12 Feb 2015

the pressures of blogging

Blogging is a very dangerous pastime for your wallet or purse - it is so easy to purchase things with a view of reviewing it on your blog but this can leave you with a lot of things that never get used and a dent in your bank balance. Having something new in your hands is very addictive and can be a very nice, if short-lived, feeling and for a blogger, writing new content is the addiction. And this is fuelled by impulse purchasing of items that we wouldn't have otherwise bought. I think this post by Michelle at Daisy Butter explains things very well.

I used to see a lot of 'haul' videos and blog posts of stationery someone had bought from x or y store and I, myself, was guilty of this too in the past. It's nice showing off shiny new pretty things but to keep spending just to continuously come up with blog posts or Youtube videos isn't necessarily the best way to run a blog or channel.

I've not splurged on stationery for quite some time now - I buy what I need, not because I want to blog about it, and I've found myself a lot happier for it. It means I blog about other things instead and it has made me think outside the box when it comes to creating new content on here.

From top left, clockwise: too many washi tapes, a pen pot filled with Muji Erasables, Pilot Juice pens amongst others, Staedtler Triplus felt tips, more washi tape than I know what to do with, sticky notes from Artbox, a Masking Sticker set in pastel and MT washi tape.
In the picture above are some of the things I've regretted buying and some things that I utilise on a regular basis and were bought because I wanted it, not because I wanted to blog about it. For example, the washi tape in the box on the left are a mixture of impulse buys and calculated buys. The thin ones at the bottom and the ones in the top row were ones on my wishlist for a number of months before purchase and the ones in the middle were ones that caught my eye in Paperchase or in craft stores whilst looking for something else. These were bought at a time when there were many posts and videos about washi tape hauls and I definitely got sucked into the hype. I don't care much for it now and haven't bought a new roll for months now (I think it should be close to a year now).

I think what I'm trying to say is that you don't need to buy new things continuously to run a blog and that is is possible within a budget. It might mean more effort needs to be made when it comes to what to write and post about but a quick Google search can bring up ideas for every blog niche there is.

Struggling with ideas for a lifestyle blog? Just Google 'lifestyle blog post ideas' - sometimes seeing a list of ideas can set off a spark within your mind and you end up coming up with something completely new. That's how I came up with posting my diary pages once a week - fashion blogs would post their 'what I wore today' posts and with planning and time management being the focus of this blog, the equivalent I came up with were the 'my week' posts.

Are you a reader, a blogger or both? And what is your take on posting about hauls?

19 comments

  1. I'm a blogger. I don't post about hauls. If I find something cool, I'll post it to my Instagram, but I don't go out and buy things to say "look what I've got" - money is tight, we're on one income, and my "hauls", if I even had any, would be things of a total of less than 15$ or so.
    I enjoy getting new craft supplies, but for the most part, I don't post about it, because that's not good content to me. Yeah, reviews are good, but just showing off what you've bought? I don't watch those videos or read those posts. You've only just received a product, how do you know if you love it?
    Though I do admit, every time I go into a Target I do a look through the One Spot just in case - luckily my Targets never seem to have much of the cute stationary products!

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    1. Instagram is a fair place to share hauls :) I like looking at them on Instagram but I can't see how they can possibly have enough substance to form a whole blog post (even though I used to do them!).

      I agree - it's much more informative to actually review a product after having it for a while and using it :)

      Thanks for your opinion! x

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  2. Im both and have found it very hard because I like to buy things and it has got me into a lot of trouble in the past and so now I am on a total no buy

    zoea2812.blogspot.com

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    1. I think it does take some time to stop buying cute things and stationery in general (it's also nice having something new in your possession!) so don't beat yourself up about it if you do break your 'no buy' pledge :) x

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  3. I'm a beginner-blogger and a reader. As a reader I don't think hauls are about showing off what bloggers have bought, its more about what caught their eye in the first place. For example, I enjoy looking at your entries because I like the way you decorate your diaries, they are fun and inspiring, plus I share this same interest. But because you have an eye for creating pages which I find attractive, i'm also interested to see what else catches your eye too.

    As a beginning-blogger, though I have not done a haul yet.. instead of feeling 'lets get stuff to blog about and show off' or 'Hey everybody, look what I have!!', I'm more swayed to sharing my opinions,reviews and I guess what caught my eye too. However, I don't like long video hauls, they get a bit boring and start drag.. so if I ever made one I'll be keep it short and sweet.

    Has this changed you opinion slightly?

