I gotta say, deal blogging is a pretty good gig. I’ve had folks curious about how much time I put into this, so this is fairly close to what my “work week” looks like:
Monday – post deals, freebies, etc until Target-ing Mondays goes up at 3pm. I check back sporadically after that, but Monday is about a 6-8 hour day.
Tuesday – post deals, freebies etc. Tuesday always seems to be catch-up from everything I missed on the weekends. This is normally a 12 hour day.
Wednesday – post deals, freebies, etc. This normally ends up being an 8 hour day.
Thursday – is my looooong day. I tee-up all the Friday deals like Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens. When these are big weeks, it can be grueling. I also post A&P and Pathmark deals on Thursday. To the eye Thursday looks like a slacker day on the front page, but in actuality it is my longest day of the week. I usually put in 14 hours. When there are no coupons that week, this day is a lot shorter because the tee-ups can be done one per day Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc because I know the coupons that I’ll be working with; it is waiting for all the previews to come in and then all the work getting mushed into one day that makes this day so long.
Friday – is a short day because most of the work; Rite Aid, CVS, Walgreens deals, 10 Hot Friday Freebies, etc is done in advance. I may have to tweak what I wrote up because folks point out logic or math errors, but for the most part Friday is seldom more than a 3-4 hours day, and usually less.
Saturday – is a very short day. I may post Target deals and Kmart deals if I have not seen the ad earlier in the week, and I write up “Sunday Must Do Deals”, but all-in-all Saturday is an easy 3-4 hour day at most.
Sunday – is the easiest day of the week… for blogging that is. Sometimes running around deal shopping isn’t that easy. I seldom put in more than 5 hours on Sunday, well, plus the time I put in just thinking WTH stockpile recipe I’ll post.
It also helps me tremendously that you folks are willing to email me deals to post. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
The biggest irony? My longest days on this blog are actually the days with the lightest blog traffic. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday have about 50% less folks checking in than on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday. I think it is the function of a deal blog and what is being posted when. Since deals start on Sunday people come on Saturday to see whether they should get out early and then folks check back for updates. I believe that make those four days much more heavily trafficked than the middle of the week. I’d be curious as to whether or not all deal bloggers notice the same thing?
So, this should answer any questions about the time put into the blog. I do not really put in that much time and what time I do spend on the blog is very fluid. If I have an hour here or there, the blog gets updated. It is a nice way to share knowledge without impeding upon my family life.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey,
You need a new Juice box jungle widget. The new campaign started a week or two ago and it’s important to grab the new one to get paid. You can also see your stats now (woo!).
Fellow blogger.
Angela
Thanks Angela, I will go look!
Ann
Ann,
So I have to ask…would working a 40hr week at a “normal” job pay you the same? It seems like a lot of hours to put in for not a lot of pay. I’m being nosey, I know…but the total time you have to work seems rough. Of course, your salary is boosted by all the money you don’t spend, I realize.
Just wondering – you can not answer and I’ll understand. Btw, I didn’t realize you were aGE mod. I’d love to read that background story some day! I won a Wii and DS from them 2 yrs ago, I love FW!
Hi Carole,
I never worked for FW. I presented Tim the idea for the GC forum ohhh in 2001 (?) and he liked the idea so he implemented it. I moved over to Bargainshare at the very end of 2002 and moderated there until early this year when I decided to leave to blog.
I will tell you I work a LOT less hours on the Coupons, Deals and More than I did on Bargainshare.
I have never been paid to share deals or moderate. It has always been a volunteer effort. No amount of money can be as rewarding as a PM or email that says, “thanks”. I have received a lot of email over the years that have brought tears to my eyes and given me a great sense of accomplishment, as well as the joy of knowing that another person learned to save.
I don’t do step-by-step on the blog like I did at FW or the early days at B$. There are just soooo many places to get info now that people glean a little bit from everywhere and seem to have a basic understanding by the time they find there way to this blog. Anyone that wants step-by-step usually emails me and I am happy to help them along.
Sooo, to answer your question… a 40 hour work week would pay oodles more than I make. Seriously. I’m quite sure there are deal bloggers that make a living wage, but I’m not one of them. I am hoping for a part time wage sometime next year. Heck, I was ecstatic that I am going to break even and start to earn a few bucks in my first year of blogging. I thought that was a tremendous accomplishment.
I can see why people do the endorsements. If you get free stuff, free gift certificates, or cash to try something and write a review it definitely helps to off-set the server costs and helps compensate for time.
If you want to be bored, these two articles contain my journey from forums to blogging… and a few other life experiences as well.
Link #1
Link #2
Ann
You are such a bright and generous spirit! I wish you could make at least what you are worth. However, I do understand the “labor of love” mentality you must have. I count myself so blessed to have found your blog. I have this image of you endlessly scouring the Internet at all hours and combing all the freebie sites and deal blogs searching for every last deal to be had. Your site definately has the BEST OF THE BEST and usually I find the good stuff here long before anyone else knows about it. Thanks so much for all you do!!
Ann,
I had no idea that you spent that much time on your blog. I mean I figured that a lot of work went into it, but never imagined that much. I appreciate you sooo much more than I did before. I thought that I appreciated your work then. =) I have a new and improved appreciation for you and all the other bloggers out there. I love your blog. I read almost everyday. Everyday that I am online, I am reading your blog. Like I told you before, one of the reasons I think your blog is better than others is because I can so see your personality through reading and you are so funny to me. I would love the oppurtunity to meet you one day, so let me know if you are ever in the Augusta, GA area. I even work at a hotel. If you do ever have a reason to come down this way, just let me know and I will be more than happy to accomodate you hear for next to nothing. It would be my pleasure to give back to you for all that you help me with!! Anyway, enough of that sappy stuff. You know you are awesome. Now, for my question. As if you don’t have enough to do this week. I think you forgot to add how many emails and comments you reply to in a week and you are prompt on it too, always.
If I wanted to start my own blog, which is something that I think about on a regular basis. The only thing that keeps me from actually doing it is that I don’t know if I would actually have the time to put in it and I think the newness would wear off for me and I would just stop after a day or two. But, if I ever actually did, how do you make money?? I mean, I assume that you get a kick back for advertising, but how does that work and is that the only money you make and if not, how else?? I am sure that is a question that may require a lengthy response, so take your time and get back to me when you can.
Take care and keep up the good work!! I have not been online for a few days, so I can’t wait to read how your shopping went Sunday.
Thanks Rachel!
Ann
Hi Amy,
What a lovely offer, thank you!
I may not be the best person to answer your question regarding making money on a blog since I really do not make much, buuuut…
I make money through affiliates —> over there when someone clicks and buys, through google ads and through coupons.com (although I do something wrong because I don’t make a lot from coupons.com and many deal blogs do).
Other bloggers also make money by doing reviews or having relationships with corporations. If you see a blog that says “PR Welcome” those bloggers are open to either “stuff”, gift certificates, cash, etc from manufacturers. I currently do not do so.
Ann