For those of you who haven’t heard it yet, we said goodbye to SAHD FIRE and hello to Gig FIRE. He does this for two reasons. One is that I want to spend my time a little more productively. My son is now grown and more independent. He is at school from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. That’s a lot of free time for me. Since becoming SAHD, now is the time I have the most free time. I need to do something Second, he wants to raise $30,000 to build his beach cabin in Thailand. My family has a small piece of land near Hua Hin Beach. The beach is so-so, but the seafood is delicious and very affordable. My father wants to live there during the burning season. Chiang Mai from February to mid-April is too smoky. I have always wanted to live in a seaside town.
Anyway, I will try different ways to make money and write updates from time to time. Today, I will write about my longtime miscellaneous affairs, my blog.
blog
It’s been 13 years since I started blogging in 2010! In a few years, I’ll be spending more time as a blogger than I did as an engineer. That’s strange. Blogging has completely changed my life for the better. I was at rock bottom and blogging helped me get out of it. It gave me purpose by allowing me to focus on improving my life instead of blaming circumstances for my problems. Blogging has helped me turn negative energy into creativity.
Back in 2010, both the FIRE movement and blogging were growing. It was a great time to start blogging. I also wanted to earn a little extra money with my side business. I wanted to quit my engineering career, so I was willing to try anything. Luckily I was in the right place at the right time. In the first few years he greatly increased the idea of retiring by age 40 and gave me the confidence to retire early. By 2012, our net worth met his 4% SWR rule, but if it weren’t for the extra income, he probably wouldn’t have quit engineering. Blogging income allows you to delay withdrawals and invest.
blog income
I am so glad that I started this blog at this time. The tide came in and in 2010 all the boats floated. The first year was the only year I lost money. After that, I made a good income by writing a blog.
Here is a graph of my blogging income over the years.
can’t believe it. Over the last 13 years, his blog has earned him over $400,000. When I started, I never thought I would make this much money. I just wanted some income to pay my living expenses. Many thanks to all our readers over the years. Of course, many bloggers have been more successful. Some have been able to turn their blogs into books, consulting gigs, YouTube, and various other businesses. It’s a great stepping stone. I wasn’t creative or hungry enough to grow my business. I will continue to blog as long as I can. That’s the extent of my ambitions. After all, I want to enjoy a leisurely semi-retirement. I don’t want to work too much.
SAHD rating
Here’s my assessment of SAHD’s sideline blogging: It worked out great for me, but it’s thanks to a lot of luck and perseverance. I started at the right time and kept at it. Your mileage may vary. Most blogs didn’t get enough attention, so they don’t last long.
Flexibility – Blogs are very flexible. When I was an engineer, I blogged at night. I could stay up late … a week, he would publish three posts and spend a ton of time writing and researching. When he started, he was spending over 20 hours a week doing these side gigs. Now I put in 5-10 hours a week. Another great thing about blogging is that you can do it from anywhere. I spent six months away from home in 2022, but I was able to keep blogging.
money – My blog income has been great over the years. However, the first year was difficult. I didn’t make much money until my second year. Most people quit early because they work hard and see no results. Working more than 20 hours a week with no income requires a lot of patience. Unfortunately, I think the blog is coming to an end. The tide is going down these days, and even high-profile bloggers are seeing their income drop. It’s harder to make money blogging now than when I started.
potential – Blogs still have great potential. You can use your blog for many other businesses. If you are diligent, you can do well. Blogging is now a stepping stone. I don’t want to focus solely on my blog. It’s a dead end, IMO. My blog income has been declining year by year, and I don’t think it will come back anymore.
fun – I still enjoy blogging. I enjoy researching subjects and writing about them. Writing a blog gives me an opportunity to focus. that’s good
x factor – Blogging has many advantages. I blog about his FIRE and it motivates me to improve my finances. Much better than when we first started. It also paved the way for me to fully retire. I own an LLC and personally donate to his 401k. If you keep blogging until 2028, you can close the business and withdraw from the 401k no penalty. I will be old enough to apply her 55-year-old rule. This is a great way to get early access to some of your retirement money.
whole – The blog has worked very well for me. I was in the right place at the right time, and started blogging in 2010 to great benefit. The income is dwindling, but it’s still far better than any other odd job I’ve tried. I plan to continue blogging until 2028. Then reassess the situation and consider what to do next.
In conclusion, I don’t think blogging is a good side job anymore. It’s too hard to get traction and ad revenue is on the decline. But it’s a good springboard. You can use your blog to spark your entrepreneurial spirit into other businesses. It’s worth the time.
Well, that’s it for this update. Please let us know if you have any questions.
If you’re interested in starting a blog, here’s my guide. How to start a blog and why you should.
Unearned income is the key to early retirement. This year Joe is investing in commercial real estate on his CrowdStreet. They have many projects all over America, so check them out!
Joe also highly recommends Personal Capital for DIY investors. There are many useful tools that can help you achieve financial independence.
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