When starting a blog or running any business, we desire to make maximum profit from minimal spending and that is important if you want to live frugally. Apart from getting the basics, such as paying for website hosting, a domain name, legal pages, a website theme, email marketing and social automation tools you should go on a frugal budget so you another end up putting all your savings into the blog without making from it. Right now, you have been thinking of the best frugal budget hack to save more money.
When starting a blog, you desire to get the most out of your blog with little finance. Deep down, you are thinking of the best “saving money tips”.
I have never seen anyone who wants to put all their finance into a business just to get little or nothing out.
One of the mistakes most new bloggers face is putting in too much money without a strategy to make income, after some time they start feeling frustrated and want to abandon your blog. Do not make these mistake I listed in the 13-common blogging mistakes and how to fix them.
That is why I have put down these tips on how to get blogging resources at a cheaper price and also help you create a unique budget.
What is Frugal Living?
Frugal living is all about being economical by spending your money wisely on only the essential things and cutting down your expenses on useless stuff ruthlessly. “A frugal person is someone who wants to get the most value for every dollar he earns”— DigitalGyd
Steps to Carry out an effective frugal Budget Hack
Create a monthly and yearly budget:
As a blogger, whether a newbie or you’ve been blogging for a while you need to be accountable to yourself and business.
When creating a monthly budget plan, you should put down your essential tools and important resources first. While those tools that less important should be the last things you purchase.
To live frugally, you must learn to understand and utilize the power of self-discipline. Because, without it, you are heading nowhere.
After creating a list of your monthly or yearly needs, you should carry out your evaluation processes based on their importance and expected outcome.
Examples of questions you should ask yourself when carrying your budgeting evaluation processes:
“I want to buy a digital course worth 1000 Dollars. Why should I pay for this particular e-course? Will this course change the dimension of business or improve my skills?”.
Frugal Budget Questions to Ask Yourself Before Paying for a Course
‘Has my blog been able to pay up to a thousand dollars since I started blogging?
Will, I make up to 1000 dollars after taking this course?”.
what effect will it have on the blog and where does this leave me in terms of growth?
Are there other courses that teach something similar at an affordable price with no distinguishing results?
These are a few questions you may want to ask yourself while budgeting to get a tool or make payments for a subscription.
Note; Whatever you are putting your money into, the value you get should exceed the money used for purchase.
Do Not Spend more than You earn monthly: You must manage your finances properly and for someone trying to live frugally, spending more than you earn wouldn’t be a nice.
How to Create a Budget – Best Frugal Budget Hacks
1. Create a List of things you need to get your blog running:
Use a spreadsheet to make a list of tools and resources you will need to get your blog running. Place these tools according to your priorities.
E.g; As a newbie with an email list less than 1000. It will be inadvisable to use a paid email marketing software, at least for the first few months until your list exceeds 1000.
So many bloggers use Mailchimp, Mailmunch and Mailerlite until they have a larger list.
Pro Tips: Unless your blog is bringing income that can cover 2x Your monthly expenditure, you need to reduce your usage of paid tools especially those with a recurrent subscription.
2. Purchase your Blogging tools using a priority Table:
Purchase your tools using the prioritised list you made in step one. Example on your list you have “paying for Tailwind and buying an e-course”. You know paying for Tailwind should come first becomes that is a sustainable way to drive consistent traffic to your blog. If you are not on Tailwind, use Tailwind for free for a month using this link That should be primary, while the digital course which may be on ‘how to Finesse your blogging skill” should be secondary.
3. Use free tools until there is a need to get Paid Tools:
I have been using certain free tools like Mailchimp+Mailmunch for email marketing until next year when I will have to use paid software because my list is growing bigger.
Example: When I started looking for a way to build a free resource library in Wordpress. I researched severally on how to deliver my resource library password and freebie until I found a trick on getting it done using Sumo.
That is what I have been using in the last six months and it works perfectly.
Avoid putting so much recurrent investments into your blog unless you have a strategy on how to make money.
But the first few months, please keep it down until you start making a few bucks that could at least be used to maintain your blog.
When I first built my landing page, I used the free Elementor page builder until there was a need to go pro. I discovered a method to get it for a non-recurrent cost of $4 or $14, this sounds amazing, right?
