Are Top Bloggers Cheap?
Think about it, do we all get rich just because we save more than others do? Its a true fact and I think that some of us do get rich because we just manage our money better or is it because we don’t really pay full price for everything?
Let me give you an example, recently John Chow mentioned that he asked and received a free Macbook Air. He even stole a $100 after losing the Market Leverage cashinator challenge because he didn’t want to pay out of his pocket. I mean, don’t you think a blogger making close to $400k-$500k a year can afford that? Sure he can, but why do you have to spend your money when others are willing to give it to you or better yet, you can save a ton of money when you buy something.
Recently a post by Balkhis got my attention where he talks about how he saves money and gave us situations in which he gets free stuff or a lot of discounts and its funny to picture bloggers who make a good amount of income to be even doing that but then again, we all do it.
Consider me for example. I know that I get my way with a lot of things such as free drinks, free food, it just happens. I never even ask for it. I recently saved 40% on a laptop just because I asked around. I saved 25% when I bought my car. I even saved 50% on books that I bought for school that usually never go on sale. After doing a little bit of thinking, I wonder if others do that we do.
Aside from all that, its a known fact that Balkhis and I have asked Market Leverage for more shirts because we love them. Sometimes John is right, you ask and you receive and that even comes down to the advertising on this website when I talk to advertisers and even negotiate CPM rates.
First of all, do you think that saving money by being cheap can help you become rich? By cheap, I don’t mean that you ask for free food or that you don’t do good things once in a while but I mean that if you are able to stay away from the cost, you would. Secondly, do you really believe that top bloggers are cheap?
I dont know but I do think so. I think being cheap to a certain extent is not bad as long as you don’t start pinching pennies. I wonder if you guys deal with such things and attempt to pay lower prices for whatever you can.
i dont think top blogger are cheap, i think they are just like to be cool and simple even if they are earning high
I don’t think you can save your way to riches. You may be able to save your way to comfort, but not riches.
John Chow didn’t start making 400 to 500K a year, or whatever he makes, by saving a $1,000 on a laptop or getting a latte for free.
He made that money because he built a business and a brand that has value. That is how you get rich….build something that has value.
Enkay, you are on your way because you are providing value, not because you saved on your books. This doesn’t mean that you should just throw away your money saving techniques.
In fact, these money saving techniques might pinch the pennies you need to invest in the infrastructure you must have to further build your business.
Why pay for something you dont have too! Just cause you can afford it, why pay for it when someone is willing to pay for it for you
I think the term is “frugal” lol. I agree with Freddie, it’s a mixture of saving and investing in the proper infrastructure. Chow has just made it to the point where he can get free laptops and crap…sum bee! I’ll admit, I’m not an avid reader of Chow, but he seems like a good and simple guy, which is cool.
i think that the way we spend money pretty much depends on our personalities. achieving wealth through blogging doesn’t change that. it only amplifies it.
Yeah, there’s a difference between being cheap and being money smart. My ex was always tight with the money because he had little (as did I) growing up. But he was never cheap about it. Even today, if I asked him for help, he wouldn’t hesitate. Because while he’s frugal, he’s also a generous guy. The example of John Chow came off as him being cheap (the $100 example) and sort of puts me off. But getting discounts when you can, or even freebies, is a smart move money-wise.
I pretty much agree with this except for the fact that I sometimes get annoyed that the people who are “famous” are the ones who are more likely to get free stuff and discounts on things while the rest of us who maybe can’t afford those things have to pay full price.
i think those who can manage their money best will end up having more of it. this is a practice im trying to improve at as well, but as a start look to get the best deal on whatever it is you do.. like even when i buy a domain name i find a godaddy coupon code and save a couple of bucks, it doesn’t make me richer, but i don’t give away money unnecessarily..
@tina: so true. and really, i feel that being frugal with everything isn’t the way to go. at the end of the day, the money that you’ve saved up needs to do something, whether it’s to help out a friend, travel, or something else meaningful.
Frivolous is probably a better term, money management is definitely important when trying to become rich, after all 50 dollars saved is 50 dollars that could be invested in your project.
Sometimes the power of being Big works but you should know how to get things done your way
I suppose the top bloggers are smart enough to leverage on their popularity to ask for free stuffs. I would if I’m as popular as JC. There is a difference between frugal and smart saving.
Yan
JC is just playing, IMO.
Well, I think is being smart. I mean, JC saved a lot on that laptop. I can promote my site for 2 months with the money he saved and triple my stats.
Hmm, free versus having to pay…..its a no brainer!
I think there probably isn’t as much of a link between the status of being a “top blogger” and being “cheap” because I don’t think all “rich” people are cheap and all “cheap” people are certainly not rich.
Like some of the other commentators have pointed out, the biggest difference between the two is that blogging or building a business refers to the money that you create as an income stream. On the flip side, being cheap refers to what a person does with their money once they get it. Also, anyone can be cheap no matter how much money they do or don’t make or have, but in order to be rich you need to have the income stream…