For over a year, I've been reading blogs that are witty, informative, and creative. I keep telling myself, "I could be doing that for a living!" So I find a website that tells you how to make money with a blog and read the whole thing. At that point, I'm still pretty sure I could do it and succeed, but the actual set up of the blog is a little intimidating. I pick a subject that I know a lot about (such as being a mommy) and write a couple of posts for it. But then I chicken out because the layout of my blog isn't cute enough and my posts are wordy rather than concise. Besides, don't you have to write, like, 100 posts before anyone starts reading your blog? And then you're STILL not making money. I swear I've started about 15 different blogs with different subject matter and ended up deleting them all. I mean, I'm no Six Sisters. I don't even have a sister!
But today I realized something. My previous blogs all lacked luster because I was pretending to be something I'm not. I may have good organization ideas, but more often than not, my house is a mess. I love to cook, but most days it's easiest to fall back on a tried and true recipe like beef stew or spaghetti. I try to eat healthy most of the time, but there are days I just need to eat half a pan of brownies. I have great parenting ideas and techniques, but as the mother of a 1 year old, I lack experience. I love DIY projects and ideas (my pinterest board is full of them!) but I don't have the time, energy, or resources to complete most of them.
But I do have ideas and experiences that are relevant to my life and to my peers. Just because I'm not an expert in any one area doesn't mean I shouldn't have a voice.
More than that, though, I can't afford to keep my mouth shut anymore. I need to do something to earn money without sacrificing my position as a stay-at-home mom. We are a family of three and we rent a single wide trailer and survive on one income. My husband is working on a college degree by going to school full-time online while he works a full-time job making just a few dollars over minimum wage. His current job isn't a bad one, but his paychecks just cover our rent, electricity, insurance, phone, and internet. Our food and gas and other necessities have been covered by the overtime he works. But, there was a change in store policy and he found out this week that overtime is no longer approved except for emergencies. Wonderful news right before Christmas, isn't it? We make just a couple of dollars over the cut-off for food stamps and WIC helps, but not enough. We would like to get rid of our health insurance (baby will still be covered by the state) so we can save over $350 a month, but I have just been diagnosed with eczema that requires prescription medication and my husband has been seeing a chiropractor.
I don't want to put my daughter in daycare in order to get a part-time job because I'd basically be putting my entire paycheck towards childcare. We don't have family close enough to watch her for free. And, although I joined doTERRA International as an independent product consultant, I'm not making enough money to keep my head above water Since I don't have a car (my husband takes it to work most days), it's hard to promote my business. Don't get me wrong, I'm not quitting because I love their essential oils and continue to use them every day. I just can't count on it as a reliable source of income.
Which brings me back to this blog. I need to make money and I'm out of ideas. And although we need money for things like a second vehicle and a Christmas tree, the main thing I want to earn money for is a house. That's the American dream, right? Do what you love to earn enough money to have your own house so you can raise a family in a financially stable setting. So here I am. Trying to earn money while I husband is finishing up his degree.
So, all I ask of you is to ChipIn if you are inspired by what you read here on my blog. Whether you can afford 50 cents or $20, every donation puts us that much closer to our dream. And thank you for reading! :)
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