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Why I started my Shoestring Cottage blog: ten years on

9th June 2019 by shoestringjane@outlook.com 13 Comments

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shoestring cottage blog

Nowadays, it seems loads of people write a blog. I don’t blame them! For me, it is a great hobby and starting my Shoestring Cottage blog has had so many benefits. A decade after I began, here are my reflections.

How my Shoestring Cottage blog came into being

Shoestring Cottage came into being way back in 2009, when I suddenly became a single parent and had to be a grown up!  It was a moment that changed my relationship with money. Until that point, I wasn’t remotely interested in personal finance. As long as we had enough to get by, that was fine and I let my ex-husband do the sums. Not a very feminist view point. However, suddenly becoming a single again after 25 years gave me a huge jolt. I had to pay my own rent and bills and keep control of my money, as I had a lot less to live on.

I have always been fairly frugal in my approach to life. However, I realised that, as well as getting a full time job, I would need to do better and keep very tight control of the purse strings.

Shoestring Cottage blog
I found masses of ways to live a more frugal but fulfilling existence by reading books such as Complete Tightwad Gazette and the Penny Pincher’s Book Revisited: Living Better for Less. Searching online, I realised that the frugality movement had gone digital. I discovered fantastic money saving blogs such as Frugal Queen (sadly no more), Mean Queen, Life After Money (still my favourite) and Sue at Frugal in Suffolk – now to be found at the Cottage at the end of the Lane.
I took inspiration from these wise and wonderful women and decided to share my journey towards a thrifty, money saving lifestyle.

Partner in crime

shoestring cottage blog
Nowadays Mr Shoestring is my frugal partner in crime and a massive support to me. He isn’t interested in contributing directly to the Shoestring Cottage blog, but he does it indirectly in so many ways. Mr S is even more frugal than I am, as well as being immensely practical and creative!

The benefits of writing the Shoestring Cottage blog

Writing about money saving and frugality keeps me on track. From the early days, sharing what we were doing kept me accountable and helped me to plan.
Through my readers’ comments, I have discovered lots of like minded souls and been given lots of ideas and advice. It is great to be part of a community and to get to know people, even if I never meet them in person.

Shoestring Cottage blog

I have also got to know a lot of other bloggers, particularly through joining the UK Money Bloggers community. We chat on a couple of Facebook groups and I have met many of them at the SHOMOs Awards a couple of years running. I am hoping to go again this year.

A creative outlet

Until a month ago I was working for the council in a humdrum job I did for a decade. Frankly, I was bored as hell, which is why I jumped when I was offered redundancy. During that time, the Shoestring Cottage blog gave me a well needed creative outlet. I love writing – I always have – so blogging has given me the opportunity to  do this. I have also written guest posts for other bloggers and for companies, such as this one I wrote for Royal London.

My photography skills aren’t great – Mr S is a much better photographer and I frequently pinch his photos. However, it has improved massively because I know a lot of the pics will appear on the blog (or on Instagram!).

Extra income

I don’t earn a massive amount from the blog. In reality, I enjoy writing it more than I do chasing people for sponsored posts and the like. However, it makes some money and every little helps!

It is, of course, possible to make a decent living as a blogger and I know many who do. If you are interested, Emma Drew has a ton of useful information about starting a blog and making a full time income.

Improved confidence

No one goes through a divorce – however amicable – and comes out with their confidence undamaged. Blogging – the writing, the interactions with readers, other bloggers and brands, the sense that I am making progress on my journey to get and keep my finances in order – has hugely improved my confidence and self esteem.

I am not a very techie person but as a result of the Shoestring Cottage blog I have learned all sorts. Actually, I am always learning, which keeps the grey matter going a bit. No bad thing.

If you are feeling a bit meh and need a hobby to give you a bit of a confidence boost, I really recommend starting your own blog! If you already have one, please leave a link in the comments so we can all check you out.

This post contains affiliate links.

 

 

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Filed Under: FRUGAL LIFESTYLE Tagged With: blogging, Making money, side hustles

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Comments

  1. Julia says

    9th June 2019 at 09:51

    Congratulations on your 10th Blog-versary, Jane!

    Here’s to the next 10 years of inspiring posts. 🙂

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      9th June 2019 at 10:47

      Thanks Julia!

      Reply
  2. ilona says

    9th June 2019 at 10:56

    A very good post, thank you. The Tightwad Gazette is my favourite book as well, I got it early on when I knew I had to cut my spending. It was very helpful to me, and made me look at personal finances in a completely different way. Keep on keeping on, and enjoy your new found freedom from the shackles of a boring job.

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      9th June 2019 at 10:57

      I am! Thank you

      Reply
  3. Flore says

    9th June 2019 at 12:10

    Happy birthday from Belgium, Jane.

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      9th June 2019 at 12:12

      Thanks!

      Reply
  4. Tina says

    9th June 2019 at 23:41

    I only found your blog a few years ago and didn’t realise you’d been going for quite while. Brilliant because now I have loads to catch up on. You have great ideas and advice and I look forward to catching up. Keep up the great work.

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      10th June 2019 at 07:11

      Hi Tina, there is loads in the archives but the very early stuff was on another platform and is gone forever. Just as well as it was awful

      Reply
  5. Margie from Toronto says

    10th June 2019 at 00:56

    Happy anniversary! I hope you continue to enjoy writing your blog as I look forward to following you in this next stage of your life.

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      10th June 2019 at 07:12

      Thanks, Margie . You should start a blog as Toronto sounds fab

      Reply
  6. Bev says

    10th June 2019 at 08:19

    Thank you Jane. I really enjoy reading your blog, you are such an inspiration.

    Reply
  7. SusanM says

    10th June 2019 at 14:08

    I really enjoy your blog. Congratulations on keeping going for 10 years! I too had always thought of myself as being frugal but it was after our personal debts got a bit too high for my liking that we decided to completely change our attitude towards spending. That’s when I started looking for like minded people on the internet and reading their blogs keep me motivated. We paid off all our personal debts many years ago then decided to tackle the mortgage. All being well, we hope to be mortgage free this year at 53 years old. Two major health incidents (including my husband suffering a cardiac arrest) and a redundancy in the last two years have accelerated our motivation and efforts. Thank you so much for your blog and for helping me keep going with my frugal ways. I wish you lots of luck in your new career.

    Reply
    • shoestringjane@outlook.com says

      10th June 2019 at 17:13

      What a great achievement! Yes, you can never take good health for granted and it’s good not to be worrying about finances when life gets tough

      Reply

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About Me

Would you like to take control of your finances, pay off your debts and save for the future? At Shoestring Cottage we aim to show you that you can live a good and happy life on less than you think, you can get off the consumer treadmill and you can live more simply and healthily and not feel deprived.
We are also moving toward a less wasteful, more sustainable lifestyle and believe frugality and sustainability go hand in hand. Read More…

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