How to be a successful influencer without 10K followers

When we start navigating the waters of influencing, it seems like getting to 10,000 Instagram followers is that milestone every influencer sets out to achieve. (For the sake of ease – when I say “influencer” I am grouping bloggers into the category as one collective meaning.) I’ll be honest, that was my goal too. I mean Instagram doesn’t even allow you to have that nifty “swipe up!” feature until you have the 10k badge. A lot of brands and collaborations require “10k plus followers” to even apply to campaigns. When I was first starting out – and I started with 3 followers in February of 2018 – I joined all the collaboration sites I could find, only realizing that collaborations and getting paid for any real influencing would be a goal for the future. I had to obtain the status of 10k first. Let me be really honest about something too. I grew fast in the beginning, I was over 1,000 followers in just a few weeks, however I felt like in my first year of Instagramming I was watching everyone else sky rocket while I just inched. I was moving, always forward, but it seemed everyone else around me was hitting 5,000..10,000…20,000 and here I was pouring my heart and soul into everything I did. Every picture I took I tried my hardest, every caption I wrote and rewrote. I studied the algorithm, I took courses, I engaged with true heart and intention. I grew, just slowly. It’s easy […]

Continue Reading

you may also like

how to travel on a tiny budget

When I started my debt-free journey, I knew I wouldn’t be able to go a whole year without traveling, which lead me to scrounging up all my tips for how to travel on a tiny budget. There’s a common theme among people these days, especially millennials..we all want to see the world..and we are all broke (cue tears + laughter). Good thing is, with a little extra work, and help from blogs like mine, it’s possible to travel and save money. I haven’t figured out to how to travel for free yet*** but I have figured out how to do it on a realistic budget, which is good for now! MONEY SAVING TIPS + TRICKS AIRLINES I almost always prefer flying over driving..but the price of flights can deter most people. Finding inexpensive flights may seem like finding a needle in a haystack, but I promise it’s simpler than that. Here are some budget travel tips I’ve learned when booking a flight: Tuesdays have the cheapest fares. This is when airlines post tickets on “sale”. They are snagged quickly, so if you’re trying to book a flight, try around 6-8am on a Tuesday morning for the best fares. January and February the the cheapest times of the year to travel via airplane (domestic flights). April and October are the most budget friendly months to fly internationally. Traveling during the summer and around holidays is always going to be the most expensive, so being flexible with your dates will help you […]

Continue Reading

you may also like

Dollar Store Organization Hacks

I think my love of dollar stores started when I was a little girl. My nana would take me to the one near her house and I could pick out anything I wanted..and I would always get a doll. One dollar Barbie dolls were kinda my addiction at that age! Decades later and things haven’t changed..I still love the dollar store. I am not going to sit here and pretend that you’re going to get top quality things. Personally I would rather have thrifted items or vintage pieces, but when it comes to organization, nothing beats the dollar store. I recently collaborated with the Dollar Tree (this post IS NOT related or sponsored, just relevant) to revamp my pantry for Spring cleaning, and it was actually very fun! How I let my pantry get so unkept or why I didn’t think of the dollar store for my organizing needs is beyond me..but now it’s going to be my go-to spot! Let me show you my FAVORITE dollar store organization hacks! Pantry Makeover Plastic bins (spray paint them in ANY color to match your decor!) Mason jars (think of storing small things like toothpicks, cupcake liners, rubber bands, etc) Large round bins for bottom of pantry (kid snacks, pet food, household cleaners, etc) Labels (they have cute labels for all your stuff!) Contact paper (pack a punch in your pantry with pretty + cleanly lined shelves) spice jars (pour spices from plastic containers, print or make cute labels) Under Kitchen Sink […]

Continue Reading

you may also like

The truth behind social media and mental health

“You can not pour from an empty vessel” There are many conversations about mental health and social media..and yet they are brushed under the rug. It’s no shock to anyone that social media, and technology in general takes a tool on people, yet it’s a part of our everyday lives. The scariest part is, I believe most of us don’t even realize what it is doing to our psyche. The big companies who run social media brainstorm and implement ways every single day to make us more addicted. And if you don’t believe me, go into to public and count how many people are looking at their phone verse talking or watching their real life take place in front of them. It’s a cold truth, one that makes me truly unsettled. People are more concerned with getting a picture of their favorite outfit, snapping a picture of a scenic view, and immediately posting. Did they even take it in..or did they just snap the picture to show off and walk away? I don’t think social media, namely Instagram is evil. I do think though it has become a place that fosters negative things however. Can you live without it? Having a blog and hoping to make my living with that and Instagram..I had to have a real heart to heart with myself. The ugly + scary kind. I had to look myself in the mirror and ask a question that I have been terrified to answer. “Can I walk away […]

Continue Reading

you may also like