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February 2016 Progress Report

Contents

Wow – where did February go? I mean, I know it’s a shorter month and all, but it seems only yesterday that I was writing my January progress report!

My time during February was split pretty equally between preparing for the forthcoming vegetable season (I always get excited at this time of year!) and creating content for my new blog which I discussed in last month’s report.

Goals Update

It’s so easy in life to bumble along, wasting time on unimportant things. To help keep me on the right road this year I have selected a small number of goals and decided to report on my progress each month.

Doing so not only helps to keep me accountable but also allows you, dear reader, to follow along and watch my progress as we race towards Christmas (it’ll be here before you know it folks!).

So, how did we get on in February..?

Project 10k

The biggest plan for this year is to save £10,000 (GBP) by the end of the year. It’s a lofty goal, but how are we progressing?

Thanks to my consistently frugal lifestyle this month I have managed to pile yet more into the savings account, bringing the current total to £2,200.

This is considerably above where we need to be, which by my maths is at £1,667. This is good as it provides a little “breathing room” later in the year for things like vacations, Christmas or major motoring incidents. As a result I don’t plan to “calm down” and relax any time soon and want to get as far ahead of that curve as possible right now.

Long may this trajectory continue!

Start A New Blog

As I reported at the beginning of the year, a major goal for 2016 is to diversify my online projects and launch a brand new blog – with a view to increasing my income as a result.

Much of February was spent researching and writing content for the site. I now have 6 really juicy, top-quality articles that go way above and beyond my competitor’s content; we’re talking long, long articles filled with resources, images and even videos.

I also have another 3 articles on the go right now which I hope to finish in the next few weeks.

My goal is to really produce exceptional content for each and every post so they take many hours to produce, edit and format but I’m quite optimistic about the results.

The first post has just been published and I hope to keep up a weekly posting schedule from now on (just like I do here at Frugality Magazine). Keep your eyes peeled for next month’s report where I hope to be able to report a considerably uptick in traffic as a result of these new articles.

In addition to this my new Pinterest account is set up for the site and has new pins being added to it on a daily basis. Follower numbers are low right now – we just hit 120 followers. However this is growing (slowly) an it’ll be fun to start sharing my own content when my follower numbers make this worthwhile in a few months time.

Pillar Posts

I now have three massive posts at least partly finished. I’ll be spending March posting both here and on my new blog, trying to get ahead with content. The plan is then to dedicate April to getting several of these posts up and online. Trust me – they’ll be worth the wait.

Goals Summary

All in all I would say that February has been another successful month. I’m flying ahead both with my savings goals and the production of content for my new blog, and I shall be very interested to see how traffic develops in the coming months.

In essence I’m not planning to “monetize” the new site until after the summer months. Basically right now the project is all about content creation, building some links and growing that social following (Twitter and Pinterest). I truly want it to be the best-possible resource for each topic I cover.

Then, when we get through to September/October time (which will be here so much sooner than we’d like!) I then plan to start adding affiliate links and display advertising onto the site. I’m deliberately mentioning products and services that I use in each article so it should be simple enough to turn these into affiliate links in six months time.

That, of course, assumes that the new blog is receiving enough traffic by then to capitalize on the Christmas shopping rush and bring home the bacon!

Reading List

There’s been loads of good stuff during February published by fellow personal finance bloggers. Here are the posts that have proven to be of greatest interest to my social media followers…

Zero To Millionaire in Ten Years
Financial voyeurs rejoice! One blogger just pulled their old tax returns, pay stubs, and my net worth spreadsheet to pull together the story of their ten year journey from nearly zero net worth to millionaire status.

How We Paid Off Our Mortgage in 3.5 Years
We paid off our mortgage in 3.5 years! It was difficult to do but we love to be completely debt free. I share how we paid off our mortgage so quickly.

How Saving Money Saves Time
“Time is money,” my father used to tell me when I was a boy.

How We Saved $1 Million Dollars and Became Financial Independent at 30

How to Become a Freelance Writer – A Real Mom’s Journey
Meet Gina! She decided to learn how to become a freelance writer, and as she puts it, “Within 6 months I was earning $4,000 per month from freelancing, while working full-time and raising 2 toddlers.” And now she’s sharing her secrets so you can do it too!

Real Life on a Budget – Sometimes it’s Just No Fun
Living a real life on a budget sometimes is no fun. Sometimes we just want a new outfit or we want to go on that well-deserved vacation. However living a real life on a budget isn’t about the restrictions, it’s about what a budget allows us to accomplish.

The Man Who Gets His Cars for Free

Income Profiles Of Financially Free People

How to Deal With a Debt Collector (Written by a Former Debt Collector)
Are you receiving phone calls asking for payment on past due accounts? Working with a debt collector can be a simple process.

Why I’ve Lived Without a TV for 4 Years

February's top money saving and personal finance posts revealed!

How was your February? Are you on target with your goals? Any notable personal finance posts I missed? Please lave your thoughts in the comments section below… 

 

Richard

Sun-worshipper and obsessive frugality blogger. For loads more money-saving advice come and join us on Facebook.

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