July 20th 2012 Blog Update 
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Hello all my blogger friends out there…and whoever else is lurking. If we’ve already been chatting through e-mail or twitter, drop me an e-mail to update me on how things are going. If we haven’t chatted at all, I invite you to reach out to me and introduce yourself It’s always interesting to get to know the people following along.
Again, this week just flew by for me. I’ve just been keeping so busy that there’s barely any time to relax. Luckily blog work is pretty enjoyable which makes it a lot tougher to burn out once you’re in the rhythm of it all.
My blogging journey is coming up on one of those milestones where apparently some bloggers throw in the towel. At the end of July, my blog will be 6 months old. It seemed like just yesterday that I was picking fights with a certain forum owner and trying to comment on 40+ posts each day. Since then I’ve matured a lot and have taken a new approach.
To celebrate I’m gonna get nice and hammered. Ok that isn’t true. I’m getting old and limiting that stuff to the weekends. I think the better plan is to celebrate by giving away some swag to my readers.
Obviously I’ll be giving away some cash, because what kind of finance blogger doesn’t like winning cash? I’ve also got some other stuff up my sleeve including some ebooks from fellow bloggers. If you want to help out and co-sponsor, you’ll be sure to get in my good books and score some extra promotion for your blog. Just send me an e-mail.
I know lots of you are paying off debt, saving for your goals or just living the frugal lifestyle. So links to my blog and social shares would suffice 
And if you can’t help out one of your favorite bloggers with that on his anniversary, know that my memory is getting a little stronger these days lol.
Modest Money Around The Web
I was pleasantly surprised with the number of mentions on other blogs this week. I wasn’t even giving away anything or hosting some poll. I do have to thank Steve from Canadian Personal Finance for his awesome guest post last week which brought in a bunch of these mentions.
Weekly Wrap-Up and What I’m Reading On the Web – 9 on iHeart Budgets
Blog round up for July 13, 2012 on My Canuck Buck
The Round Table on Money Smart Guides
Carnival of Money Pros on Portfolio Princess
Social Media Widget Plugin and Specifing Image Dimensions on Edward Antrobus
Slow Thinking, Fast Olympians and Random Thoughts for a Friday on The Canadian Personal Finance Blog
Amazon Smart Phones, Queen Elizabeth Isn’t the Queen and a Carnival on Wealth Artisan
Friends of the Family: Hot Dog Roast Edition on The Family Finances
Weekend Wind Down – Niagara Falls on My Money Design
Places I’ve Been: Weeks Ending July 14th on Edward Antrobus
Mid-Year Progress Report and New Goals for 2012 on Careful Cents
Personal Finance Week in Review for July 15 on One Smart Dollar
Weekend Recap and Links on See Debt Run
Canadian Personal Finance Happy Hour – Sixth edition – Thunderstorm! on Canadian Personal Finance
The Carnival of Financial Camaraderie #41 on My University Money
Updates: July 8 – 14 on The Outlier Model
Weekly Update 24 on Evolving PF
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia… Link Love on Shopping Detox
Top 10 Personal Finance Blog Picks Of The Week! on Money Bulldog
Festival of Frugality Blog Carnival on Frugal Quack
Entrepreneur Video, Ouya Game Console & a Carnival on Wealth Artisan
Weekend Reading – I don’t buy tech stocks and tons of great blogs on My Own Advisor
Weekly Roundup: Great Articles This Week on Money Q&A
Thanks to everyone who shared the link love this week.
Favorite Posts On Other Blogs
Now hopefully I don’t get too much shit for combining the acknowledgements and favorite posts again. My excuse is that I’m hosting a blog carnival tomorrow. There’s no way I’m publishing a post every single day this week. So like the photo of Trip crammed in his box, you all get two long lists crammed in one post.
On the bright side, you get the full weekend to go through this reading list of some of my favorite blog posts.
Our Debt Payoff Story on iHeart Budgets
Why Now May be the Best Time to Negotiate Your Salary on Three Thrifty Guys
What buying your lunch every day is really costing you on My Canuck Buck
Consumers Are Horrible At Math on Money Smart Guides
Why I’m Not That Interested in More Money on Edward Antrobus
Haven’t You Changed Banks Yet? on The Canadian Personal Finance Blog
Seven Reasons Why It’s Great To Be A Dad on The Family Finances
How to Read and Evaluate Basic Stock Metrics on My Money Design
Why Everyone Should Have a Side Job or Freelance Gig on Careful Cents
Should You Pay Cash or Finance a Car? on One Smart Dollar
Guide to Surviving a Merger or Acquisition – Don’t Be Part of the Synergies! on See Debt Run
4 Major Drawbacks of Growth in China on Canadian Personal Finance
Creating a new normal on The Outlier Model
If I Were My Financial Advisor, What Would I Tell Me? on Evolving PF
Sex: the most frugal fun you can have with your pants off (or on, whichever you prefer, I don’t judge) on Shopping Detox
Why I Won’t Scrimp On Life Insurance! on Money Bulldog
Where’s your focus…increasing cash flow or net worth? on My Own Advisor
Five Ways To Save Money At The Movie Theater This Summer on Money Q&A
So what’s the verdict from you guys? Do you prefer the format with this stuff split into posts?
