7 Fast Ways to Earn Income to Invest In Your Blog

It’s not a strategy that’s talked about a lot but if you want to grow your blog, you’ve got to invest in your blog. I’m not talking about pouring money into programs that promise to help you to “make money fast” online.

I’m talking about legitimate courses that walk you through a proven strategy that works. I’m talking about you investing personal capital into a business just like you would if it was a brick and mortar business (except an online business is way less expensive!) Just like you and I would go to college to educate ourselves so we could get a better job down the road, you also need to invest in your blog in order to see it grow.

Believe me, I’m sharing from experience here. I had a blog for six years that didn’t net a penny. I loved that blog and faithfully posted to it. I put up Google ads on the side and thought that money would start rolling in. Did I mention I blogged for six years? It makes me a little nauseous to know what I know now. I could have been in on the early wave of blogging but I kept myself in my little box and didn’t reach out for help.

I suppose we all have room to grow, right?

I share this because unless you’ve started successful online businesses and blogs before, you’re going to need training. You’ll need to know what to focus on, what needs your attention first, and what kinds of strategies to employ. To use the “going to college” analogy again, you don’t just show up on campus and hope that reading a couple of books in the library will give you all the information you need to know to get that degree. Instead you go to classes, you ask questions, and you do the work.

But here’s where it gets difficult. If you’re a beginning blogger, finding the money to invest in your blog can be a bit frustrating. Convincing your spouse (or even yourself) that spending $$$ on a premier blogging course might feel like a pipe dream.

You might think, “I’ll invest in my blog once I start making money from it.”

Believe me, I totally get that. (That was my story for a long time.) But by the time I started Little Girl Designs, I knew that narrative needed to change since I was stuck. Still, I was really, really nervous. I had all the questions: “What if I invest in my blog and end up not being able to pay myself back?”, “What if I’m not really cut out to be a blogger?”, and “What if this course is absolutely terrible?”

Let me address those questions quickly before we dive into ways to earn income to invest in your blog. They’re super important and I don’t want you to glaze over them just because you found a class that sounds like it’s going to be the answer to all of your problems.

What if I invest in my blog and can’t pay myself back?

I recommend taking one course at a time and going slow enough so you can see if the strategies actually work. Take a lot of notes and implement, implement, implement. If you’re a beginning blogger (or one who is just starting to create a business out of your blog), look for courses that are going to provide a foundation for creating a sustainable blog and business. Steer away from social media-only classes at this point since you need a foundation before you implement social media. (I’m absolutely not against social media specific courses, but they’re a waste of time if you’re not creating helpful, consistent content for your blog.)

What if I’m not cut out to be a blogger?

Do you enjoy writing? Do you like finding solutions to people’s problems? If you can answer, “yes” emphatically to those two questions, you are likely going to do just fine as a blogger. It also greatly helps if you’re organized as you’re going to be creating content on a consistent schedule for your blog and email list.

What if this blogging course is absolutely terrible?

Two words: social proof. You must do research before taking any course. Is the blogger who created the course actually successful? Is she or he in a similar niche as yours? In the testimonial section, are all the bloggers in the same niche as the creator of the course? Does the blogger offer any free material? Sign up for their email list and take notes. Are you receiving valuable free content? Is their personality one that meshes well with yours? You should be able to reasonably evaluate whether a course will be a good fit for you before you take it.

Okay, let’s jump into several easy ways to find income to invest in your blog!

7 Fast Ways to Earn Income to Invest In Your Blog

Check Your Savings
Years ago, I worked two jobs to save for a trip to Europe. However, life happened, and I never went on that trip. When I was reviewing our finances to see if I could afford online entrepreneurship classes a couple of years ago, I saw what was left of my Europe fund. Yep, that’s what ended up paying for my enrollment. I don’t regret it one bit.

Choose the Payment Plan
If the course is over $100, there will likely be a payment plan. You could also make your own “payment plan” with the next idea in this list. This is a good option if the price of the course is too expensive for your budget right now.

0% Credit Card
I’m not a fan of debt but if you’re the kind who is good at paying your balance each month, you could consider this as a small business loan to yourself and put your enrollment on credit. You know yourself best and whether this would be a good idea.

Budget Overhaul
Take a look at your budget and see if you can cut $20 here, $100 there to make this work. Make a goal to start earning money from your blog within a year so you can add all of those niceties back into your budget. 🙂

Sell Some Stuff
When we decided to get serious about paying off our student loans (instead of paying the minimum payment forever), we went through all of our stuff and sold so much. If you have unused electronics, furniture, or appliances that you never use (wedding presents that seemed like a good idea, anyone?), look into selling them. Facebook is the place to sell items quickly though you can use Craigslist as well.

Use Your Tax Refund
If you’re looking at a blogging course and it’s around tax refund time, you could use part of the refund to invest in your blog.

Cash Those Gift Cards
When we majorly downsized, I was shocked to find we had a lot of old gift cards that had been carefully tucked away. Those $20-50 gift cards added up. We decided to cash them in through Gift Card Granny. You can usually count on getting 70-80% of the value of each card in cash.

Bonus Not-As-Fast Idea 🙂
This idea will take some time, but you can also save up for courses. Get on the email list for the blogging course you’re interested in so you can get an idea as to when it will go on sale and start saving money for it. Even saving small amounts of money from your grocery bill or choosing to not eat out so you can save will add up quickly.

You can also earn money through rebates programs like Ebates. Get all your family and friends to sign up with your link so you can get a sign up bonus. (If you use my link to sign up for an account today, you’ll get $10 in your account!) It might seem like a small amount, but it will add up. And be sure to use Ebates whenever you make an online purchase so you can receive a rebate. The little ways of saving DO add up!

I never would have guessed that taking a course and completing the assignments would mean I could create my own ideal work environment. I get to do something I love, work on projects that are meaningful to me, encourage women in their creative lives, and play princesses with my daughter. And my homemade hot chocolate is way better than the packets I use to prepare at work. 🙂 Investing in your blog and business is so worth it.

I hope you have an amazing {and creative} day!