I started my blog, this blog, just 2 years ago. And yesterday was actually my 2 year anniversary!
Honestly, I can’t believe it.
Sometimes I feel like it’s been longer than that. But other times, I feel like I just started this journey yesterday.
I’m so beyond grateful for everything that’s happened over the past 2 years. And as I looked back at my accomplishments, I couldn’t help but look at my income and my expenses.
Once I saw these numbers, I felt compelled to share!
RELATED: What It Really Costs To Own A Blog
When I started this blog, I didn’t know how much it was going to cost.
But in all honesty, I thought it would be pretty cheap. Just pay a hundred dollars a year for the website and that’s about it.
Over time, I’ve invested a lot of money back into my blog. And I’m happy with all the investments that I’ve made.
This list doesn’t contain everything I’ve invested.
I’m not sharing how much I’ve spent on my iPad or my iMac. And I’m not even sharing what I spent on other business needs like business cards, notepads, pens, etc.
This list is just the things that I considered necessary. Things that any blogger could run across within their first few years blogging.
So if you’re thinking about starting a blog, or maybe you’re just curious how I’ve invested my money, stick with me.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting TheContentBug.com so I can continue to provide you with free content each week! You guys are amazing!
HOW TO START A WEBSITE THE RIGHT WAY
When I started my website, I did it all wrong. I purchased a WordPress.com website. And I ended up losing a couple of hundred dollars.
RELATED: The Difference Between WordPress.com & WordPress.org
It also pushed me back on the launch of my blog by 3 months.
So if you’re looking to start a website, my best recommendation is to do your research first.
I’ve got a guide on how to start a blog the right way. The way that I wished I started mine!
It’s really easy honestly.
All you need to know is that Bluehost is the easiest and cheapest hosting service to start with. Especially if you plan to use WordPress.org.
Which I highly recommend!
If you want to learn more, check out that guide. Otherwise, let’s get to the numbers.
WEBSITE COSTS
Owning a website isn’t simple. There are a lot of things that go into it.
With your website hosting, privacy, domain ownership, and everything else. From the initial purchase to yearly renewal, the money adds up!
And you’ll be shocked how much I’ve spent on just maintaining my website in the last 2 years.
Hosting – $837.83
To explain things, I bought my domain on October 18th, 2016. So I’ve experienced 3 different payments for my domain. 2016, 2017, and 2018
- 2016 – $349
- 2017 – $159.16
- 2018 – $229.67
That’s $837.83 total for just my website hosting in 2 years.
But remember, I ended up losing the first couple of hundred dollars because I signed up for the wrong service first.
Privacy & Site Protection – $121.68
This includes privacy of my phone number, email address, and personal information that are naturally included with the purchase and ownership of a domain.
And it also includes general site protection including automatic backups of my sites.
Domain Ownership – $23.88
The purchase of TheContentBug.com came with the hosting service that I have. It’s part of the package I signed up for.
But for my courses website, TCBcourses.com, I had to pay for that domain but not the hosting!
So this technically isn’t a necessary cost for most people. But it’s so minimal that I thought it was important to include.
Plugins – $56
The majority of the plugins that I use are free. But there are some that I have paid for!
2 to be exact.
Essential Grid – $27
I use this for my free resource library and for some other random places on my website. It just makes it easier to organize photos with links.
Social Warfare Pro – $29
The main reason I purchases this plugin is because my website was having a problem with finding pins on the blog posts. And clearly I wanted people to pin my blog! So I decided to get Social Warefare Pro to solve the problem.
Total Website Costs – $1,125.78
OTHER SERVICES
These costs include my social media automation, email service, courses platform, and even my accounting.
Here’s the break down:
Tailwind – $239.76
I’ve been using Tailwind since March of 2017 and I’m obsessed with them! I’ve actually written several blog posts about how Tailwind has helped to grow my Pinterest and my blog. I only use it for Pinterest automation but I know they have an Instagram feature as well.
ConvertKit – $671.23
This is my email provider. I started my email list on ConvertKit and I’ve never looked back.
RELATED: How To Start An Email List
Teachable – $507
This is where I host all of my courses for TheContentBug.
QuickBooks – $110.16
I just started using QuickBooks this year and I’m so freaking glad I did! I was struggling to keep track of all the money that was flowing in and out of my business. But with QuickBooks, it honestly made it so easy to find all of these numbers and to see what’s really going on with my money.
Tailwind is the only service that I pay annually for. The other three I pay monthly for as a subscription service which resulted in these costs.
Total Services Costs – $1,528.15
COURSES
I highly believe that continued education is extremely important if you want to grow as a person and grow your blog.
And each year I’ve invested in 1 course. And I plan to continue doing this in the future.
The first course I signed up for was significantly more expensive than the second course. But both of them were still extremely important to my growth.
Course 1: $500
Course 2: $49
Total Courses Costs – $549
Now let’s get to the total cost, shall me?
TOTAL COSTS – $3,202.93
Yep.
Over the past 2 years, I’ve spent over $3,000 simply maintaining my blog.
No additional crazy expenses. Simply what it takes to get the job done.
And that may seem like a lot of money. Especially if you haven’t started a blog yet!And that’s exactly why I wanted to share this information. To give you a real look inside of what it costs to own a blog.
So I hope you enjoyed this post and getting a look inside my blog.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments section down below. And I’ll see you back here for another post soon!
XO, Cath
KEEP READING…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cathrin (Cath) creates content that encourages bloggers & online entrepreneurs to be themselves, chase their passion, and create their success online. 1 year after started her blog (TheContentBug.com), Cath left her full-time position working in the digital marketing industry to pursue her dreams of being her own boss. In weekly blog posts, sporadic YouTube videos, and constant talking on Instagram stories, Cath hopes to spread her story and be an inspiration to others who desperately want to change their lives.
