    Happy Blogiversary!

    Reply
  10. Nicole says

    September 21, 2018 at 2:06 pm

    Happy 7th Anniversary, Michelle. I’ve been blogging for 4 years and am starting to treat it a little more seriously this year, spending 80% of my time on non-writing tasks such as boosting email opt-ins, marketing, and sales.

    Blogging is indeed a very time-consuming career and I find myself working close to 90 hours a week on the blog. In fact, I was on the verge of a mini burnout early this week and had to force myself to disconnect for a few hours. I will refer back to your blog often to get the motivation I need. Looking forward to reading more of your inspirational and well-written posts! 🙂

    Reply
  11. Financial Orchid says

    September 29, 2018 at 10:54 am

    Congrats! Really happy to see after 7 years that it’s still the suitable life choice for you! Of course there’s also the impressive results but the community culture definitely can’t be discounted either!

    Reply
  12. Madolyn says

    September 30, 2018 at 9:37 pm

    Hi Michelle,

    Wish you a happy Anniversary!

    I started my blog https://balanceoflife.xyz/ about 3 months ago. I appreciate your selfless sharing and guideline which inspired me a lot. It shows me the possibility. Right now, I still have a lot to learn. Thanks again!

    Reply
  13. Andy says

    October 9, 2018 at 6:43 pm

    That’s an incredible story, and congratulations. It’s definitely a lot of hard work.
    How often did you blog when you first started?

    Reply
  14. Steve says

    October 19, 2018 at 5:49 pm

    Michelle! Congratulations on your 7 year anniversary! You’re an inspiration to myself and others. I’m very thankful for all your hard work. Love seeing your success! It’s much deserved!

    Reply
  15. Renee Benes says

    February 8, 2019 at 5:47 am

    Talk about dream job!! It must feel so amazing to have come so far! Congrats on your 5 years of full time blogging!

    Reply
  16. amy Wisdom says

    June 5, 2019 at 1:11 pm

    Hello there,
    I am only about 2 months into my blog and I do feel like I have learned A LOT, but still have so much more to learn. I love reading realistic posts like yours. Some people make it seem way too easy. It’s not easy. I feel like I work a part time-full time job and don’t get paid. But, like I said, I do not know much about computers, nothing about social media/graphic design/photography, but people come to my blog and that makes me happy! Even though it’s no more than 3 people a day!
    You give me inspiration and the drive to carry on.
    Happy Anniversary & congrats on such a successful blog.
    Regards
    Amy

    Reply
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My name is Michelle and I'm the author/owner of Making Sense of Cents. Learning how to save money and make more money changed my life. It allowed me to pay off $40,000 in student loans, start my own business, and I now travel full-time.

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