Interview with Sicorra from Tackling Our Debt!
Today I am doing a blog post swap with Sicorra from Tackling Our Debt. She was kind enough to answer some questions for my readers (below). You can find a similar interview that I did for her here. Please go visit her blog as it is really awesome!
What inspired you to become a PF blogger?
I began writing Tackling Our Debt in February of 2012 because I realized that my husband and I needed to figure out how to make some serious changes to our own personal finances.
Each time I write a new blog post or network with other PF bloggers I find so many practical tips that I am able to use to sort out our situation. As well, I find writing about ways to spend less money and make more money very therapeutic.
Often I will research and write a post and at the end of writing it the message really seems to sink in. I remember reading somewhere a long time ago that people teach what they need to know.
For me that is true. Every time I write I learn something new.
What message do you hope people will take away from your blog?
Not to let their debt define who they are.
People are not bad people simply because they owe money.
They are not stupid or dumb because they owe money.
I see many PF bloggers using those phrases when they write about people who are in debt and I think it is ridiculous. All that does is break down a person’s self-esteem or self-worth.
It definitely doesn’t help them resolve their financial problems. Sometimes life just happens and many times it can have a negative effect on our financial situation.
I hope to help people understand that they shouldn’t let their financial issues have a ripple effect over other areas of their lives. If they do they will become depressed and stressed out. And if that happens it will be so much harder for them to rebuild their finances.
Do you have any advice for people who start their own PF blogs?
For new PF bloggers I would suggest that before they start blogging they create a plan. Plan out what your blog will look like, what you will write about, how often you will write, and how you will promote your blog.
If you want people to read and comment on your blog posts then you first need to read and comment on others. And be patient. It may take a while before other bloggers read your stuff, but it will happen.
Get yourself and your blog onto social media and spend time (at least 4 or 5 days a week) interacting with others, as well as promoting your own blog posts. You will learn more this way, and people will drop by and check out your blog too.
When you feel like quitting, and I know you will, simply take a break instead. When you find yourself missing your blog, and interacting with others, then you know it is time to get back into it. I’ve had a few times where I felt burnt out. At one point I started with one day off, that led to two, and eventually an entire week. But I felt so much better after taking a week away from everything.
What is one thing that you wish you knew before you started your blog?
This is going to sound silly, but limit the number of categories you create on your blog. I got carried away with that and now have way too many categories listed down the right hand side of my blog. I wish I had organized that better.
@debtandthegirl – Thanks very much for swapping blog posts with me. This interview was a lot of fun.