Or does anyone even care?
Also, how about a refresher…how old is everyone’s blog? Has anyone seen good results from hosting a contest on their blog?
50 Comments
Thanks for including my post!
Emily @ evolvingPF recently posted..Blog Statistics Update June – July 2012
No problem Emily. Enjoy your weekend.
I don’t really care how you split it up. I just go with the flow man.
The best contests I’ve run were book giveaways from some fairly popular bloggers/writers (Jon Acuff and Money Saving Mom). I got over 300 newsletter subscribers on the Acuff giveaway and then quite a few FB fans and twitter followers from the MSM giveaway.
Good luck. I’ll shoot you an email momentarily to see how I can get involved.
Glad to hear you’re open minded about how I do these posts. Maybe it’s just me who is picky.
It’s interesting that book giveaways do so well. I guess people really want that stuff, but are too cheap to buy it themselves. I might have to see if I can get any physical books included in my giveaway.
Thanks for including me in both categories! Woo!
No problem Annabelle. I have to give you a lot of credit for the creativity of your link round up. The other post was a great topic too. ‘pants on’ lol!
I actually like seeing your favorite posts with the other stuff..because I like seeing favorite posts. This reminds me, I really need to do a link love post again.
Happy anniversary! I totally remember when it was your first month blogging. Time flies!
From Shopping to Saving recently posted..Dealing with Financial Stress and Grad Student Loans
hmm, well I hope more people are fine with it all in one post. It’s definitely easier for me that way. Who really wants to post on the weekend?
Yeah time has been flying. Before you know I’ll be some blogging veteran who’s been around 2 years
Oh man… cats and boxes. My current cat actually doesn’t care for boxes too much, but previous cat looooooved boxes. It was like his fort and he’d swipe at you from inside the box as you went by.
CF recently posted..FedEx lost my present
hahah….I love the swipe from inside the box. Trip used to cram into beer boxes and swipe through the handle opening. He thought he was being all stealthy but I’d crack up laughing every time. Timmy doesn’t like boxes as much, but if he sees Trip in one, he’ll follow suit just to be like him.
Wow, through the handle. Full props to Trip…
Brian recently posted..FedEx lost my present
Ohhhh…..who were you picking fights with? Do tell.
Holly @ Clubthrifty.com recently posted..Treat Yourself 2012
Jeremy, shouldn’t your memory be getting worse? haha! I know mine is…what’s your secret? Congrats on hitting 6 months! I’m about half way there.
John recently posted..8 Reasons Why You Keep Getting Dumped
Well let’s just say I had a problem that was creating a major impairment with the memory skills. After a few months away from that problem the memory is getting a bit better. So no real secret to help you out John.
Jeremy,
Congrats on the six months.
That’s awesome, and you’ve done a lot in a short period of time.
Another six months, and you’ll be out of the danger zone where most new bloggers quit within the first 6-12 month period. I remember when I started there were all these blogs, and probably about 10-12 of them don’t exist anymore or haven’t been touched in ages.
Thanks for the love as well.
Have a great weekend.
I think I’m in this for the long haul. It is crazy how many drop off in the first several months. So many blogger friends have just stopped blogging for one reason or another. It’s just a lot of work to put into it all, especially if you don’t get to the point where you’re starting to get something back from your efforts.
It doesn’t matter to me if it’s split or all in one post, I read them either way. Thanks for including me! My blog is now 5 months old, so I’m getting close to that milestone too. I still have a bunch of good post ideas I need to sit down and write, so I’m nowhere near the point where I’m out of blog ideas.
Justin @ The Family Finances recently posted..Seven Reasons Why It’s Great To Be A Dad
That’s one thing I was worried about early on…eventually running out of ideas. I think with my current format that is a lot tougher since I really only write one finance post per week. Guest writers take care of a lot of the topics where I’m less knowledgeable.
The word lurking sounds so creepy. How about if im just visiting? I cant believe you’re only six months old. You look much older. I’m at 1 year and some change. That’s like 80 in blog years, right?
funancials recently posted..Your Obsession With FREE
Well there must be some lurkers with my current traffic and how mostly only bloggers seem to comment. Maybe if I call them creepy names I’ll guilt them into speaking up.
I get the ‘I look older’ line a lot. Most people assume my blogs been around for a long time. It’s a flattering compliment in the blogging industry. I’m not sure how blogging years translates since so many have such a short lifespan. I figure over 1 year must make you an old timer though.
I kind of like the one post mixture but I’ll read either way. Thanks for mentioning me. Congrats on the 6 months! I’m coming up on the 1 year mark in October? I think that’s what it is. Enjoy your weekend.
bogofdebt recently posted..July 20th Friday Link Lovin’
Well so far everyone is in favor of 1 post which totally works for me. Thanks for the feedback. And congrats for sticking with your blog for the 9 months or so.
