Year in Review: 2020 into 2021

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links through which I'm paid. No additional cost to you that's just how marketing works sometimes, more here.

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Beginning in late July 2020 I kicked off a journey into the unknown. I decided that I wanted to start a blog, write about a topic I was interested in (personal finance), and muddle my way into building something I and my family can be proud of.

During that time I have written and published 81 articles, published countless Facebook and Instagram posts, and read well over 100 articles related to personal finance in order to educate myself and give me things to write about. I hope during that time I've been able to pass along some information that is useful to you or someone you know. If not, please let me know what you would like to learn more about.

We did a lot of what we set out to do. We also didn't accomplish some of the goals we set for ourselves. Over the next year, we hope to see our "Site Net Worth" increase to above $500, write at least 100 more articles, and start to really create a solid group of loyal readers.

If you want a step-by-step guide to starting a money-making blog, click here. When I started this blog a year ago I never thought it would be as successful as it has been. I never thought I would be making money for writing reviews, and I never thought I could make money while I slept. All of those things have happened in the last year and I'm glad I decided to take this journey.

Popular Articles:

How to start a money making blog

Side Hustle Guide: 2021 Edition

How to earn free Amazon Gift Cards

Favorite Products I reviewed:

Payability - This is an amazing ecomm tool for those early on their journey

MyConstant - This is a super slick P2P lending tool that is crypto backed

Fiverr - I've used Fiverr to make some money on the side with my writing skills

Swagbucks - I still use Swagbucks every day to earn Amazon gift cards for the holidays

The Details:

Net Earnings - $14.90

Over the last 12 months we averaged just over $1 in earnings per month

Total Hours Spent: 12 hours

July & August 2020: not tracked

September 2020: 40 hours

October 2020: 40 hours

November 2020: 30 hours

December 2020: 20 hours

January 2021: 20 hours

February 2021: 6 hours

March 2021: 8 hours

April 2021: 10 hours

May 2021: 8 hours

June 2021: 12 hours

July 2021: 12 hours

Articles Written: 81 in 12 months (6.75 per month average)

Alexa Site Ranking:

December 2020: 2,057,030

January 2021: 2,461,713

February 2021: 5,741,844

March 2021: 2,886,927

April 2021: 1,772,879 (we focused on our social channels vs writing content and saw additional traffic)

May 2021: 1,603,359

June 2021: 1,979,933

July 2021: 2,231,279

Summary:

2020/2021 was a great year for starting up a blog. As a lifelong learner it allowed me to learn about personal finance, writing, blogging, affiliate blogging, marketing, email marketing, Google Analytics and Search Console, and many many other topics.

It has been amazing, but from the beginning we had two goals 1) to have fun writing and try to make personal finance an easier topic to understand and 2) make some money from the site. So far number one has been pretty easy, but number two has eluded The Saving Dude so far (at least to the level of my own personal expectations).

This upcoming year we will focus on driving more traffic, building a solid base of loyal readers, and generating steady revenue.

Now go out, set up your own blog, and try to turn it into a side hustle just like me!