4. Stick to your Budget:
Sticking to your budget can be difficult but the best road to financial freedom and wise investments is having a great budget, also sticking to it.
It helps you tell direct your money where to go each month and it comes with the feeling that you are in control and can plan for the future.
Have you ever gone to the mall with a list, only to return with items higher than your budgeted price?
If you must survive your first few months of blogging without going broke, you need to learn to stick your budget.
The goal of almost every business is to get the maximum profit from a minimum investment. It is called living “champagne life on a zobo (a local Nigerian drink) budget“.
Here are 7 Frugal Budget Hacks that will help you spend less and gain more resources.
Frugal Budget Hacks to get Blogging and Tools Resources at a Cheaper rate
Branding in blogging is becoming so important and you want your blog to be chosen over your competitors. Bloggers tend to buy lots of templates such as Pinterest templates, Canva designed templates for different social platforms and blog promotions, Blog planners and other kinds of templates too numerous mention. Lol.
For any blogging business to survive you need these templates, themes and plugins to make the work easier and especially for a Wordpress site, plugins are required to look professional.
Also, to grow your blog, you need templates ranging from Pinterest templates, Plug and play email marketing templates for bloggers, Instagram templates, Landing pages, even sales pages and tripwire offers and these will cost you a fortune if you do not find your way around them.
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1. Frugal Budget hack for Purchasing Pinterest Graphics and Templates:
If you are very conversant with the trends in blogging, you will know Pinterest is not a social platform but a search engine which can help you triple your blog traffic and even surge your email list and sales.
I am currently trying out different strategies to grow my traffic using Pinterest and my go-to tool is Tailwind. You can get one month of a free trial using this link.
Pinterest is a visually compelling site which means people will click on a very good and appealing pin compared to a pin with bad designs. I never understood this until I downloaded beautiful Pinterest through Envato Elements and that was the Game changer.
You can design your own Pinterest templates using Canva or have access to different templates from Envato elements. When I got these templates, it made things a lot easier for me, but guess how much I got these templates? I used a friend’s account which was given to me by him and I had access to lots of beautiful templates.
2. Frugal Budget Hack for Purchasing themes and plugins:
I don’t think there is any blog that will survive without plugins. On sites like Envato, you can download plugins, e-book templates, workbooks and other blogging resources after you make a monthly or yearly subscription.
If you can pay for a monthly fee, make a list of resources you will need, download them onto a hard drive.
Envato elements:
This is very useful, you can have access to unlimited Graphic and presentation templates, WordPress themes & plugins, Stock photos, design assets, fonts, 3D & add-ons, Video templates & stock video, Music tracks & sound effects, Courses & eBooks for a monthly fee of 16 dollars.
P.S: You don’t have to pay monthly. Whenever I have access t this site, I download all the resources I will be needing into a drive and have them there until I need them especially stock photos and templates.
Best Themes Plugin:
When I tried the building landing pages on my blog and there was a need for more. I wanted a landing page that could accommodate the quiz page and the page for the e-book. I needed a page builder and every review had Elementor pro plugin. But, for a blogger trying to live frugally while making my few bucks.
The search to find a cheaper price and cut the cost of running the blog as much as I can. I went in search of coupon codes that could enable me to purchase the Elementor pro plugin for free and I stumbled upon the Best theme Plugin page.
I got the Elementor pro plugin for an unbelievable, non-recurrent price of $4 and it has been working perfectly without complications. It does sound crazy right?
This is a better option because you don’t have to pay monthly or yearly for it and you also have support available to you. Most plugins and themes are sold on best themes between 4 and $10 and you do not have to pay monthly for these plugins.
On Best Themes and Plugins, you either buy a particular product and get a lifetime to it and also you will be able to receive updates whenever a new version is launched or you could become a member where the least price is about $14 a month or $50 a year.
You can have lifetime access to different tools for a fee of 99 dollars. this is super crazy and cheap.
Ps: I noticed a lot of page builders on that site.
3. Frugal Budget Hack for Purchasing E-Courses
Getting similar courses that are free: In other to be successful as a blogger you need to be exposed to information and most of this information is not available for free.
