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Ask Sherry: On selling Fabulously Broke in the City

You asked, and I am answering every Friday once I have enough questions!

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I was wondering: how many children would you like to have ideally yet realistically (and supposing your partner agreed to it)?

Honestly, if I had my way, I’d have two children, so at least another one.

Before having Baby Bun, I was thinking four kids, but that was if I lived near my family and/or hired a nanny to help out while I went back to work because daycare would NOT BE ENOUGH for 4 children. I would need much more help to corral them while I do laundry, etc.

I saw that, in the blog post, you mentioned 2-4 children, but I am also curious about an exact ideal number. Also, what combinations of gender would you prefer (if that’s the case).

Ideally? Two. After going through Baby Bun, two is enough. He is a lot of work.

Three is nice as well but one always seems to feel left out or the third wheel (not often though), but if I had three, I’d have four. 🙂

As for combinations of gender, I don’t really care. All boys, all girls, mixes…?

Both genders are wonderful in their own way and seeing Baby Bun now, he is the son I have always dreamed of. If I had a little girl, she would be the girl I have always dreamed of, or even another boy, he would also be the son I have always dreamed of.

Your tip about the velcro cord for the Dyson is intriguing. I am finding that that is the only flaw to the thing. Would you mind going into more detail about that?

Certainly!

What a dumb design flaw in the Dyson Animal vacuum eh?

They didn’t think that the people actually using it for the full blasted 20 minutes, would complain about having to HOLD DOWN ON THE SWITCH? It isn’t even in a comfortable spot to hold it down to keep it on, you have to grip your thumb and nobody vacuums like that. I am vacuuming with as little tensile grip strength as possible to preserve my hand and I just hold it like a regular vacuum (lightly) and go.

So one day, having had enough of this nonsense, I took a Velcro One Strap cord and wrapped it around the On/Off Handle switch.

When I use it, I just tighten the strap until the button is pushed in and it is kept on. It only on occasion doesn’t stay on so I just give it a little push with my thumb and it stays on again.

It is the best, quickest and easiest hack I have found to this problem.. I think to make the button really stay on I would need a thicker or tougher Velcro strap but this one works well enough.

I also had a follow up comment to this Dyson Animal vacuum about its possible longevity problem and the capacity (common problems people cite), and here is my answer:

This only happens if you put the Dyson on POWER MAX which I don’t do because I have wood floors and no carpet.

Then it only lasts for 20 minutes or so. The capacity is enough for cleaning once a week, 1200 square foot apartment and even if it ends up being full, I just empty it halfway through (super easy, hold over a garbage can with one hand and knock out the dust).

It never ends up being full until I am done with the entire apartment, and I go slowly.

Honestly, I will NEVER go back to lugging a heavy corded vacuum, I did it all my life until I got this particular light, cordless stick Dyson.

The old Dyson that I had was a little motor that traveled around with a hose (a normal vacuum) and I hated lugging that thing from room to room. A stick one is so much easier to manage.

Yay for the Dyson Animal vacuum!

At what point did you decide to sell your last blog Fabulously Broke?

I sold it because for one thing, it was getting too much for me at that time to handle.

I was planning on moving to the U.S., I thought I would have no time at all to have a blog if I wanted to be working full-time, traveling, have a fulfilling relationship with my partner and perhaps start a family.

I was wrong, evidently because I have tons of time and I truly missed writing!

Was it the amount of money offered or some other reason?

Aside from the blog getting too much for me to handle, I also felt kind of uncomfortable with the moniker “Fabulously Broke”. It just seemed to be not at all who I was any longer — specifically NOT BROKE.

It wasn’t the money.

Yes, I was pleased I got a 5-figure sum, but it was more about taking back my life (or so I thought). I thought I’d have all this free time and I’d do so many other things that are more important to me in life.

But what’s really important to someone in life?

The blog was sucking up all of my free time, I was writing CONSTANTLY, but even as I tried to pull back on this blog to give myself breaks, I still find myself writing constantly because I at some level enjoy it because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t do this any more.

That’s the real question I failed to answer before selling the blog because it is obvious to me now that writing and having an outlet to do so, plus connecting with readers and other bloggers is a satisfying and fulfilling hobby and use of my time.

The blog has never been the same since you sold it so I am wondering what is the benefit also to the buyer of the blog?

They get the money from finally putting ads into the blog.

I was adamant about not putting any ads on the blog (or not many as I recall) and the minute they placed ads all over the dang place, I am fairly sure they racked up a pretty penny in advertising.

If my (now) small blog like this one manages to pull in $1000 USD a month (see how I do it here), you can imagine that blog being 5 the size of this one (at the time of sale), making much more money.

Perhaps not $5000 USD a month but more than double or triple at least.

If traffic drops off sharply because ‘the voice’ has left, what is the point of buying someone else’s blog and trying to take it over?

As I said — placing ads all over the place and trying to make money off the visits, but also visits to OLD posts.

I had a huge inventory of old posts and new ones (about 2 years worth) when I sold the blog, so they coasted on that money and the posts for a long time, I am sure.

Even now, I have an insatiable need to shore up on posts, and I am well scheduled until mid-June at the time of this post, with about 100 more posts waiting to be written & scheduled.

I’m just curious to the method behind this trend of buying someone else’s blog to do what? Stealth advertise to people?

Have no idea. You’d have to ask them, frankly 🙂 I have heard that buying niche blogs even small ones for $500, can bring in an income of $100 a month, and if you keep up on those blogs or hire writers for a low amount of money per post, I suppose it could be a business you could manage on the side.

I have no clue, honestly.. I am just guessing at this point.

For me, I just like to write and most of all, interact with people to talk about whatever I want to, plus make a little $$ on the side to keep this interesting to continue.

Still have a burning question?

You can ask any question using the form here or entering a comment in a form on my blog sidebar, and all of my previous Ask Sherry posts are here.

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