The Under $50 Blogger Resources List

If you’re just beginning to blog and are overwhelmed at what you need to spend your precious dollars on, I’ve made a list of blogger resources that I think would be the best place to direct your money. They’re things I personally use and recommend.

1.) Self-hosting (starting at $3.95/month)

First of all, if you want to make money on your blog, I highly recommend self-hosting. (This means using wordpress.org vs. wordpress.com or blogger and paying a company to host your site.) I’ve used BlueHost for the last 2 years and have had only about 5 minutes of downtime, total. Their rates start at $3.95 a month, which is a deal that’s hard to beat! Click here to check them out.

If you’re already on Blogger, you can hire Blogelina to switch you over. Unless you’re an HTML/CSS whiz, I highly recommend hiring this out! She runs specials throughout the year so you can check current pricing here.

2.) Secondly, and definitely very important, is an external hard drive to back up your hard-earned work! (various prices)

My husband got it for me a few years ago for Christmas. This one automatically updates when you plug it into the computer- it’s amazing! At $54 it’s a little over the $50 limit, but definitely well worth saving all your hard work! (Just be sure to use it! My hard drive crashed in March and I had only backed up until October. Thankfully a friend was able to recover everything but it was pretty scary there for a minute!)

3.) A paper calendar (various prices)

Even though the bulk of our work is done on the computer, I still always a paper calendar and pen around to jot down ideas, schedule my blog posts, and keep track of income and expenses.  How cute is this one?

 

4.) Blogger2Business.com– (free)

This site contains lots of great info for bloggers, both beginning and advanced, for free! That’s the best price, am I right?

The owners of this site also wrote an incredible book called Blogging on the Side: Where Passion and Profit Meet. It’s $20 well spent! You can read more about it here.

5.) CoSchedule. ($8/month)

I JUST started using this service myself, and I’m in love! You use this calendar to schedule posts, Facebook and twitter updates (which you can schedule directly through CoSchedule, even for a month in advance!) You can try it FREE for 2 weeks here, and at $8 a month if you choose to continue, it’s like a cheap helper!

6.) PicMonkey (Free or $4.99 a month for the upgraded account)

This photo-editing tool is what I’ve used from the get-go (it used to be called Picnic!) and it’s great for making great images that will really pop.

7.) Profitable Blogging by Blogelina ($25)

I mentioned her earlier, but this course was a game-changer for me. She gives tips I’d never thought about for making an income on a blog- it’s really top notch! Click here to check it out.

(Check out this blogger guide from another blogger. Her list is almost completely different from mine, and tons of great ideas!)

8.) The Create If Writing Podcast (free!)

My friend Kirsten Oliphant just recently began this podcast, and I’ve been listening to it while running or working on my own blog. She’s interviewed some fantastic bloggers out there already and their insight and her humor are a dynamic combination! Click here to learn more!

If you’re a blogger, what other blogger resources would you love to add to the list? 

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This post contains affiliate links, but all products are those I use and recommend!

Linking up: Living Well, Spending Less