In order to produce the podcast and keep content up free for you, I work with partners so this post may contain affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure for more info.
Before I jump into this week's edition of Sunday Blogger, I just want to let you know how much fun I'm having. Part of the motivation to do this series was to showcase other bloggers. There are so many great sites online that I have a hard time keeping up with them. Some sites and people stand out for their talent and passion.
This week's blogger fits right in – Bucksome Boomer has been blogging for a over a year and I'm been enjoying her blog. I've also had the pleasure of being in the Yakezie Challenge with her. I hope you enjoy the interview; I did and I look forward to her next year blogging!
Bucksome Boomer Interview
Why did you start Bucksome Boomer?
I started reading personal finance blogs while attending Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. I was inspired to write about personal finance from the perspective of someone not so far away from retirement. There aren't too many blogs written from the viewpoint of a non-retired female baby boomer.
Congrats on your anniversary! With a year of blogging under your belt, what was the hardest part of maintaining Bucksome Boomer? What was the easiest?
Thanks for mentioning I made it to the one year mark this month. The hardest part of maintaining the blog has been design. Everything you see is do-it-yourself. I’ll be working with a designer later this summer for a fresh look.
The easiest part is writing. There are so many ideas that come up that I want to share or discuss with others. That’s not to say I didn’t want to quit a couple of times during the first six months because readership was minimal.
You must have some favorite posts that you’ve written on Bucksome Boomer, which are they and why?
It’s interesting that some of my favorite posts are not necessarily my readers. So, I’ll share some that are favorites of both.
Do You Groupon? is the number one post in terms of page views. Second in popularity is 5 Free Budget Tools.
My favorite posts have to do with my family where I share strong emotions. The Best Times in Life are Free talks about the joy and happiness we feel when with our grandson. A second one is where I discussed how health care reform impacts three family members.
What topics do you think you’ve covered well on BB? Which topics do you want to build up this coming year?
I've covered saving money strategies very well the past year (couponing, deal sites, etc.). During the next year I will focus more on the decisions we make that can impact our financial health and status long term including retirement savings and insurance.
I want to also put myself out there more regarding news that impacts personal finance. What do I think about XYX.
Are there any bloggers who have a writing style that you admire?
There are so many I’ll leave a lot of blogs out so I apologize in advance .
Len Penzo and J. Money are two of my favorites because of their humorous writing styles. I would love to be so funny (but alas that’s not to be). Three of my favorite blogs in my sub-niche are written by Donna Freedman, Grace and Funny About Money.
I've found a lot of new blogs that I enjoy from participating in the Yakezie Challenge including Couple Money, Red and Money Reasons.
What are your goals this year with Bucksome Boomer?
I set two blog goals at the first of the year. One was to improve the design. I’ve got the infrastructure in place with Thesis and will be completing the second part of the project soon.
The second goal was to increase the subscriber base to 100. I’ve just about met that (only a few more needed) so am adjusting it mid-year to 200 subscribers by the end of the year. It would be very cool to have to adjust that number again in a few months.
I'll be working on monetization and search engine optimization as well the next six months.
What advice would you give to new bloggers out there looking to break into the personal finance niche?
Just start writing. Don’t worry about having the perfect design or theme. That is something you’ll constantly be tweaking.
Second, start building a relationship with other personal finance bloggers. Participate in discussions, write guest posts and comment on their their blogs. It's a great community!
===
Thanks Bucksome Boomer for taking the time to do the Sunday Blogger interview! I hope you guys have a chance to check out her out at Bucksome Boomer and say hello on Twitter.
Joining the Sunday Blogger Series
If you’re interesting in being interviewed as part of the Sunday Blogger series, I have a few requirements.
- You’ve been blogging for 3 months on personal finance and/or entrepreneurship.
- You’ve publish genuine content. I want to connect to genuine bloggers, not linking to a spam site. I review all the sites before sending out interview questions.
- You’re willingly to promote other bloggers in the series. I don’t expect you to tweet ever interview, but I would like interviewees to spread the word on their favorite bloggers. By the way, I don’t want others to just promote the posts, please share posts from your favorite interviews. They are some wonderful bloggers out there.