18 Years Of Running a blog – Southern Hospitality

18 years. How can it’s that I’ve been running a blog for that lengthy? It’s time for one more weblog recap and a glance again at 2024. I had one other nice 12 months of running a blog financially and I’m so grateful to the Lord for that. He’s undoubtedly blessed my enterprise for over 10 years now of constructing an incredible residing scripting this weblog. Mark and I had 12 months as effectively and traveled to Europe twice final 12 months. It’s been so enjoyable to decelerate and take this all on the tempo that’s comfy for me. I don’t have something to show to anybody, together with myself. I’m so grateful that I used to be positioned within the place to run this weblog and social media all these years in the past and so grateful that God has blessed me a lot. It actually has been one of many largest blessings of my life. This 12 months, nonetheless, may carry some adjustments. The winds are blowing in that route on the web.

I’ve all the time relied on my e mail checklist, which isn’t that huge anymore, to ship out my new posts to you all and it brings individuals over to my weblog. However, issues with Google, Pinterest, and different components have actually contributed to the lack of site visitors over the previous few years. Every year, my site visitors declines a bit. I’ve watched this occur, not understanding how low it’ll go and that’s nonetheless up for debate. As of now, my site visitors the final 6 months has declined by about 45%, which suggests my earnings can be taking place, because the important approach I make a residing doing that is by scripting this weblog. You all come and go to my weblog and the adverts that run on listed here are how I make a residing. I’ve an incredible advert community, Raptive, and I’ve been with them for years. They do an incredible job of monetizing our blogs and negotiating with advertisers for house on our blogs. I’m grateful that I’ve been with them so lengthy and it’s been very profitable for me to have them. I simply get a paycheck each month from my advert community.

Once more, the final 6 months has seen a pointy lower in site visitors. It’s not simply Google search site visitors, but additionally Pinterest and even e mail site visitors. It’s very unhappy to see, however it’s one thing I knew may occur ultimately. Evidently this 12 months goes to be so much totally different from previous years except one thing flips and begins going again the opposite route. At this level, I don’t stress about it, I simply need to take it because it comes. I’ll make much less cash, however I’m nonetheless going to proceed on. I’ve liked scripting this weblog for therefore a few years and it’s one thing that may proceed on into my retirement years, so long as you all are considering studying about our lives.

Final 12 months, we traveled extra extensively than we’ve got up to now and it was so enjoyable to take 2 journeys to Europe: Italy and France. We liked these journeys a lot and this 12 months we’ve got extra journey deliberate. We’ll be heading again to Italy in April and we’re each enthusiastic about that. Proper now, we’re on a Caribbean cruise on a Superstar cruise. This wasn’t a comped cruise, we paid for it. I actually like to journey (Mark goes alongside, he’s not the planner) and I hope we are able to journey much more the subsequent 10 years, whereas we’re wholesome and may afford to go.

Home sensible, we solely did one huge challenge in the home this 12 months. We completed the final lavatory renovation, an Artwork Deco magnificence that we’re so pleased with. We’re so glad to get the large tasks out of the best way and benefit from the dwelling we’ve made collectively, one challenge at a time. God has definitely been good to us and blessed our lives a lot. We nonetheless love our home and the place we dwell and we don’t plan to maneuver till we’ve got to in the future.

We had one loss in our household final 12 months, Mark’s sister, Kim handed away in August from most cancers and we certain do miss her. It was actually unhappy at Thanksgiving and Christmas for her to be gone and your complete household misses her vastly. My dad is doing okay, he’s hanging in there healthwise and the group he lives in does job caring for his wants. I’m so glad to have him shut by our home. That provides me a lot peace of thoughts. It’s been over a 12 months now since mother handed away. We miss her so much, however are grateful she is out of ache now and that we had her for therefore lengthy.

My focus this 12 months is on my well being much more. I’m in good well being, however I do have some points that want addressing, so I’ve been going to a purposeful medication physician/chiropractor and we’re engaged on some issues. I even have fairly extreme arthritis in my hips and I feel this 12 months will carry a hip alternative for me. I’ll begin with one after which in all probability do the opposite one later. I’ve been coping with hip ache for over 10 years and it’s gotten to the purpose that I don’t need it to spoil my high quality of life. I’ve bought an excessive amount of I need to do! I’ll write a weblog submit about well being quickly, subsequent week the truth is. I’m certain I’m not the one one coping with medical points at our age. It’s a journey to determine these items out and the right way to get higher. Oh, the thrill of getting older! {insert sarcasm emoji}

