Three and a half years after starting, our little blog has grown up! I can’t believe it. And really, I don’t know what to say other than a hearty THANK YOU. To each and every one of you who has stopped by at some point throughout our existence here. It means a lot. Without readers, this is just another diary :)
And like money, it holds true here too: The first million is always the hardest. Haha… it took over 2 1/2 years to hit 1 million, and almost EXACTLY 1 year (off by 3 days!) to hit 2. That’s insane. And honestly, I’m not doing anything much different here, so it just goes to show that over time hard work really pays off. (The same can go for paying off credit card debt, or growing your savings accounts too — pushing hard, day by day, month by month, ultimately gets you to your goal!)
One of my very first posts was an interview I did with myself – yes, myself! who else was gonna do it? haha… – so 3 and 1/2 years later I’m doing it again for good time sake :) 5 people probably saw the original one, but now I get a lot more eyeballs reading – yay!!!
Here we go, a handful of questions that you may or may not be wondering:
1. Is it hard writing every single day, Monday – Friday?
Yes. Very. Especially for someone who hates writing!! Haha… it’s not that I run out of things to say, although sometimes that happens, but more that it takes foreverrrrrr to get out of my head and on paper succinctly! I always feel GREAT once I get my thoughts out so I can share it with the world, but it literally takes me 2 or 3, or even 4 hours sometimes. For one seemingly simple post! Haha… I always know what I *want* to say, but my brain just doesn’t work like a writer’s at all. I’m more visual, so it’s very hard at times to get my words across :)
2. Did you have any idea you’d be a blogger for so long?
Noooo way…. mainly for the reason I listed above (I hate writing!), but also because I have major A.D.H.D. I’ve never liked something for more than 6 months, so it’s just as shocking to me as it is to my friends when I tell them I’m actually making a career out of it now :) But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
3. What do you like so much about it? Do you ever get bored?
Nope! It’s totally nerdy, but it’s so damn fulfilling (and just plain FUN). As crazy as it sounds, I’ve met all my closest friends now from blogging or Twitter/facebook :) And that includes a lot of you reading this right now. I call y’all my online family cuz that’s really how it is — I have more in common with you guys than I do my “real life” friends who I don’t get to see as often as I’d like! And it’s totally opened up so many other opportunities as well. Yes I blog about money day in and day out, but you learn SO MUCH about the online industry, and many other things at the same time. I’ve grown more in the past 3 years than I have in the past 10, and the idea that *anything* can happen one day just excites the pants off of me…
4. Do you think you’ll ever blog about anything else?
Haha, yes :) You’ve probably noticed a few posts here and there that kinda hover on the border of personal finance, and that’s usually my other passions or thoughts trying to pop themselves out. I’ll always keep this site financially related, but I may start another blog (or podcast?) where I can just be myself 100% and say whatever the hell I want just to get it off my brain. Kinda like a show about nothing ;) In fact, my boy Nate and I talk about having a “Nate and J” show where we just stream ourselves talking about whatever, and callers chime in and we just shoot the $hit. It’ll probably only be interesting to us, but I think it would be fun.
5. What’s an average day for you now?
Boy, it changes every month but here’s the current pattern: I wake up at 8:30 (used to be 10:30), answer emails for a few hours, tweet a bit, write a blog post for 10 hours (haha…), go for a walk, answer more emails, work on a side project for an hour, work on another side project for two hours, tweet a lot, go on another walk, have more calls, waste an hour or two online doing who knows what, answer more emails, and then maybe take a break? I stop usually around 8-10pm and then work some more later if something important (or exciting) is going on. If not, I’ll hang w/ the wife and then do it all over again in the morning.
It probably sounds real bad – like I’m a workaholic or something – which is true, but I promise you it’s pleasurable. I wouldn’t even call it work. More like a hobby that pays the bills :) Whenever someone asks me what I’d do with more free time, the answer is always “build something online!” So it’s safe to say I’m on the right track.