You may admire a particular blogger and would love to be exposed to their material or coaching services but your blog income may not be able to provide it then. Learn how to use alternative courses that are affordable.
Example; I have been a fan of Melyssa Griffin and I want one of her courses badly but right now, I can’t afford it so I had to outsource for a piece of similar information elsewhere.
These days, we have lots of free courses swimming around the internet which may not be the exact thing you want but may guide you until you can afford the course of your choice.
Co- Purchasing e-courses:
As bloggers, especially new bloggers you need proven information that works and you may not be able to get them just searching on Google because, if you can agree with me, there are a lot of conflicting post on the internet.
E.g If you for “how to grow your blog using Pinterest”, you will find many conflicting posts on the best strategy to use. Some will advise you to post using a ratio of 20:80 (20% of yours and 80% of others) some will advise you use 50:50.
Can you imagine how conflicting all these can be? But there are proven strategies that work. The best will be using an expert in that field because you will be walked through each process.
Have you ever tried to co-purchase a course with some other blogger that may be in the same situation as you?
I know digital course creators will frown at sharing their materials which is not great by the way. But I’ll advise that if you need a material to grow and you can’t afford it yet.
Find someone who would be willing to pay half of the fee and you both could purchase the material, have access to them and grow.
This will help you get access to the information you need whilst you grow and at the same time save some money for other things.
4. Frugal Budget Hacks for Getting Email Marketing Softwares:
Email marketing should be very important to every blogger who wants to make money or concerned with growing their list. This is especially for newbies.
Pro bloggers will ask you to start professionally and I have read about other bloggers share that their newsletter opening rates increased when they switched from the regular Mailchimp to other emailing software. I am not sure about this yet.
But, if you have a list, less than a thousand and you do not have much money to invest yet, you could start small and grow big, I call it “The Kangaroo guide”.
Here is a list of Email Softwares that are almost free and Affordable:
1. Mailchimp:
Mailchimp is one of the most popular and oldest email marketing software online businesses use to deliver newsletters to their subscribers. If you wish to have an email list without spending all your savings during your first year of blogging, you should use Mailchimp.
Mailchimp allows you to have a list of about 1000 persons and you can carry out email campaigns for free. It is a good start for a beginner.
2. Mailerlite:
Mailerlite is also one of the most wildly used email marketing software especially for free. It has beautiful features and layouts compared to Mailchimp. But your account needs to be approved before you can use Mailerlite
3. Sumo:
I used Sumo to deliver my freebie. In the first few months, I noticed it wasn’t converting properly. My friend called my attention to how he downloaded my e-book from the blog and his email did not register on my list.
So, I switched to Mailmuch and Mailchimp. When using Sumo for free, you cannot send out newsletter or campaigns. To use Sumo, you need to integrate it with another email marketing software.
4. Mailmuch:
Mailmunch is another email marketing software that beginners could use to deliver freebies and also surge their email list.
But, Mailmunch has some limiting factors with their free package, you can have a list up to a thousand-persons but cannot send email campaigns.
This is a limiting factor for those who want the software for free.
Especially, since the goal is to reduce expenses until you have a larger list or have an income that can sustain the blog.
5. Frugal Budget Hacks for Getting Stock Photos:
In the business of blogging, photos are as important as your write-ups.
Stock photos can be used for promotional materials, Pinterest marketing, newsletters and social media marketing etc.
When starting a blog, you don’t need to have a professional camera to have access to free stock photos that could be used on your Pinterest templates, Opt-in freebies, blogpost and social media platforms.
This post contains a list of 18-sites to get free stock photos for your blog. You can also get a collection of photos from the creative market, for an affordable price or download from Envato elements once you create an account.
Some bloggers gift stock photos in exchange for your email, you could try that whenever you see an opportunity.
P.S: These best frugal budget hacks are important if you want to live frugally.
You need to learn how to improvise especially if you are a Newbie because even while trying to look professional if you do not have a planned spending strategy you may end up getting frustrated after spending like a month without traffic or income.
How do you save and reduce the cost of running your blog monthly? Would you rather choose a one-time payment? What are your best frugal budget hacks you use to spend less?
I want to read your opinion too.
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