For the whole month of March I will strictly be interviewing fellow College personal finance bloggers. I will only be interviewing bloggers that cater to the same readers as Studenomics- young people looking for personal finance advice and career advancement. What better way to start off then by interviewing Laura of Green Panda Treehouse. Laura’s blog has been growing at rapid rate and has been mentioned on many popular personal finance blogs.
Me: In one sentence how would you market your blog?
GPT: Green Panda Treehouse is a personal finance blog geared towards college students and new graduates who want to hit the ground running.
Me: Your blog is clearly popular and established, what major “breaks” did you receive that took you from a newbie blogger to a popular one?
GPT: Wow, I wouldn’t describe my blog as popular, but thanks. My first big break was getting on the blogroll of Give Me Back My Five Bucks. I was following the blog and left comments on her site.
My second break was hanging around the Moolanomy Forums and meeting some generous personal finance bloggers. Reading threads and asking questions gave me ideas to try out on my blog.
Joining the College Money Network was a big break as it was group of bloggers who were in my specific niche. I’ve been fortunate to meet some kind bloggers. I also think that just staying with it helped since many times bloggers come and go. People eventually notice you if you keep plugging away.
Me: Do you ever see yourself being a full time blogger?
GPT: I would love to be a full time blogger in 3 years. I enjoy what I do and blogging has given me a way to meet with a diverse group of people. I’m not there yet so my goal is to keep writing, keep connecting, and constantly read more.
Me: Your number one tip for people in their 20s when it comes to saving money in this economy?
GPT: Automate your savings. I always seemed to have an excuse why I didn’t have any money left over. I realized my problem was putting savings last. Automatic transfers are easy to set up and produce such big results in the long run. You can build an emergency fund by automating the deposits.
From there, you can automate your debt reduction, retirement, house payment, etc.
Me: The best financial decision you made growing up?
GPT: I started putting money away for retirement relatively early. My job at the doctor’ office offered a match and I thought it would be great to get started on retirement. It was very small amounts (around $50/month at first), as I was working part-time and going to college. It just felt go to get the momentum going. As I learned more, I made wiser choices with my investments.
Me: Any advice for new personal finance bloggers?
GPT: My advice is connecting with bloggers is a great way to build. Join a forum with others in your niche and ask questions. Leave honest comments on other blogs; I personally notice those bloggers immediately. Don’t give up, if this is a passion you owe yourself the chance to give your best.
If you enjoyed reading this article then check out the great and always informative Green Panda Treehouse.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I love meeting PF bloggers! Keep up on these interviews!
Thanks for having me interview. I enjoy it very much.
I find the timing of this interview perfect… GPT has helped me get some much needed traffic