6. What does Mrs. BudgetsAreSexy think about all this?
Haha, it depends on when you ask her ;) She’s 100% supportive, and thinks it’s great I immerse myself into it so much, but she def. gets tired of hearing about it all the time. Or not hanging out with me as much as the pre-blog days. But I’m always striving to be better and adapt as we go along here. It’s true I’m pouring my heart and time into it like a madman now, but I think it’s paving the way for a MUCH better future ahead. You always have to put in the time up front so you can enjoy the rewards in the future, and she knows a lot of this stuff is just temporary. I’ll always be “in the game,” but I won’t always be strapped to the laptop like I am now. Or on the road every month.
7. How has your Net Worth changed since blogging?
It’s gone up!! By a ton. Which I attribute a lot of it to this blog, and having everyone hold me accountable to it all. The very first time I EVER tracked it we were at $58,769.65, and 41 months later we rose to $214,025.67. An increase of over 300%! I still worked my a$$ off to get to where it is today, but talking about it out loud and sharing it with everyone has def. helped me focus on it more.
8. Is it true you like to watch The Bachelorette?
No comment!!! :)
9. Anything else you’d like to ad?
(Those are always my favorite questions) Yes! My readers are honestly the BEST readers a blogger could ask for – no joke. Everyone here is so generally positive and motivating that it makes my “job” incredibly satisfying! I know so many sites that just get crapped on left and right by the haters, and it really pisses me off. And makes me sad. It’s always okay to spark a little debate and get some juicy discussions going on, but you NEVER personally attack someone or be outright disrespectful. And I’m proud to say you guys never cross that horrible horrible line. And for that, I am eternally grateful :)
Got any questions yourself for me? Shoot ’em by! It’s always more gratifying answering REAL ones than made up ones from my head ;) Anything at all goes, too – whatever you’re thinking.
And for anyone who still doesn’t have one, make sure to download your Sexy Saver Certificate! It may have been 3 years ago when I made it, but it’s still just as sexy as ever. Happy Thursday!!
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(Photo by krynsky)
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Great job!! Keep up the good work.
Congrats!
Where do you go on your walks and do you listen to music while you work?
Any new side projects on the way? (not that you don’t already have a lot on your plate!)
Congratulations! I have only been reading for a couple months, but I really enjoy your blog a lot.
On a side note… now that we are online family can you loan me a couple bucks ;) ?
Just kidding!
Keep up the great work and here’s to millions of more views!
Sweet! I love seeing success stories so I can try to live up to them. I have 76k page views in my first year. I think 1 million by year 2.5 is a good goal!
@LLF – Thank you so much! I’ll def. keep trying! :)
@No Debt MBA – RE: Walks – I walk alllll around my neighborhood. There are tons of lakes and paths and clean (quiet) areas to go around, so I just walk out with some water or my soccer ball, and just go until I’m all tired out. Or I get brilliant ideas that excite me so much that I have to go back to the computer and start cranking on them! Haha… it’s my thinking/relaxing time – my favorite part :)
RE: Music – You know, I was never a fan of listening to music at all while walking or just in general, like from my iPhone or whatever, but the other week I tried it on my way to the pool and just loved it!! So now I’ll jam out if I’m going somewhere far, or wanna layout by myself at the pool, but if I’m taking a break or just wanting to get fresh air and think a while, I’ll go without. It’s hard for me to think & listen to music at the same time :)
RE: Side Projects – Haha, the answer to that is YES, even though I shouldn’t be cuz I don’t know where I’ll find the time :) But I’m currently looking into some coupon stuff, and some forum stuff… I’d like to start a simple/fun forum on Budgets Are Sexy so we can all chat in the background and share ideas and ask questions and all that. That way our daily interaction isn’t limited to the topic I happen to write about that day. And the coupon stuff, well, that just interests me a LOT. And that niche is totally different than personal finance, so I’d like to learn and see who I can implement it more smartly.