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    1. Hi Jenny,

      Thank you for your comment. I see what you mean but I still stand by what I said - hauls just don't have enough substance to be a blog post on their own. If they are also a review post, fair enough. Like I said in reply to another comment above, I think a fair place to post hauls are on Instagram or Twitter though!

      I don't think I said anything about using haul posts for showing off in a negative way (that's not what I meant by my blog post) - it's more the fact that they can feed a not-so-good habit and as a previously self-confessed shopaholic, I think it can be a bad influence on susceptible readers. And to buy things in order to maintain a blog just isn't sustainable for the majority of us. That's the point I was trying to make :)

      Good luck with blogging - it's a lot of fun :) x

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    2. Hello Angela,

      Thanks ^.^ Blogging is fun so far, I definitely feel its a platform where I can start to share things with people who has the same interests.

      By the way, in your post you mentioned that you regret buying somethings.. I'm just wondering what that might be? If you are interested, maybe we can do a swap? If not no problem, I'm just putting it out there as I am a victim of buying things I like but hardly use too... Damn attractive things...!

      If you are interested, my email is spottedjournal@gmail.com

      Have a good weekend :)

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    3. Hi Jenny,

      I do definitely regret buying things but as of right now, I have no plans as to what I will do with them. I may do swaps or things in the future once I get a bit more time after exams :) x

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    4. Hi Angela,

      Sure thing, if you still don't know what to do with them, you know who to contact :)

      Good Luck

      Jenny

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    5. Will do - thanks Jenny! :) x

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  4. I absolutely agree about being able to blog on a budget. One of my favorite things to do is drive around town and just take pictures of things I find in stores. I'll frequently show what you could find and for what prices, but without actually buying them.

    Connie | Sponsored by Coffee | Bloglovin’

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    1. Hi Connie, thank you for your comment :)

      I do agree that blogging on a budget is possible. It's also more realistic and it's refreshing to see blog posts where a haul isn't the main topic :)

      Hope you're enjoying blogging! x

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  5. Loved reading this Angela! Like I mentioned in my post - thanks for the mention! - I personally don't see the allure or value to my blog in hauls or in spending for the sake of sharing it. Granted I'm just a regular girl who shops more than is ever recommended and I've posted 'haul' esque posts/content before, but I completely get you on the worry that people believe blogging = spending to share.

    PS. I have such washi tape envy *-* heading out shopping tomorrow & I'm def going to stock up for the sake of my scrapbook and diary! Perks of HK! x

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    1. Thank you for your initial blog post - it definitely inspired me to write this one! And I agree, I too shop more than I should but I've refrained from sharing what I've recently bought, etc because it just doesn't add substance to my blog posts. When I first started blogging, it did feel like it was about spending just to ensure there were regular blog posts but I've now realised there is more to blogging than regularly purchasing things for the sake of creating content!

      HK is amazing for washi - I definitely recommend MT tapes: try out the multipacks of 20 thin ones/10 thick ones as they are great for diaries and scrapbooks :) :) I think Jusco sell them the last time I checked! :) x

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  6. This is a nice reminder. I blog and then I have a separate blog about my filo... I don't review but I do haul. I am hoping that since I am new to my filo addiction the shopping will slow down when I have it set up in a way that just works.... until then, thank you for the reminder that buying things doesn't make you a blogger!

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    1. Hi Sarah, thank you for your comment :)

      There's nothing wrong with sharing what you've bought but I think it adds more value if a review is present too :) I've been guilty of just sharing hauls in the past and I don't think it added much substance to my blog so I've stopped :)

      Hope you're enjoying blogging! x

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  7. Really interesting post Angela, as a long time reader / newbie blogger (http://tapesstickerspens.blogspot.co.uk/) I would say I love seeing hauls especially from the UK. There are so many blogs from america, but often they're made up of things we can't find in the UK so it's great to see what people have found and where. I also agree that reviews are great, but not always necessary when you're looking for inspiration.

    Thanks for taking the time to write this :)

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    1. Thanks Emma! Lovely to hear your opinion and can definitely see where you're coming from. I think the odd haul post isn't too destructive but to keep doing them once a week is a bit much!

      Hope you're enjoying blogging :) x

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  8. I don't view haul posts as "showing off" - to me it's just more of sharing the cute stuff that's out there. :) They're nice to look at and I find them good for inspiration, but I do wonder how the bloggers keep buying more stuff... I think a good idea would be to give away hauls, or at least part of them!

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