If you’ve visited my blog before, you probably know that I like to save money (and, honestly, who doesn’t?), so I’ve decided to share some of the FREE blogging resources that I have found!
Over the course of the past year or so, I have gathered some great information and resources in regards to blogging. I’m constantly evolving as I learn more about websites, writing, and networking.You are likely familiar with many of them, but hopefully there will be one or two on this list that will be new and helpful to you! Please contribute your favorite free/cheap resources below!
First of all, pictures are a must when blogging, so some ideal places to obtain FREE stock images include:
On a side note, if you want quality royalty free images to use/tweak for a header or other purpose, you can purchase photos inexpensively at Can Stock Photo. Unlike other stock photo sites, you can purchase images individually without buying a credit package.
Whether you are designing your own website or want to edit photos, add fonts, or create graphics, you’ll likely need quality editing software. Guess what? You don’t need to invest in Photoshop! Enter these FREE photo editing options:
- GIMP – I discovered the GNU Image Manipulation Program when I was having difficulty downloading the trial version of Adobe Photoshop for a web design course. I started doing some research online and found this great program! It is easy to download and several tutorials are available, since there is a great community involved with this program. I’ve been able to do pretty much everything on there that can be done in Photoshop!
- Pixlr – I haven’t used this free online photo editor yet, but it looks to be able to do a lot of what Photoshop does, as well. It also has a mobile app that can be downloaded for free, too!
- Recite – Easily turn a quote into an image via this site. You can share it on your blog and also various social media sites.
FREE Email options:
- Zoho Mail – The Lite version is free if you need a professional business email for your domain.
- MailChimp – Free way to manage e-newsletters for fewer than 2,000 subscribers.
(I’m not quite at the point to need these options yet, since I’m still on a WordPress.com site and haven’t launched my new project yet, but I’m sure these options will come in handy in the future.)
FREE Training Courses/e-books:
It’s amazing what you can get for free when you pay attention! There is no shortage of information online, that’s for sure! If you’re interested in expanding your blog, check out some of these helpful resources:
- Jeff Goins’ Free 12-Week Blogging Course – I stumbled upon this several weeks ago when Jeff was promoting it on Twitter. I’m actually in the middle of the course right now! I’ve read Jeff’s book, Wrecked, and I’m a big fan! He has things in the right perspective and is very relatable and encouraging! Also, he’s a fellow Nashvillian!
- How to Make Money Blogging by Crystal Paine of Money Saving Mom – This e-book is based on Crystal’s How to Make Money Blogging series. I skimmed through some of her posts and there are several helpful tips about the work it takes to grow a blog in order to make a profit.
Of course, these are just two examples of the endless free content that is available in regards to blogging tips. There are entire blogs just about blogging! So much to learn, so little time!
Happy blogging!
This article is part of my Keep Your Change series. For more money-saving posts, click here!
A Dreamer's Wife 