Why I Started a Blog

I got personal and answered the big question of the week: Why I Started a Blog. The answer may surprise you… www.abitofsimplicity.com

Okay, so I have just recently started sharing my blog on social media. Sharing on Pinterest and Twitter was easy; I don’t “know” those people! But sharing on Facebook was tough. I have had a lot of people ask me why I wanted to start a blog and I figured, why not tell you??

Why was sharing on Facebook so tough? Mainly because I was going to be opening up about LB’s Story (you can start reading that here if you are curious), but also because I was now opening up my self to be critiqued by my peers. –Thankfully, they have been amazing so far!–

But WHY start a blog?!

I have had so many people ask me WHY I wanted to start a blog. The answer is simple really. I started my blog for two reasons: to help others (from sharing my passion for things all natural/essential oils to sharing LB’s Journey) and to help my husband.

Now, HOW can this blog help my husband? Well, let me tell you a few things about my husband.

First of all, he’s wonderful (insert the typical Wheel of Fortune self intro here: “Married to my WONDERFUL husband, J” haha I’ll stop now…) He’s completely selfless and puts our family (and others) way ahead of himself.

So, when we found out about LB, I told him that I wanted to stay home with her for at least a year – it may even be longer than that. Even though he never said anything, I could tell he wasn’t thrilled. I had just started working after 7 years of college (no, I’m not a doctor… I wish I could rock that pay scale… it just took me that long to complete college with having two kids during the process. Whoops).

So, for the first time in 7 years, he finally was not stuck with the entire financial burden of taking care of us. He’s never complained, and he probably never will, but I see how worn out he is. He works hard for us.

We are so blessed to have him.

However, even before we got LB’s diagnosis, I knew I wanted to be able to stay home with her. She’s our last baby (yes, I’m sure- J wanted one, I wanted three… I think we see who won) and I know how quickly time will fly by. I really wanted to be able to stay home with her, and K because he still isn’t old enough for school either & he’s growing up so quickly!

It didn’t take him long to understand how important this time with them is to me and he agreed. So, being the Mr. Crazy-Finance-Freak-of-Nature he is, he came up with a plan and we began putting money aside to afford my year home- but it still isn’t the “cure all” for our financial dilemma.

So, how does this all play into starting a blog?

I scoured the internet, racked my brain, and drove myself crazy trying to think of a way to make things possible. Trying to think of ways to help ease some of his financial burdens while at home.

I ran across many articles that talked about making money through blogging. It seemed like an impossible dream (and it still does), but what if it could work?

What if I could make a little extra to help him out? Yet, at the same time, do something I absolutely love: writing. AND still be able to stay at home with LB while she needs me. Wouldn’t that be a dream come true?!

YES!

How can I make money with a blog? Well, currently I am trying the whole ad thing. It doesn’t pay much, PENNIES literally, but it’s a start. Every time someone reads one of my posts and clicks on an ad I earn a little bit (they don’t even have to buy anything or continue to that page, just a click is all it takes). And, in a few of my posts, I recommend certain products to use. If someone clicks on those products it’ll redirect them to Amazon. Then, each purchase made from them being directed from my page would earn me a commission (it doesn’t even have to be the product I recommended!)

Is this a reliable source of income? No.

Will I be able to pull in a salary? Ha! Not at this rate.

Am I making money right now? Not at the moment, but I do hope I can get there…

Is it still my dream to be able to make a profitable income from it? Absolutely!

But it’s still not the main reason I started blogging.

I stumbled upon the idea while researching ways to earn a little money, but I fell in love with the idea when I thought about all I could do with the opportunity.

Just with posting LB’s Journey alone, I could potentially help someone. Not only will it be therapeutic for me, but I may be able to reach that one person out there looking for someone to connect with, someone who understands what they are going through, someone to make them feel like they are not alone.

THAT is why I started my blog.

If I can help someone (even if it’s just learning all natural alternatives, saving money with frugal tips, or making a meal that’s simple and quick) then I feel like I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. Even if I never make a dime.

Earning money is a dream, but helping people is a reality. 

But, if you would like to help me- please SHARE the heck out of my website!! (; Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter then share, like, comment, pin, and tweet your little heart out. I don’t mind; I’d actually be SUPER grateful!!

And don’t forget to sign up for my mailing list! I will keep you updated on new posts, share freebies, and offer exclusive opportunities that not everyone else will have! Plus, I wont spam up your inbox. Emails are only sent out a few times a week (; 

Also, here is an example of how my marketing through these programs can help you. If you would like to join Amazon Prime for FREE for 30 days you can, just click here. Normally, they only run this special at certain times, but since I am an affiliate for them they have offered this exclusively for my readers.

How cool is that?!