Yes, it’s been 7 years since I first started writing on Blogger! This is my first post -it’s so cringy! I wish I knew then what I know now on how to write correctly and for SEO purposes! The first year’s posts are pretty shit, to be honest, but I can’t bare to delete them! It’s also two years since I left my job of 15 years at Tesco. I can say what I like about them now as I don’t work for them anymore! Hehe!!
So 2 years ago I went on a 10 week lifestyle break from there. I was worn out getting up at around 4 am each day, working until 12 pm then picking up L from preschool and heading home to baby Dottie. Then I was blogging in the evenings until quite late some nights. I was getting run down, I had quinsy, working weekends also so we never had any proper family time together and I couldn’t keep carrying on that way. Something had to give.
The pandemic
I gave myself those 10 weeks to sort my blog out and earn enough so I didn’t have to go back. Of course, then COVID happened! Typical! My last day at Tescos was the day before the shit hit the fan and we went into lockdown. The fresh food counters I had spent most of my working Tesco life on only opened up for one day after I left. They never opened back up. So really I didn’t have a job to go back to if I decided to go back after my 10 week break.
Yeah, I never went back! I worked my ass off during those 10 weeks signing up to blogger outreach programmes, emailing old contacts, and putting plans in place. I did lose some work as COVID took their budgets away. But we survived. I was also homeschooling a preschooler at this point as well, lest we forget!
One of the hardest things I did was heading in with my notice after those 10 weeks. See I’m a person who likes routine and I loved that guaranteed safety net of a wage coming in each month. I was now heading into this scary world of a full-time self-employed person where my earnings are up and down like a rollercoaster each month!!
Two years later, I know now it was the best decision I ever made. I have 6 websites on the go, earning from 3 of them and building up the other 3 for the future. I am my own boss. I have every weekend with the family. I am there available for school drop off and pick-ups each day. I won’t have to miss any plays or sports days. Hopefully, they are back this year!! The only thing on my part is that I need to learn to switch off in the evenings. Being your own boss and working from home means it’s hard to make the boundary between work and home.
Well, where has 7 years of blogging taken me?
It’s taught me that if you work hard enough you can achieve anything. You can get the life you want. You can be your own boss. You can choose the hours you work. But it can be lonely working from home and being your own boss. For someone like me who is an introvert, it doesn’t bother me. I chat with fellow bloggers online and I’m in some great blogger groups and chats. I don’t need that face-to-face interaction.
Well, that’s enough of my ramblings, here is our epic 7th blog birthday giveaway!
Giveaway
Win all of this below! To enter, please fill in the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom!
Good Luck!
COMPETITION T&C’s
The giveaway ends 23:59 18th April 2022
The prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative will be offered. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and be notified by email within 7 days. The winner will have 28 days to respond with a name and delivery address before a new winner is selected. Open to all UK entrants aged 18 or over only. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are in no way associated with the giveaways. Any personal data given as part of the competition entries are used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties. Please allow 28 days for delivery of the prize. By entering the competition you agree to your first name and surname initial published on the competition widget if you are the winner. You can find more info here on my privacy policies.
Don’t forget you can check out my other competitions here!