Thanks for including me. It’s more work but I like how you separated the posts last week
Ahh, the first person who wants it that way. I think I know why you prefer that route, but it is a bunch of extra work for me. So I’ll have to think about it. I’d rather not post on a Saturday, but I don’t want to overwhelm people with a big list either.
I’m hoping to see some benefits to our 6-month giveaway…who knows, though?
Thanks for linking Jeff’s post. I’ve been without a computer (pretty much) for a couple days due to someone very clumsy spilling wine on the lap top…okay, it was me! Anyway, I’ve got so much catching up to do. I still need to research SEO because you are obviously doing something right! Therefore, I’m going to listen to all the advice my friend Jeremy tells me! Have a great weekend!
Michelle recently posted..Dance Like No One’s Looking
Ouch, I guess wine is way worse than the water incident a little while back. Well if you’re going to listen to all my advice, I advise you to send me $50 and all will be well
We’ll have to chat some more about contest ideas. I think I’ve got some good ideas to make my contest a success. So I’d be happy to help you out with that kind of thing.
Is the cat part of the giveaway? If so, count me in. Haha just kidding.
Congrats on the big 6 months!!
Kaylan recently posted..Things That Grind My Gears – 1st Edition
lol no, but you can have the ratty box that he’s destroyed. You gotta pay for the shipping though haha. Thanks Kaylan.
6 months is a good ballpark to say if you will keep blogging. You have done a great job.
Steve @ Grocery Alerts recently posted..$2 Off Europe’s Best Fruit Essentials or Roasted Gourmet Product – Websaver.ca
Thanks Steve. With the amount of work I’ve put into this, it’s probably been more like 8-10 months. Unless anything drastically changes with my blog or the rest of my life, I think I will try to keep this going long term.
Only 6 months? I am very impressed with what you have accomplished in that time!
Anne @ Unique Gifter recently posted..Creative Cash Gift: ChocolateTreasure
lol maybe I shouldn’t have let my blog’s true age slip. I do like to make it look like I’ve been blogging for years. Thanks Anne.
Thanks man, I love how you reach out to everyone and such a real way. And you keep current with your reading too!!
Thanks Todd. I really like what you’ve got started with your and John’s blog too. I think there is a ton of potential there. It should grow into something really big.
Thanks for the mention Jeremy! I’m glad you liked the post. Enjoy a drink tonight mate, you deserve it for what you’ve accomplished in the last 6 months!
Money Bulldog recently posted..Why I Won’t Scrimp On Life Insurance!
I might just do that. And tomorrow probably a lot more than 1 drink
It’s not quite 6 months yet, but close enough to celebrate.
Personally, I like them together. I like the idea of thanking others for mentioning and giving back with some mentions all together. Just seems more elegant to me.
And thanks, by the way, for the mention.
Expect an email this weekend about co-sponsoring with an ebook.
Sounds good, thanks Edward. I think the concept of the two lists in one post. The problem is the length of each list. I blame all you guys for being too generous lol.
Hola, Jeremy:
Thanks for linking to the “Festival of Frugality” carnival. Appreciate it.
Kindly,
Missy
Missy recently posted..Festival of Frugality Blog Carnival
No problem Missy. It was the least I could do after you hosted and included my post.
Congrats on the milestone. You are doing great and I don’t think format will matter so much. People like your voice period.
I love the picture of the cat. They really do love boxes.
Miss T @ Prairie EcoThrifter recently posted..Finding Motivation When You Have None
Thanks Miss T. I’m not sure if it’s my voice people like or just my generosity lol. Either way, as long as people keep coming back and providing support, I’m happy.
“To celebrate I’m gonna get nice and hammered.”
That made me laugh.
I wish I could laugh this weekend…my internet down for most of it. Annoying. I really hate Rogers.
Giving away from stuff eh? I’ll sponsor something at some point.
Drop me an email in a few weeks, and we’ll talk.
Take care, and thanks for listing my article in your VERY long list!
Mark
Weird I don’t have any problems with Rogers here in Vancouver. They’re usually the more reliable option. If your internet was down, that means more time for drinking lol.
And no problem including your post. Sorry it’s such a long list. This week I might switch back to putting the favorite posts in a separate post. No promises though because it already looks like a very busy week.
Thanks for the mention. And the awesome cat pick.:)
mycanuckbuck recently posted..Blog round up for July 20, 2012
No problem. I am running out of cat pics though. So I might have to switch it up soon or just use random animal photos from flickr.
6 months! Wow, you’re OLD! Hah!
Congrats on the milestone. I’m halfway there, but I enjoy this too much to slow down. Also, I’ll be shooting you a quick email to get involved. Hope you had a relaxing weekend.
Yup it’s hard to believe it’s been 6 months already. Time has flown by, but I guess that shouldn’t be surprising with how busy blogging keeps me. Not too much relaxing for me on the weekends lately.
Congrats on the six months! I just hit three weeks
DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted..3 Ways My Wife and I Save Money
Thanks DC. The 6 month anniversary is a pretty big milestone for any blogger.