Episode 39: From Debt to Blogging Mogul: How Van Lifer and Sailor Michelle Schroeder-Gardner Has Made Millions Blogging

Imagine living a life completely free from debt, traveling the world in a motorhome, a campervan and a sailboat, and making a living off your passion for blogging. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, for Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, the creator of the successful personal finance blog, Making Sense of Sense, this dream is her reality. Join us as we chat with Michelle about her incredible journey, how she conquered her $40,000 student loan debt in just seven months, and the different ways to grow a blog today.

Michelle opens up about her strategies for maintaining a work-life balance and how she managed to reduce her work hours over time by outsourcing tasks and working with virtual assistants. She reveals her secret sauce to building a successful blog, including selecting a profitable niche, writing effective blog posts, and investing in self-hosting on WordPress and owning your own domain name.

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Table of Contents

What We Discuss in Episode 39 of The Wayward Home Podcast:

Kristin shares her inspiration for starting her blog, The Wayward Home, after reading about Michelle Schroeder-Gardner’s success with her personal finance blog, Making Sense of Cents.
Michelle explains her favorite way to make money through blogging: affiliate marketing. She describes how it works and why it’s her preferred method of monetization.
Michelle talks about her experience of switching from a full-time job to full-time blogging and the steps she took to prepare for it.
Kristin and Michelle discuss the different factors that affect how long it takes to make money through blogging, such as the amount of time and effort put into it.
Michelle shares her experience of growing her blog in the early days through networking and guest posting, and how it has evolved with the rise of SEO and other methods.
Michelle talks about her experience creating her course, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing, and how it has helped her diversify her income and help others earn money through blogging.
Michelle’s top tip for new bloggers is to just get started, as it’s normal to feel nervous about putting yourself out there. She also emphasizes the potential for making money while traveling through blogging.

About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner is the brain behind Making Sense of Cents, a leading personal finance website she founded in 2011. With a readership exceeding 20 million and recognition from significant media outlets, the website serves as a tool to empower individuals in managing their finances effectively. The initiative sprung from Michelle’s personal financial journey, which notably included paying off $38,000 in student loans in a mere seven months.

Michelle uses her platform to share an array of money-making strategies and side hustles, drawing from her experiences of living an unconventional lifestyle. Having transitioned from a financial analyst role to a full-time blogger, she shares her income updates, showing earnings over $5,000,000 through blogging.

Her site, Making Sense of Cents, provides practical financial advice covering diverse areas such as budgeting, saving, investing, and more. Recognizing that financial journeys are unique to individuals, Michelle encourages readers to find their own path, aligning their financial decisions with their personal values and life goals.