If you haven’t heard, I said goodbye to SAHD FIRE and hello to Gig FIRE. I have two reasons for doing this. First, I want to spend my time more productively. My son is getting older and more independent now. He is at school from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. That’s a lot of wasted time for me. This is the most free time I’ve had since I became a SAHD. I need something to do. Second, I want to raise $30,000 to build a beach hut in Thailand. My family owns a small piece of land near Hua Hin Beach. The beach is okay, but the seafood is delicious and very affordable. My dad wants to live there during burning season. It’s a very smoky road in Chiang Mai from February to mid-April. I’ve always wanted to live in a beach town, too.
Anyway, I’ll try different ways to make money and write an update once in a while. Today, I’m going to write about my long-running odd job – blogging.
blogging
I started blogging in 2010. Wow, it’s been 13 years! In a few years, I’ll be blogging longer than I have been as an engineer. This is madness. Blogging has completely changed my life for the better. I was at my lowest point, and blogging just got me out of that funk. It gave me purpose by allowing me to focus on improving my life rather than blaming circumstances for my problems. Blogging has helped turn negative energy into creativity.
Back in 2010, the FIRE movement and the blogosphere were both growing. It was a great time to start a blog. Also, I wanted to earn a little money on the side. I wanted to quit my engineering career and was willing to try anything. Fortunately, you are in the right place at the right time. Retiring at 40 grew exponentially over the first few years and gave me the confidence to retire early. By 2012 our net worth met the SWR rule of 4%, but I probably wouldn’t have quit engineering if I didn’t have any side income. Blogging income enables us to delay withdrawals and invest.
Blogging Income
I was so lucky to start blogging when I did. The tide was rising and it lifted all boats in 2010. The first year was the only year I lost money. After that, blogging brought a good income.
Here is a graph of my blogging income over the years.
It’s incredible. Blogging has generated over $400,000 in income over the past 13 years. I never thought it would achieve so much when I started. I just wanted a little income to help pay the bills. I am so grateful to all of my readers over the years. Of course, many bloggers have been more successful. A few have been able to parlay their blogs into books, advisory gigs, YouTube, and many other businesses. It’s a great starting point. I wasn’t creative or hungry enough to grow the business. It remains a blog and I will keep it going for as long as I can. This is how ambitious I am. After all, I want to enjoy my comfortable half-retirement. I don’t want to work a lot.
SAHD rating
This is my review of blogging as a SAHD side gig. It worked out pretty well for me, but that’s down to a lot of luck and perseverance. I started at the right time and kept it going. Your mileage may vary. Most blogs don’t last long because they just couldn’t get enough traction.
Flexibility Blogging is very flexible. I used to blog at night when I was an engineer. Back then, I could stay up late… I was doing 3 posts a week and I spent a lot of time writing and researching. When I started, I spent more than 20 hours a week on this aspect. Now, I spend about 5-10 hours a week on it. Another great thing about blogging is that I can do it from anywhere. I spent 6 months away from home in 2022 and managed to keep the blog going.
money – My blogging income has been great over the years. The first year was difficult. I didn’t make much money until my sophomore year. Most people quit early because they don’t see the result of their hard work. It takes a lot of patience to work more than 20 hours a week without income. Unfortunately, I think blogging is dying. The tide is on its way out, and even established bloggers are making less money these days. It’s harder to monetize blogging now than when you first started.
Possible Blogging still has good potential. You can benefit from a blog in many other businesses. If you are diligent, you can make it work. Blogging is a starting point now. You don’t want to focus on blogging only. This is a dead end, IMO. My blogging income has been decreasing every year and I don’t think it will return.
joking – I still enjoy blogging. It’s fun to research and write about a topic. Blogging gives me a chance to focus my mind. That’s good.
x factor Blogging has many benefits. I blog about FIRE and it motivates me to improve our finances. We’re doing a lot better than when we first started. It also gave me a bridge to full retirement. I have an LLC and I contribute to my individual 401k. If I keep blogging until 2028 I can close the business and withdraw from my 401k without penalty. I’ll be old enough to use Rule 55. It’s a great way to get into some of my retirement funds early.
Total – Blogging worked out very well for me. I was in the right place at the right time and got a lot out of starting a blog in 2010. The income is declining, but it’s still way better than any other odd jobs I’ve tried. I plan to continue blogging until 2028. After that, I will reassess the situation and figure out what to do next.
In conclusion, I think blogging is not that useful anymore. It’s very hard to gain traction and ad revenue is trending downward. However, it is a good starting point. You can use a blog to unleash your entrepreneurial spirit in other businesses. This is worth your time.
Well, that’s it for this update. Let me know if you have any questions.
If you are interested in starting a blog, here is my guide. How to start a blog and why you should.
Passive income is the key to early retirement. This year, Joe is investing in commercial real estate with CrowdStreet. They have many projects all over the USA so check them out!
Joe also highly recommends Personal Capital to DIY investors. They have many useful tools that will help you reach financial independence.
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