Something’s gotta give, and I’m not talking about the movie. Although I do adore the flick and have all the love for Diane Keaton. On a side note, I have watched SO many Diane Keaton movies since her passing. Anyway, today’s post isn’t about movies; it’s about budgets, how expensive just basic living has become, and some changes I’m making to the blog (along with some exciting news coming later this December). Let’s dive in.
Blow After Blow
Lately, our family has been hit by a series of financial blows. It’s fine, we’re surviving. It’s been things like major car repairs, buying yet another refrigerator (it’s our third in 10 years), a broken toilet draining our well during a drought, septic system issues, higher-than-normal medical costs, including increased prices in Colby’s neuralgia medication, two dental emergencies, skyrocketing insurance premiums, and our latest blow, needing to replace our range.
We expect all of it, but not all at once like it has been. Because it’s been an onslaught of expenses, our savings are dwindling at the same time everyday expenses keep increasing. Like our heating oil for the winter and grocery prices. No matter how good a budget I make and how thrifty we try to be, it always seems like we’re barely getting by. Insert gratitude here for the bumper crop of carrots this fall and a freezer full of green beans. My kids will be eating carrots until they turn orange this winter.
All this to say, it’s forced us to tighten up our spending to only the necessities until our savings recover. AND look for more sources of income. Dave Ramsey would be proud. We make more than we ever have, but we feel poorer than we’ve ever been. As I said, something’s gotta give.
House Project Spending
One of the areas we’ve significantly cut spending has been in home repairs and remodeling. There’s a reason we were so slow renovating the playhouse this summer and have yet to paint it. Have you seen how much paint costs? The good stuff is running upwards of $90 per gallon. Yes, I could use a cheaper paint, but I’ve been down that road before, and it doesn’t last like the more expensive options. I would rather spend more money and do it right than have to repaint things every three years.
And I haven’t moved forward on working on the girls’ bedroom because how can I justify buying wallpaper and trim, the next steps I need to take, when we have a massive medical bill to pay? It feels wrong. So we’ve cut back to a budget of zero dollars for home renovations and decorating.
The irony of cutting back on home projects is that it cuts my paycheck. The majority of my income is from advertising revenue from this site. Without money to spend on DIY projects, I don’t write, and when I don’t write, my income decreases.
I’m so grateful for all the readers who stop by here, check on our projects, and especially you readers who keep coming back for more! I can’t imagine where we would be without you. Your love and attention are what help us fix our home, and that is not lost on me.
A Season Of Stillness
I haven’t written much lately, or even this year. While it makes me sad, and let’s face it, a little anxious that readership will dry right up to zero, I’ve needed a season of stillness.
I’ve really struggled since leaving my 9-to-5 almost four years ago and striking out on my own. Piecing together more non-traditional jobs, like being a ski instructor and picking up local odd jobs, along with writing here. It’s allowed me to watch our children and be there for them in ways that I wouldn’t have been able to, which is the most important thing in the world to me.
But with that, I’ve floundered with deciding what to do AND with sticking to it. What career path can I take? How can I provide income and resources for our family while also serving as the primary caregiver? It’s come from a place of anxiety, not confidence. It’s something I’ve been working through during therapy.
The options feel limitless, and it’s so hard to focus, choose a path, and stick with it. I jump from thing to thing to thing, never really dedicating the time it takes to truly be successful. This side hustle and that side hustle. I need some lovely limitations to help me focus. While some people view limits as constraining, I find them comforting. It helps narrow the scope and allows creativity to flourish within those limits.
I’ve been thinking alot in this season of stillness about what I want to do and how I can help increase our family’s income. I love blogging and writing (although I loathe the social media part). One of the most fulfilling parts is connecting with you. From the stories from readers who share how I’ve inspired them to fix up a corner of their home to make it more them, to email discussions about your renovations (keep ’em coming!), to school pickup conversations with fellow moms, troubleshooting what color to paint their living room. It feels good, and it’s what motivates me to keep going.
The other beautiful part of being a blogger is that, for the most part, you can write it and forget it. Some articles that I wrote many years ago are my top revenue-producing articles. BUT you put in an awful lot of hours before the site even earns a dime. It takes time, often upwards of a year, to earn regularly from one post.
Which leads me to…
Becoming A Blogger
Remember above when I talked about lovely limitations, a term I picked up from The Nester, one of my favorite OG DIY and decor blogs? I have decided to go all in and focus on being a blogger. AND let go of the other things I have my tentacles in. No more odd jobs that pay cash now. It’s time to focus on growing a suite of sites that will earn income in the future. I’m committed, fighting the anxiety of it, and leaning in towards making this a successful career.
I made myself a plan first, growing Angie’s Roost, and then started branching out and growing other sites within my areas of expertise that support each other but are distinctly themselves. It’s time to truly build a blog business.
What’s Next For Angie’s Roost
First up, this site. What is next for this site?!
Budgets
The first big change is setting and sticking to a budget. Colby and I went over our upcoming budget months and set the limit for home and decor spending at $200. We are about to get SO creative to stretch that $200 each month to get the biggest bang for our buck. That number may increase in the future, but for now, it’s what we feel comfortable with.
