I did it!

I finally launched my blog! It’s something I’ve wanted to do for many years, but just never felt confident enough to actually follow through.  I’ve had so many different ideas for blogs, from crochet to metal detecting.  It wasn’t until a couple months ago, that it hit me; why not do it all? That’s how Hustle for the Paper was created, with the intent to do all of the things I love, and make money doing them.  I’m going to write about different money-saving tips and hustle ideas, all while achieving my own goals, and taking you all along with me!

That’s what brought me to create this post.  I want to do monthly reports of my goals and income (from blogging, work, and all of the different side hustles I do), and see how I improve (or not!) from month to month.  That being said, let’s get started!

(This post may contain affiliate links)

I officially launched my blog on Monday, July 23 2018 (that’s three days ago from the time I wrote this post).  I currently have 5 posts, 2 WordPress followers (okay, they’re both me), and 2 subscribers (my husband and my mother in law).  Right now I’m sitting at 81 views, and I’ve had 1 click through my affiliate program.

I purchased a logo today for $18.99 from an Etsy seller as well today, and I’m so happy with how professional my blog is starting to look!

So let’s get into my goals for this month! (Ending the last day of August; after this first month I’ll start on the first of the month and end on the last day of the month) I’ll start with blog-spacific goals:

First of all, I want to really start getting some traffic to my blog.   I realize that I need more posts in order for that to happen, so one of my goals is to publish more posts. My goal for this month is to have 15 blog posts published. (I originally thought 20, but with my full time job that might be really difficult)

I also want to increase my social media followers, and I’d love to get a few subscribers.  I want to hit 200 Instagram followers (I currently have 63), and 100 Facebook page likes (I currently have 29).  As far as subscribers, I’m going to try for five new subscribers.

That’s it for blog goals for this month, now let’s get into money and hustle goals!

Right now I’m working on a clothing flipping project.  Basically I buy clothes really cheap and resell them on Ebay.  I plan to take you along with me on my journey here in my blog. One of my goals, is to make $100 this month.  So far, I’ve spent $13.53 on 8 different items, and I already sold one of those items for $12.00.  I also spent money buying shipping supplies (and PayPal / Ebay fees), so I’m not sure how I’m going to report all of that just yet.  Maybe another goal this month should be to figure out how to track expenses. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.

Here’s a link to my super cute narwhal notebook that I plan on using for my expense tracking!

This next one is a stretch, and I don’t expect to reach it.  I want to have $5,000 in my savings account by the end of August (I currently have about $430.  With my full time job and expenses, I might not be able to do that, so I’d have to really hustle to make it happen.  If I don’t reach $5,000, I won’t beat myself up over it.  It’s kind of a “best case scenario” goal.

I’d also like to make ANY money on my blog, through affiliate marketing. Even a penny; I’ll take it. Just to say I made money during my first month of blogging!

I also have a long term goal, and that is to quit my full time job!  I hope to someday make enough money from my hustles and blog to support my family of 4.  For now, though, I’ll just keep that in the back of my mind, but continue to post it as a goal until it happens!

Disclaimer: Quitting my job isn’t going to be easy, and it won’t happen overnight.  I’m in the Army, and thanks to a contract I won’t be able to just quit whenever I like.  However, if the opportunity ever arises and I’m able to leave, as long as I’m making enough money to support my family, I’ll take it.  I’ve been in the military for almost 12 years, and I’m ready to be a mom again.

So those are my goals for the month of August.  Here’s a breakdown:

Blogging

15 published posts

200 Instagram followers

100 Facebook page “likes”

Make just .01 in affiliate marketing

Hustle

Make $100 from my eBay store

Research how to track expenses

$5,000 in savings

Long Term

Quit my job!

This month is going to be crazy fun, and crazy busy!

Thank you so much for sticking around and reading about my goals for my first month of my new business!  I can’t wait to see how I do.  I will say, however, that I’ll work my butt off, doing the best I can to meet, and possibly surpass, my goals.

What are your goals this month? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!