Newlywed Survival – How it all Began

In two days the Newlywed Survival Blog will celebrate its 10-month anniversary – I guess you could say that it is still in its “newlywed phase.” Today I went back and read my first post: Newlywed Survival – One Woman’s Opinion. I started thinking about why I created this blog and where it is heading.

In the beginning

If you read my first post, you see that I started a newlywed blog because I wanted to help other newlywed couples find the information they needed. However, there is more to the story. Let me tell you what was going on in my life that led to writing the blog. What was going on? Not much! That is just it, I had too much time and was looking for ways to fill it. I am sure this is the reason that many blogs begin.

In March of 2010 I made the difficult decision to leave my job as a web designer/developer because the company decided to change the position and it just wasn’t for me anymore. I began doing some temp work for creative employment agencies, and eventually started doing some freelance work on my own. During this time, I discovered selling on eBay. After my first couple of sales, I was hooked. After clearing our house of any “leftover” items, I began looking for ways to purchase items that I could resell for profit. This is when my love for sales and coupons began. I opened an eBay store selling bath and beauty products and did okay. After about a year of freelance work and the eBay store, I began to grow tired of eBay and how much time it was taking (for really little profit). I closed my store but I still sell things occasionally.

Along came the blog

After I closed my eBay store, I started having more time on my hands and was searching for my next project. I happened upon blogging when looking for ways to make money online. I did some research and realized that making money with a blog wasn’t really that easy. But during this time, I had started to read other blogs and decided that I really wanted to add my 2 cents to the mix. After my second anniversary, I realized what I wanted to blog about – marriage in the early years. I am not an expert in any sense of the word, but I knew that I had experiences that others could learn from. I also knew from the beginning that one woman’s opinion would not keep this blog afloat (remember, I am not an expert). So, I began looking for other people who wanted to share and have found so many! Check out the latest posts from my regular guest bloggers Lesli Doares (relationship) and Renee Marchol (creating a home).

Where are we headed

After 10 months and 186 blog posts, I think I have found what I love – blogging! Don’t get me wrong, I still love web design and development, and I do freelance work – I have to help my husband pay the bills somehow (blogging isn’t really providing…yet). But, working on this blog has done more than fill my time. I have learned so many new things and met so many wonderful and supportive people. I feel like I am adding my 2 cents – maybe even 4 or 5 cents!

So, where is this blog headed? Well, you may have noticed more giveaways on the site. That is just a small part of what I want to do. My main focus is providing content for newlyweds. The giveaways are just a nice bonus for my readers. I think I will also start talking about my weight loss. I started Weight Watchers the week before Christmas last year. Who starts trying to lose weight over the holidays? Me! I have lost 28 pounds and feel great. I would like to share this experience because I know many women people gain weight after getting married.

So, as my readers, where do you want to see this blog go? Are there topics that I should be covering that I haven’t? Do you want more of something that is already on the site? What questions do you want answered? Let me know, and I will do my best to either answer them myself or find experts to help us out.

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I wrote the post above not only as a way to look back, but because some of my blogging friends asked me to – Dawn over at Cheap is the New Classy and Maggie at Literary Winner – click the links to see how they began.

Now I am going to ask some other blogging buddies to let us know how they started blogging. Check their sites, maybe they will post about it soon?

• Olfa at OurFamilyWorld – read her post Breast Cancer Awareness: Learn the Warning Signs and How to Test Yourself
• Cheryl at Moms & Munchkins – read her post Baby Shower Scavenger Hunt
• LaVonne at Long Wait For Isabella – read her post Weight Loss with BabyTone
• Danielle at Simmworks Family Blog – read her post Enjoying Our Anniversary with EdenFantasys
• Kathleen (my Canadian buddy) at Callista’s Ramblings – read her post Ask Callista (is back!)–6/29–Gardening, Beginning Blogging and Nova Scotia

I hope you enjoy their blogs!

Tagged as: About Me