@Brian – Thanks Brian! Really appreciate you stopping by and just reading my site in general! That is awesome :) And it wouldn’t be the first time I lent money to friends I know online ;)
@Kevin @ Thousandaire.com – Yes! Totally, your stuff is awesome yo – you can for sure hit 1 million by then!
Congratulations on such an exciting accomplishment. I have very much enjoyed your point of view /take on life. It has been great following your journey and learning quite a bit on the way. Onward and upwards to the next 2 million hits.
Super-duper congratulations! Helps me know that starting out chuga-a-lugging along on my blog isn’t such a bad thing ;-) I think your tone and humor are exactly what this subject needs. And obviously about 2.5 million other peeps think so too!
Keep up the GREAT work :-) You got my own point of view turned around, that’s for sure. I’m still writing about it too http://adamsorganizing.com/2011/07/21/poor-government-assistance-sick-of-it/ Gotta stay SICK of poverty till we’re not poor anymore!
Congratulations!!! I cannot wait to hit that mark! You are inspiring!
Congratulations! You put in a lot of work on the blog, and it shows! Here’s to the next million page views in 6 months!
Oh wow, I had no idea my new friend was so huge! Super-cool, yeah, but 2 mil?? I feel a little shy now…
(It will pass, though. I’m pretending to be able to hobnob with those way out of my league.) :P
WOOO HOOOO! 2 million, freakin’ awesome; there will be millions more to come. :-)
Congrats! I’ve been a reader for about a year now.
I’m currently reading The Millionaire Next Door and wanted to know how do you create your net worth goals? Do you use a method similar to the one described in that book? Age x net income / 10? Or do you have another method of developing your goals?
I used that formula and was off by something like $130,000 from where I should be. I’m not positive it’s accurate though since I just started working.
I love this… half way through I remembered you were asking yourself these questions and it made me laugh!! I could almost see you sitting in your computer chair swiveling back and forth from interviewer to interviewee!!
Just curious what the best decision, related to blogging, you think you’ve made so far?
Happy 2 million, J. Celebrate! I know I would when I get there (for the time being only about three zeros short).
AMAZING! I just realized what “page views” are, like, last week! I don’t know much about blogging but I do know those numbers are very impressive for just 2.5 years. Nice work!
@Jolie – Thanks so much Jolie!!! Really really appreciate you reading for so long, I still check out your site too! :)
@Elise Adams – That’s right! And the more you put it out there for everyone to read, the more you’ll hold yourself accountable! At least if you’re anything like me :) I love the way you write too, it’s very unique – keep it up!
@Crystal – Something tells me you won’t be too far behind me soon ;)
@Daraius – Thanks D! Don’t forget to send me that guest post too – I know my readers are gonna enjoy it! :)
@Cordelia – Haha, no need to pretend – you are a ROCK STAR!! And I’m totally pimping you out tomorrow, cuz when I see something that inspires me, I need to tell the world :) Thanks for being YOU!
@Jen @ Master the Art of Saving – Thanks! And to you too ;) Big fan.
@SMB – I love that book! And I remember comparing my stuff to it too at the time :) I think it’s fun. But honestly, other than that I don’t find it very helpful. I base all my goals on how my life is going at the time. I don’t know how “right” or “wrong” it is, but I know it works :) I usually do them in $20k or 50k increments to keep me motivated. But honestly, it all comes down to what you’re trying to get out of it.
Are you trying to reach a certain net worth # because it matches an average? Or because it reflects your lifestyle, and how you want your FUTURE lifestyle to be 40 years from now? For me, sometimes it’s a game to see how high I can get it, and others I sit down and try and figure out how long it would last me if I stopped working tomorrow. But at the end of the day, it just matters what you want to get out of it. Some people can be just as happy with $100k as they can with $1,000,000. We all live our lives differently :) I’d use your own lifestyle when you’re comparing it.
