This Month’s Top Post: 10 Must Haves in My Next Home – 552 Views – 18 Comments

This Month’s Runner Up: January 2016 Blog Income Report – 391 Views – 19 Comments

This month went very well.  Overall, I improved on everything blog related in the last month which is quite exciting considering I took a vacation from my blog for the last week of the month.  I can’t believe I’ve increased all of my stats with only working 75% of the month!

This month, my main focus was working on Pinterest to try to gain more views and followers.  I was able to join Pinterest for business, clean up my Pinterest boards, and am now consistently making Pinterest worthy images for each post.

This month I also made real money which is also quite exciting! You can find my past income statements here.

February 2016 Income Statement:

Revenue
Google Adsense – $153.53
Sponsored Posts – $2.00
Freelancing – $100.00
Total: $255.53

Expenses
Blogging Supplies: $6.00
Total: $6.00

NET INCOME: $249.53

This month, I increased my social following by 24%!  This exponential growth is very exciting yet a bit overwhelming.  But, overall, it’s fantastic!

Focus for Next Month
Next month, I am going to focus on my blog posts.  I like to write a month’s worth of posts during the previous month.  For example, I currently have all of this month’s posts written and scheduled, this being the last post I wrote.  Staying ahead helps me to focus on growing my blog rather than struggling to maintain it.  That being said, I am hoping to create a few great posts this month to use in future months.

This Month’s Top Post: Home Made Decorative Wreaths – 260 Views – 9 Comments

Runner Up: How I Use SmartThings for Home Automation – 144 Views – 7 Comments

This month went quite differently than planned.  I stated in my last monthly update that I was looking forward to slowly growing my blog over 2016 and working my way into becoming self-hosted by in 2017.  Well, as I was working my month, I realized that little by little, every new thing I would try required me to become self-hosted.

So, I took to the internet to learn about self-hosting and research Blue-host which seems to be pretty popular.  I quickly realized this would be a pain since my domain was at 1&1 and I didn’t want to deal with transferring.  I then realized that I should check with 1&1 because that would be the only way I would be able to keep my domain where it was.

Luckily, 1&1 was extremely cheap compared to Blue-host and I was able to become self-hosted for $1 per month!  (all of which I’ve made back already).

January 2016 Income Statement:

Revenue
Google Adsense – $44.89
Total: $44.89

Expenses
1&1 hosting – $11.88
Etsy Posts – $1.20
Total: $13.08

NET INCOME: $31.81

*View past blog income reports here.

I’ve been slowly but surely cooking away at my 2016 Blogging Goals.  I am currently on track to reach my goal of 60 posts for the year and I received at least 3 comments on every post.  I’ve begun working on a followers strategy and have added my book for free download for all subscribers.

Outstandingly, I surpassed all of my social following goals for the year within the first two weeks of the year!  This month, I increased my social following by 56%!  I’ve learned that if I have a goal I will keep pushing until I reach it.  I should have known this, I’m always this way.  I do everything as soon as I possibly can.

Focus For Next Month – Branding and Images
This month, I realized that it’s best to pick a topic to focus on to grow.  I focused on my followers and had amazing growth!  Next month, I plan to focus on Pinterest and making each new post have Pinterest worthy art.  Hopefully I’ll have time to update some pages and old art while I’m at it and clean up my blog categories.

In the spirit of images, I’m hoping to create a logo and banner that I can use across all of my social platforms.

Happy 2016 Everyone!  I just rounded out my first year, well half year, of blogging and decided to share my stats and goals.

In June of 2015 I decided to create a blog for all of my hobbies.  I had previously owned my own business and managed a website and blog for years, but I wanted this to be different.  A blog just for me, just for fun.

I started really strong posting three times per week and I felt I was doing great.  I even got my first sponsored post not long after starting the blog.  Then, I lost all my motivation for the blog out of nowhere.  I still don’t know why I lost interest but I’m betting I was burnt out.

After a two month break, I came back to blogging in December and excited to dive more into blogging in 2016!

*New monthly review design.  What do you think?*

2015 Top 7 Posts

• 5 Reasons Why I Love SMART THINGS – 453 Views – 8 Comments
• $2 Makeup Organization – 336 Views – 10 Comments
• How to Paint a Diamond Accent Wall – 152 Views – 18 Comments
• Master Bathroom Upgrade – On A Budget – 147 Views – 7 Comments
• The Plus Side of Having Your Own Domain – 142 Views – 6 Comments
• How to Refinish Kitchen Cabinets on a Budget – 135 Views – 30 Comments
• Home Made Fried Wontons from Scratch – 65 Views – 6 Comments

2015 Top Page

• Budgeting – 3067 Views – 2 Comments

2015 Achievements

• I started blogging!
• I earned $9 on an Izea post my second month blogging
• I transferred my blog from Blogger to WordPress.com
• I bought a domain and applied it to my site
• I increased my social following by 84%
• I posted to my blog 40 times
• I had over 4500 views in December.
• I was featured in Bloggers Spotlight with  Modest Couponing Tips

2016 Social Following Goals

• Reach 500 Twitter Followers
• Reach 100 Facebook Likes
• Reach 50 Pinterest Followers
• Reach 50 BlogLovin’ Followers
• Reach 1000 Social Followers through all sites

2016 Blogging Goals

• Write 60 Blog Posts
• Maintain an average of at least 3 comments per post
• Create 2 guest blogger post/ be a guest blogger twice
• Reach 5000 blog views in one month
• Create a financial planning spreadsheet and have it available for download
• Create a media kit
• Create a work-with-me page
• Develop a strategy and begin executing to gain WordPress/email followers
• Create 2 YouTube videos
• Create 2 Posts about my eBook: Alex and John’s Scientific Adventures: The Big Explosion!

2016 Behind the Scenes Goals

• Research sponsors and their requirements
• Discover new ways to get viewers
• Prep to transfer to WordPress.org for 2017
• Regularly engage in Facebook blogging groups
• Participate in Linky Parties regularly
• Use Instagram and create photos for blog posts
• Use a blogging notebook for organization
• Create a standard logo/banner photo