Thursday Thoughts: The Business of Blogging

Most of you may already know that I've been spending the better part of this month trying to focus on this little blog more.  I've been reading, researching, and subsequently thinking about what I'm trying to get out of this whole blogging adventure.

When I first started this blog (you can check the archives for this) it was a way for me to record and document my life.  That lasted for about 2 posts (that were over a year apart) until it changed into a way for my sister and I to share photos of our daily outfits with each other without having everyone and their mother looking at it on Facebook.  (And if your mother is on Facebook, please ask her to "Like" my

Since then, this little blogging light of mine went on to shine, shine shine!  I've gained so many wonderful friends and supporters through blogging and have grown so much as a person from writing and reading all the wonderful posts out there in blogland...but I still feel that there is more out there for me.  Yes, we Geminis are never satisfied.

That leads me to the point of this post:

  What do I want out of my blog?

Well, I want everything.  I want to earn a good amount of income through blogging, to be my own boss, to travel, to be taken seriously.  I want to be an inspiration for people.  I want to open a boutique and sponsor other bloggers.  I want Frikken Duckie to be not just a blog, but a brand.  I want to be able to make a living by doing what I love.

Is that too much to ask for?  Well, maybe.  But so what?!  That's what I want and that's what I'm working towards.  How, you ask?  Well I'm not 100% sure yet, but here's my game plan (in bulleted form since this post is getting pretty long already) so far:

• Sponsor/Advertise on big blogs
• Apply/Join different affiliate/sponsorship programs to start making a little money
• Reach out to small businesses with sponsorship proposals
• Collaborate with other bloggers and host meetups/linkups/events
• Update and keep track of my blog stats
• Work harder at promoting and networking via social media
• Continue to read and comment on other blogs and build strong relationships

Now, I'm not saying that in order to be a successful blogger you need to be making loads of cash by sitting in front of your computer all day - but, hey, it would be nice, right?

These are just my personal hopes and dreams for this little ol' blog of mine.  What about you?  Do you dream of being a hot shot blogger?  Is blogging your dream job or would it help to open doors towards your dream job?

♥ Duckie.

Thursday Thoughts: A Look Back On College

What up peeps!?

Yeah, that's me trying to be young and cool.

 When I started going to college (it wasn't all THAT long ago, mind you), I loved every minute of it.  It was a little intimidating at first - okay, a LOT intimidating - but once I got the hang of things it was pretty awesome.

During my first semester I was so excited!  I went on a shopping spree for new clothes, supplies, and bought all my textbooks brand spankin' new.

Then I saw the BILL (holy frikken moly!!!) - and my excitement quickly died.

I didn't realize how expensive college was until that moment - and that didn't even include the tuition and registration costs!

Needless to say, I just reused all the clothes, salvaged as much as I could from the supplies I had left, and scoured the campus looking for used textbooks in the next semester.

Now, it's a bit too late for me (unless I plan to go back to school) but for all you young whippersnappers who are in college right now or will be starting college soon, let me give you a few words of advice:

START SAVING NOW.

Any way to decrease your expenses is a good thing.  Thrifting for clothes, reusing supplies, and renting your textbooks will save you so much in the long run!

I'll even give you a head start on this: Campus Book Rentals.  Learn it.  Love it.  Live it.

They are seriously the bomb-diggity!

Instead of paying top dollah on books, you can rent them and save 40-90% off bookstore prices!  That saves you a helluva lot of money plus they also offer free shipping both ways!  You really can't get a better deal than that!  Don't believe me?  Check out this book that I bought at regular price:  Microeconomics and look at the price difference!

ANNNNDDD, if you're like me, and you already splurged on brand new books, you can send them to Campus Book Rentals and make money every time your book is rented!  That's bonus money for you to spend on pizza and soda for parties - or coffee for those long overnighters.

Also, if you resolved to be a better person and donate to some charities this year, then you're totally covered!  Campus Book Rentals donates a portion of every textbook rented to Operation Smile.

Now, I don't know about you all, but I'm gonna start going through the boxes with all my old textbooks and see what I can make money off of!

♥ Duckie.

P.S. You're welcome.