Personally, I find many of the big DIY and home decor blogs and sites so out of touch lately. With their million-dollar homes and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars renovating and tearing down perfectly fine lakehouses, just to build a new monstrosity. It makes me feel icky, and I never want to be that type of site.
I like slow, budget-friendly projects and renovations. The types that real people can do and afford.
With the budget, sometimes you’ll see us spend all of the $200 in a month, some months we may spend next to nothing and save it for a future project. We’re allowing ourselves to carry it over and have a renovation savings account that will power the work we do around our home. At the end of each month, I’ll share a budget breakdown of the projects we worked on and how much we spent.
Pulling Back From Consumerism
When we were working on our primary bathroom, I felt really awful with how we were doing it. I wanted a really beautiful space that was Pinterest-worthy, and I spent money on things I didn’t want to be spending money on. Like brand new, gorgeous Turkish bath towels, when we had perfectly usable, twenty-year-old towels that were a little frayed, that would have worked.
Lately, I’ve been hating on our consumerist economy as I watch other DIYers on Instagram push buy, buy, buy like they’re a QVC shopping channel. I vow to never be that type of person. The content I produce will include alot of repurposing, thrifting, and being a mindful consumer. Which leads me to…
Shifting Content
The content here is going to shift some. I want to be able to write 2-3 times per week and have enough content for that without spending a ton of money on projects. Thus, the big projects will go slowly, and you’ll see alot more content around each of those projects, breaking it down.
For example, after Christmas, I’m planning to paint the girls’ bedroom ceiling. Expect a post about picking paint colors, how to paint a ceiling, color drenching (when the walls and ceiling are the same color), etc.
I’m also planning on beefing up the decor posts around here. Discussing decorating rules, when to break them, and how to leverage thrifting. One series you’ll see pop up monthly is thrifted vs. styled. I’ll share what home decor items I thrifted that month and how I styled them.
There will also be many more small projects and basic DIY tutorials. Think, Rub ‘N Buff makeovers, how to choose the right grit of sandpaper, clay Halloween ghosts, budget art, and more.
Some Content Is Going Away
Going forward, Angie’s Roost will be focused entirely on DIY and decor. Maybe a little bit of organizing and decluttering, I haven’t quite decided on that one yet. But much of the homekeeping and all the vegetable gardening content will be leaving. Spoiler alert, they’re not going away entirely but will be shifted to new sites…more on that in a minute.
Updating Old Content
And finally, I’ve started undertaking a MASSIVE project of updating, reorganizing, and removing old content. There are over a thousand posts, so this might take a while.
My goal with this site is to make it much easier to navigate and explore old content. That’s one area I haven’t spent much time on, and it shows. So look for updated navigation, new pages, a redesigned homepage, and more.
It also means I’ll be adding some new content for old projects. Like before and after posts from our old house. So if you see content from our beloved first home in Maine, that’s why.
The New Sites
And now for the most exciting part, the new sites that will be joining the family!
Simple Living
All I want to write right now is about decluttering, simplifying, overcoming overwhelm, and living a slower life. And I have been. In November, I started building a minimalism and simple living website. I’m getting close to it being ready to launch, and you bet I will share it with you likely later this month.
This site will be full of Dirt Road Diaries style of posts, along with basic posts about minimalism, decluttering tips, and slowing down. Articles like “Do I really need a crock pot AND an Instapot?” and “Minimalism as a vehicle, not a destination.” I’m really excited about the content over there and can’t wait to share it publicly.
Two Aromatherapy Sites
This summer and fall, I worked really hard on becoming a certified aromatherapist. It’s something I’ve been interested in and loved for many years, almost nine years now. I tried selling oils once and HATED it, so I decided to take the certification course and practice as an aromatherapist instead. I’m happy to report that I passed the exams and case studies in September and am officially certified as a level one aromatherapist.
My plan, after the launch of the simple living site, is to build two separate aromatherapy sites to make the use of essential oils more accessible and SAFE for the public. Especially for someone just getting started. One site will focus on diffusing and the other on DIY home apothecary.
Kitchen Garden Site
The next site to come will be a kitchen gardening site. The goal is to make it like a mini homesteading site, think victory gardens. It will cover all sorts of knowledge I’ve gained from the past twelve-ish years of growing as much of our own food as possible. I’ve learned alot, and I feel ready to share it intentionally and helpfully.
Other Site Ideas
While these sites will keep me busy over the next couple of years, I also have dreams of a few other sites. Maybe one about herbalism and aromatherapy gardens or distilling. Possibly one about pressing flowers, a new favorite hobby. Or even one about resurrecting granny skills. I’ve been collecting granny skills for years!
Who knows what direction I’ll take, and I have plenty of time and work to go before I get there.
So I leave you with one last, big THANK YOU for sticking with my sporadic nature of writing and doing projects here. I’m very grateful for you and hope you’ll stick with me. And now onto some Christmas content because it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Or in the words of Glennon Doyle, “it’s the MOST time of year.” Truth. Here’s to making it magical…on a budget.