I’m eager for our nation this new 12 months. I for one am pleased concerning the election and what we’ve got in retailer this 12 months. I’m wanting ahead to a brighter day for our nation and for all of us. A return to widespread sense can’t come quickly sufficient. There’s been a lot unrest and chaos happening in our nation and around the globe in the previous few years. It’s exhausting to disregard all of it and never fear, however God doesn’t need us to concern or fear, so I select to belief God in all this. I’m so unhappy concerning the destruction in NC with the floods, the hurricanes in FL and this month, the fires in CA. A lot grief and unhappiness happening proper now, however I do know God continues to be in management. I stay up for what the brand new 12 months brings. A few of you won’t agree with my opinion, however all of us have the proper to say what we expect.

Running a blog sensible, I nonetheless plan to proceed, however social media will take a backseat because it has the previous few years. I nonetheless see the hamster wheel that’s happening with Instagram and the “influencers” there are all the time scrambling for views and attain, always placing out content material that’s consumed so quick after which discarded. It’s solely good for about 24 hours after which it’s time to feed the beast once more. I can’t compete with that, nor do I need to. I just like the tempo I’ve been at for the final 12 months or two, nonetheless having a presence, however not working very exhausting at it. That goes for Instagram and Fb. It does really feel an increasing number of like a contest, however I don’t need to play. The individuals who work exhausting and develop are those who’re rewarded essentially the most with sponsored alternatives, so I do know I miss out on so much by not working more durable, however that’s how I hold my sanity. I simply don’t have the drive to maintain striving for extra. I did just a few good sponsored partnerships final 12 months and annually, I take them one by one to see if they’re match for me. I flip down greater than I take. Instagram has virtually became one huge gross sales pitch and that turns me off. I’d think about it turns off lots of you too. I get it, however it’s simply not one thing I need to take part in all that a lot. Life is simply too brief to be on a hamster wheel. That’s not for me!

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT ME AND MY BLOG? 

As I shared final 12 months, one of the best ways you’ll be able to help me is to go to this weblog each time I submit. Meaning clicking the hyperlinks in my emails that exit and coming over right here to the weblog to learn. It doesn’t matter should you’re on a laptop computer, telephone or pill, all of it counts as pageviews, however a laptop computer will in all probability the the very best expertise for adverts. I do know adverts are annoying, I so get that. However once more, that’s the principle approach I could make a residing doing this and so that you can come and help me right here means the world to me. Thanks for that! For those who subscribe to my emails, you’ll get one in your inbox each time I submit and you’ll click on the hyperlink to come back over to my weblog and skim it dwell. That provides me pageviews and that’s how I make an earnings from my weblog. Many individuals don’t know the particulars of this, however it’s a fairly neat factor. I’ve stated earlier than how a lot God has blessed this weblog and I don’t take it with no consideration. I had one other nice 12 months and I’ve to thank all of YOU for that! Simply the truth that you all come over and skim makes it attainable for me to maintain it going.

AMAZON SHOP AND HOME DECOR LINKS

The opposite methods you’ll be able to help me is to purchase via my affiliate hyperlinks on Amazon and Prefer to Know It. I don’t share hyperlinks always, however should you store with my hyperlinks, that helps me too. I make commissions if you use my hyperlinks and that provides to my earnings.

You’ll find all my hyperlinks beneath Store my Dwelling on the house web page of my weblog on the menu bar.

I’ve an Amazon store with a lot of good merchandise that I exploit and that I like and suggest as effectively. The store has classes you’ll be able to take a look at with a lot of merchandise. Anytime you purchase from Amazon and use my hyperlink, I earn a small fee with out it costing you something further. Thanks for getting via my hyperlinks!

That wraps up the 12 months and the place issues are actually. If I take a look at the tendencies now, I do know that my site visitors goes down, which does have an effect on my earnings. I certain respect all of you who proceed to help me. I do know the web is a busy place and I don’t take it with no consideration that you simply come right here and help me. Issues can change straight away and in the future, my weblog could fully dry up and die. I’ll take it because it comes, when Google and Pinterest proceed to make it more durable and more durable to get site visitors again to us. I can’t depend on any of these and my e mail checklist is extra vital than ever. If I might get all of you to persistently open and skim my emails, that may be wonderful! Thanks to all of you who subscribe and are available right here each time I submit. I respect you all a lot! Thanks from the underside of my coronary heart!

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