@Jenny~Z – Haha, I started drinking beer midway through it so I probably got weirder/funnier as it went along ;) As for the “best decision” I’ve made, I think it would have to be staying MYSELF. Sometimes it’s really hard to not compare yourself to all the other (especially bigger) bloggers out there when it comes to success, but I have to remind myself that we all have our own unique talents, and to not try and be like them. Just keep writing straight from my brain and staying as true to myself as possible.
I’m trying to be as pure and honest as I can here too, and when I catch myself holding back, or trying to reword something to not be as gritty, I stop and do my best to get back into the right mindset. I don’t want to be known as the guy who knows everything, or who has the right answers or anything like that – I want to be the guy who’ll try and motivate you and share his honest opinions no matter who you are, and what stage of life you are with your money. I’ve done a lot of smart moves w/ this blog over the years (and bad ones too! haha…), but when it all comes down to it, sticking true to myself throughout it all has been the best move I could have made. And I think that would help *everyone* in life too — whether you’re a blogger or not :)
@Maria Nedeva – Thank you! I am, even if it’s just internally! Haha… appreciate the heads up with my broken site too earlier today – you rock :) And I want to hear when YOU hit 2 mil too!
@Kathryn C – Awww, haha… I’m glad you’re picking it up now :) I’m still picking up things — big ones too that I should probably know by now ;) Thanks for popping bye, my twitter friend.
Way to go. I admit to feeling a little lost if I don’t read your blog. And I only 1/2 read for the financial benefits.
Congratulations J. Money! Well deserved because you do such a good job. And 2 million hits later you are still very responsive to comments! Well deserved.
Congratulations. This is absolutely awesome. I am impressed by your tenaciousness and results.
Congratulations, J. Money! I’ve only recently found you blog, but it’s quickly become one of my favourite stops in the morning when I peruse Google Reader with my morning coffee. Thanks for always being interesting AND entertaining.
Here’s to two million MORE pageviews!
Congrats J. Money! 2 Million views is awesome! I honestly can’t even remember how I came across your blog, but I’m very happy I did. Your one of the only blogs I read practically every single day.
Side Note: For some reason I prayed for you and your family last night. Do you know how funny it sounds to say J. Money and Mrs. BudgetsAreSexy in a prayer? lol
@rainbowfish – Aww, thx :) I only give “real” advice 1/2 the time anyways, haha… the rest is me just shooting ideas around ;)
@Ms. S – Thank you! You guys are the most important thing to me here, so I want to keep responding as long as I’m physically able to :)
@cashflowmantra – Thanks for always stopping by, bro!
@Melissa – Awww, thank you so much! Really means a lot, honestly :) I’m glad you find it fun to read because that’s my #1 goal here – to make this stuff less-boring!
@C Ann – You are TOO NICE!!!! Thank you!!! Wow. You have totally made my day, that is so wonderful of you :) I bet it’s weird saying our names! Haha… hopefully it wards off any scariness down the line!
2Million page vies? that is amazing…I can only hope to reach that level one day
Keep it up, J! Two million page views is a testament to you and your awesome blog and it is very well-deserved! Next stop the three-million mark by your fourth year anniversary!
All the best,
Len
Len Penzo dot Com
@Evan – You will, sir – you will!
@Len Penzo – Haha, that would be nice ;) You too my man, see you at FINCON11? I hope so! Would be great to see you in “real life” again :)
I found your blog a week ago and i have been back everyday since then. Good work! I appreciate all the hard work you put into this blog. I can now realize how hard it really is after starting up my own blog. I am not a good writer at all either and it takes me a lot of time to write articles like you. It becomes frustrating at times but i can’t think of anything else id rather be doing (expect my girlfriend of course :)
An accomplishment like this deserves more than just an applaud. 2 million page views is outstanding, let along completing that goal in 3 years is no easy task. I would be happy if i accomplished a third of a percentage of what you have. well done brother! .
haha, thanks man ;) good one w/ the girlfriend! cracked me up. step by step, right?