How I Started Blogging – And You Can Too
Note: This blog contains affiliate links. I make a small commission when purchasing through links. This post has been included as an entry into a giveaway/sweepstakes
Blogging is now my career – but it isn’t what I always thought I’d be doing. Here’s how I started blogging – and how you can too.
It’s now fast approaching 10 years since I first starting couponing – and much of that time, in one way or another, I’ve been blogging.
It’s had many twists and turns along the way – but it’s something that I’ve always enjoyed.
I never thought when I was younger that I’d be a blogger and writer for a living (in fact I wanted to be an actor!) – so it’s been a weird career pivot.
I get a lot of people asking me how I got into blogging – and some asking how you get started with your own blogging website.
So to kill two birds with one stone, here’s the story of how I started blogging – and some tips to start one yourself.
How I Started Couponing
My blogging didn’t come naturally – it in fact happened out of the result of unfortunate circumstances.
More often than not, you’d think a 15 year old boy knows very little about money and finances, and I definitely didn’t until everything changed.
At age 15 when my parents very suddenly split up, my mother and I were worried about money.
As a kid caught in the crossfire, I wanted to do something to help, but didn’t know what – because I couldn’t exactly work myself.
It took several weeks of thinking and looking for local paper rounds, until one evening, a TV show came on called Extreme Couponing.
This was an American show about people saving $1,000s at the supermarket by using these coupons.
I absolutely fell in love with it – and started Googling coupons in the UK to see how it worked.
It was a lot easier than most people thought, and it soon became an obsession of mine.
The first week of using them, I saved about £10 on my shopping. The next week, that saving doubled… and it just keep spiralling.
It lead up to some huge shopping trips such as getting my Christmas dinner for 10p, and a £105 shop for just £1.62.
Related: Coupons UK – How to find them
How I Started Blogging
From that point, I found a few Facebook pages that were devoted to getting free samples and deals, but there were no pages specifically about coupons.
I started to post all of my coupon bargains and freebies on these Facebook pages, and quickly started to make a name for myself.
A few of the posts showing my huge shopping trips got 100s of likes, with many asking how on earth I managed to get those kind of savings!
After a while, it made sense that I set up a Facebook Page of my own, so I can show people how to make the savings I did.
It was called ‘Extreme Couponing UK’ – the first of its kind in the country… and quickly grew a following.
Back in 2012/2013, it was quite common to see a new coupon every day and always a new deal to talk about – and that’s what I did.
Although that wasn’t the 1,000+ word blog posts I write now, for a 15 year old, it was definitely a step into the blogging world.
Teaching people how to save money, and sharing my experiences of saving money is something I absolutely loved doing.
For such a young boy, to get messages from people much older than me saying “Thank you so much for your tips – you’ve saved me £100s” – really meant something.
Related: ITV Tonight – How I Saved Money & You Can Too
What Happened From There?
From that point – I knew that’s what I wanted to do for a job. It was something I loved to do, and it helped so many others too.
This was at a time in my life that I didn’t know what to do career wise – or even whether I wanted to go to university or not… so it came at the exact right time.
I completed my GCSEs in the same year, and decided I wanted to leave school and education behind to pursue a business in couponing.
I did well at school, and did well in all of my exams, but with a drawn up business plan, and the want and need to get out of the classroom and into the real world – I took the plunge.
My Facebook page kept growing to over 100,000+ likers (mostly helped by a few TV appearances), and I started up my own limited company off the back of it.
The large growth was down to a number of lucky things, including being a niche with very little competition in at the time (now there’s hundreds of Facebook pages that talk about it – so it won’t have been so easy).
Unfortunately the business I pursued when I was 16 didn’t work out – and I’m now no longer in control of that Facebook page (I’ll save that story for another day).
This ultimately led me back into blogging – but on a much bigger scale, as I landed a job at the biggest money website in the UK – MoneySavingExpert.
I stayed there blogging for 4 years, attracting millions of views – before eventually deciding to go solo, and work as a blogger for myself.
I’ve now been blogging solo for nearly 2 years. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’ve stuck with coupons and deals this whole time – and they’ve never let me down.
Related: Amazon Tricks – Save Money On Amazon
How Easy Is It To Start A Blog?
I always say to people (especially young people who are looking to stand out when getting a job) that a blog is a great thing to have.
It doesn’t cost as much as you might think – and it can be easy to set up.
Having your own website or blog about something you’re passionate about, or just a place for you to talk about your life can be very beneficial.
Despite my career being up in the air at times, I’ve always had the blog to point people to, showcasing my talents, as well as helping people save money.
When I started up this website, it didn’t take much work. It sounds really technical to start a website up, but the amount of resources online to help you makes it quite easy.
When you set up a website, you need to have a website hosting service, your own URL and a blogging platform. Usually these are bundled in together by website companies.
They take care of all the super technical side, giving you the space to create the website and write.
The only thing you really need to start blogging, is a subject matter and time to write your posts. With social media, it’s easier than ever to get eyes on it after that.
I first started blogging by using a service called Bluehost, which is perfect for a small blog, as it’s low cost and gives you everything you need.
Deal – Blogging Package For £2ish a Month
It’s not a coupon kid blog without a deal of course..!
At the moment, there is a deal that gets you everything you need to start a website (including a URL, hosting, emails, WordPress installation and more) with Bluehost.
It’s priced currently at $2.95 a month, which is incredibly cheap for hosting, and will do everything you need to get a blog started up.
There are plenty of video guides if you get stuck, and have never had an issue with them in the past.
You can have a look at the hosting plans here, but most people won’t need more than the basic package – unless you wanted to create a blogging empire!
You’re able to select a 12 month package – which works out at about £25 for the year, which will be hard to beat.
Here’s all the details you need if you wanted to take a look at it. Happy to answer any questions in the comments below too.
Conclusion – How I Started Blogging & You Can Too
Hopefully you’ve learned a little bit there, either about me, or how to have a go at blogging yourself!
Blogging is very much something that works really well when you collabroate and help other people – and I’ve had my fair share of help over the years.
Big thanks to Mrs Mummypenny, Make Money Without A Job, Be Clever With Your Cash and many more for the guidance over the years.
If you do decide to start a blog up or have any questions – do get it touch! I’d love to pass that help onto others.
Have you ever been interested in blogging? I’d love to know in the comments below, on Twitter @Jordon_Cox or on Facebook.
1 Comment
April Ely
Do you have any tips for small businesses?
I tend to look at Akshar for business finance https://www.aksharconsulting.co.uk/blogs-finance-issue/