I have been blogging intentionally for exactly 1.5 years. In that time frame I have been able to make more money by blogging then I ever did using my 4-year college education. It has been an amazing journey. I truly love what I do.
I attribute much of my success to my desire to learn, and ability to jump in. I am constantly reading – studying – implementing as much about blogging as humanly possible. I have tried a lot … a lot. Some have been widely successful while others where total duds.
Today, I want to share with you some of my best investments that are 40 bucks or less! Note- If you are interested in starting a blog, make sure you check out my step-by-step on how to setup a profitable blog, here!
Below are a few of the best investments I have made for my site that cost less than $40.00. I have made many investments with plugins, E-courses, design help, etc. Some have cost significantly more than 40 bucks – but honestly, that does not mean it was worth more in the long run!
Here are a few of my absolute favorite Blogging Investments!
- WooCommerce, cost- $0
I use WooCommerce to process my product payments on both this site and my Better Life Budget E-Courses. It is so easy to setup and use. I am able to accept Paypal and Amazon payments!- Selling my own digital products – is how I earned over 7,000 a month with just under 90,000 pageviews! Seriously! The majority of my income came from those few products. My top seller is my debt free workbook, and it sells for $4.25. I am a FIRM believer that if you blog – and you want to make real money, you need products! Write that E-Book, build that E-Course!! Do It!
- Blog Post Toolkit, cost- $19
Even though I feel like I have a really good sense of what I need to do, in order to keep growing. I really liked reading the blog post toolkit. I printed out the worksheets, and I use them to triple check my posts before they go live. I have stopped posting without intention. If I am going to write a post, I want to ensure it has a meaningful point, and will help me reach my next blogging goal. Sustainability is key! - How To Blog For Profit Without Selling Your Soul, cost- $10
This is the book that “Started It All” for me. I read it on a flight, and I loved it so much I read it again while on vacation, and then again on the flight back home! This was the book that inspired me to take my blog seriously. I was able too leave my job as a VA, and put all that effort into my own business. Hands-Down. the best 10 bucks I have EVER spent - Visual Composer Plugin, cost- $34
I really like using this plugin to create and design my landing pages. Landing pages have helped me get my bounce rate way WAY down. I like the flexibility with them. My entire Better Life Budget main pages was created by using Visual Composer. - Thank Me Later Plugin, cost- $0
My main source of income is through my product sales. That is how I am able to make thousands of dollars every month, while hovering around 100,000 pageviews a month. This plugin has been a great way to connect / follow-up and engage with my audience. It is an excellent way to create conversions that end up paying my mortgage. - Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers, Cost- $22
Affiliate marketing is a MUST. If you are a new blogger or your have a smaller audience, you are missing out if you are not working hard on your affiliate sales. This is an awesome resource. Tasha, is incredible – and implementing what you learn in this book will result in an immediate and significant increase in your affiliate income! Affiliate sales are starting to become a major source of income for me. Before reading her book I was making around 12 bucks a month – now affiliate sales are paying my bills!
For such a small investment, these resources are a great place to start! It took me longer than I wish before I realized how important it is to make sound investments in my business. Having options on a smaller budget, are the best place to start!
Go forth, and make money!