Featured Blogger- LJP from Save Save Save

I started SaveSaveSave in June 2006.

It happened around the same time I started shopping online.  Sometimes I would get the most outrageous bargain (ie. a $200 piece of cookware for $40).   After a number of these purchases, my partner suggested that it would be a good idea for me to write a blog.  I was able to show how much money people could save by shopping online, expose fake ebay and paypal scams, and document the joys and pitfalls of my own shopping exploits.  Somewhere along the way it became a lot of fun…

An anonymous shopping blog written by a person who disliked shopping centres and crowds so much she started buying online.

What are your 5 must have tools for blogging?

1.  Ideas!!
2.  Pingoat
3.  Technorati
4.  PayPal
5.  Twitter

I love being able to choose exactly what to write and when to write.  I love getting comments, I love it when people tell me they had a good laugh or discovered something new.

You are not the sole author – a blog has a life of its own.  If you go with the flow it’s easier than fighting your blog’s natural direction.

Perhaps I might have bought a domain name – I don’t know.  For me, having a blogspot blog has been very successful and I don’t seem to be suffering for it.  I don’t really think I’d do anything differently – I’m pretty happy with how it seems to be evolving.

Making the Top 100 Australian Women Bloggers list was a highlight for me.  I also entered a dealsdirect.com.au blogging competition and won a laptop, which has helped my blogging enormously.    And making people laugh – it’s not the easiest thing to do but it is the most rewarding.  I’m just happy to be doing what I’m doing.

Write what you love and you will love to write.  Don’t try and force yourself to write about topics in which you have no interest.  If you don’t know how to do something (ie web design), outsource it!  And a warning:  blogging is addictive and can quickly take over your time!!  Be prepared…

I decided to make money with my blog very early in the piece but I wasn’t sure how to go about it.  I ended up spending hundreds of hours studying podcasts, visiting blogs, learning CSS and HTML and watching tutorials until my head spun.  I went from making a rather amusing 20 cents a month to around $250 – $300US per month.  The blog will be trialling new techniques, ad networks and affiliate programs to keep increasing this monthly amount.

I’d like to collaborate with more bloggers and organizations, some guest posting,  and just generally promote the blog and increase readership.  I have also started up some new projects in niche blogging so it will be interesting to see how that turns out.

Who are your 5 favourite women bloggers and why?

I really admire Kath Lockett – Blurb from the Burbs (http://blurbfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/).  Fellow Australian, author, chocolate addict.  She has my kind of humour!!
Saboma from Maryannaville (http://www.maryannaville.com/)  I love her angle on life – some of her posts have made me cry… with laughter!
Angelika (http://angelika1972.blogspot.com/) – She loves Hugh Laurie and also makes me giggle…
Kuanyin Moi at Blog Blond (http://blog-blond.blogspot.com/) – Offbeat blogger and great person too!!
Allie at Hyperbole and A Half (http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/) – Bordering on deranged.  Just love it.

P.S. Perhaps a language warning on some of these blogs might be in order!!

Filed Under: Featured Blogger