Announcing Changes; Requesting Feedback

Posted on | January 8, 2008 |

Happy Tuesday, everyone.

I’ve spent the past few weeks pondering the role of this blog in my life and the direction I want to take it and whether I want to even take it in any direction at all.

I’ve come to a few conclusions but I still have unanswered questions/uncertain feelings too.  I’ve decided to move ahead with the ideas and let the rest of it sit and percolate for a while longer.

This blog’s direction and purpose:

At the time that I started this blog, I had another “daily life” type of blog that I considered my main outlet for thoughts, feelings, and philosophical ponderings about life, parenthood, life after health crises, and marriage to a terminally-ill husband.

The Daily Dollar Diary was supposed to be just that — a secondary blog recording my daily expenditures – sort of a social experiment allowing everyone and anyone to see how one suburban housewife spent the family’s money.  I intended to be as transparent and anonymous as possible and  I really hadn’t thought either way about whether I’d write additional finance-related posts.

Then, in the shuffle of moving from one host to another rather suddenly, something went terribly wrong.  Long story short – my main blog got lost.  I stopped blogging but after a while I really starting missing the outlet.  Not yet ready to pick up and start all over again with my main blog, I revived my Daily Dollar Dairy.  Just for the fun of it.  I certainly didn’t start out to become a Personal Finance blogger.

Why?  Well, for one thing, personal finance was something I’d never really thought about.  The Husband and I enjoy fairly traditional roles (at least outwardly) in that he makes the money and I spend it.  He balances the checkbooks, pays the bills, and knows how much we have and where it is.  I know who wears what size and likes what color, when a birthday is approaching and who to ask for gift ideas, and what needs to be replaced or what can be repaired — and who to talk to to get it done.

Beyond the fact that personal finance isn’t a subject I’d previously spent much time thinking about, there’s also the fact that I am by no means an expert and have no special organizational or financial skills.  I’ve had a lot of fun, so far, posting my daily expenditures, writing the occasional maintenance tip or product review, and reading lots of personal finance blogs.  But, at the same time, I’ve been floundering trying to find a place in the Personal Financial blogosphere that feels like home for me and my blog.  I don’t fit into the journey-out-of-debt category because I’m not in debt.  I don’t fit into the I’m-rich-and-here’s-how-I-did-it category because I’m not and I didn’t.  I certainly don’t fit into the amateur-investing-advice or credit-card-arbitrage-game categories since the sum total of my investing experience is buying GE stock on Sharebuilder and the closest we get to credit-card arbitrage is to make all of our purchases on a credit cards and then pay the bills in full before the due date, occasionally getting dividends or other rebate incentives as a result of our credit card usage.

Mainly, I feel uncomfortable giving advice because I’m just an average Joe muddling my way through life and money and the last thing the world needs is another self-important, pompous average Joe — the world and the blogosphere are full of people like that.  Who the heck am I to tell you what’s a good use of your money or how much to save?

Although I am loathe to blog from an “advice” standpoint, I do enjoy sharing my experiences and viewpoints.  Likewise, the blogs I enjoy reading and find myself returning to again and again are the ones in which the author simply shares stories and personal perspectives.  In my experience, self-proclaimed experts are full of hot air and not worth my time and energy.  I’d much rather hear how half a dozen different families have dealt with the issue of allowance than read what what one bloated blogger with a 2-year old thinks is the best way to teach kids how to be money savvy.  I, too, was once a foremost expert on childrearing — until I had kids.  In my book, humility goes a long way.

So, after weeks of pondering and reading and soul-searching, I’ve decided to make my Daily Dollar Dairy the type of blog that I love to read — a personal record of my journey through all things related to money and personal finance from my own unique perspective.  I will tell my readers how I spend my money and why I spend my money but I will not advise them how to spend theirs (and if I cross that line, dear readers, I ask that you call me on it).  I will share when I save money and where I save it and how much it is or isn’t earning in interest but I will not presume to tell you how much to save, what type of fund to save it in, or whether or not you could get a better deal elsewhere.

Upcoming Posting Changes:

I’ve decided to create a basic schedule of topics on which I’d like to post in addition to my daily expenditure reports.  I’m a little afraid of doing this and a little reluctant to announce it because quite likely I’m biting off more than I can chew and will faily miserably at maintaining the schedule.  But, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?  Besides, in creating this schedule, I’ve given myself full permission to get off-track if my real-life schedule gets in the way or my health situation makes keeping up difficult.

Here’s my planned posting schedule:

• Monday — Maintenance Monday: tips, reminders, etc.
• Tuesday — Day of Discovery:  self-reflection, philosophical ponderings, or just some tidbit I learned recently
• Wednesday — Kids & Money: need I say more? 
• Thursday — The Art of Shopping:  the zen of finding good deals, being a wise consumer, and product reviews
• Friday — Carnivals and Link Love

Upcoming Blog Changes:

I’ve gone around and around on the issue of monetizing my blog.  Monetizing blogs is an issue on which I am more than a little torn.  For me, the line between a blogger making a little side income on affiliate links or Google Adsense ads blurs very quickly into feeling like revenue is the main purpose of the blog and the text and articles a secondary effort.  Yes, I’m admittedly a little cynical but doesn’t it strike you as a little crass for a site about digging your way out of consumer debt to display ads for payday loans and credit card offers?

After much thought, I’ve made two decisions about monetizing my blog:  1) I’m going limit my blog’s advertisements to hand-picked affiliates that will be listed in the left-hand column and a separate Affiliates page and 2) 50% of all affiliate income generated on my blog will be donated to a charity of my choosing and the other 50% will be divided between my children’s college savings accounts.

The companies that I choose as affiliates will have to meet certain criteria — they will either be companies and/or products that I have positive personal experience with and personally recommend or they will be companies and/or products that have a good reputation or have been recommended to me by a trusted source.  I give you my solemn promise that you will not find ads for Payday loans or get-rich-quick schemes on my blog.

Requesting Feedback:

If you are so inclined, I would truly appreciate any feedback you might have to offer on my blog.  My readership isn’t huge and is, at the moment, fairly static.  I’m not blogging to become famous nor do I have any type of subscribership, but I’m definitely interested in producing a quality and readable product.  I’m am curious as to why vistors are here and why they come back.  If you have anything to say about the type of posts you find interesting or any comments on my writing style or suggestions for future topics, please contact me — either in the comments or via email (see the graphic in the upper left column).

Related Posts for Further Reading

• A New Look
• Welcome Gather Little by Little Visitors
• I’m back? Yes. I’m back!!
• Dear Readers - don’t give up on me just yet
• Getting Back on Track

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