Can I Really Live on Steemit Money Alone? Almost!
I've been at this for over a year now, and I've just passed 2,400 followers. I still remember making my first purchase with money I earned here, it was a shrimp burrito. Nothing's ever tasted so good, let me tell you. Hard work and hunger are the best spices.
I've come a long way since then, in large part by busting my ass, putting out a full 4 articles/stories/videos per day. That's exhausting but I'm motivated by the desire to escape the rat race and support myself by doing what I love, entertaining all you beauties.
I've worked out that if I average $20 per post and keep doing 4 per day, that's $40 per day (since half goes into steem power) which is about what I'd be making if I worked retail. That's $280 per week, $1120 per month. Let's take off $20 to account for Coinbase transfer fees.
So now I have $1,100 per month, assuming SBD is at 1:1 with USD (it's at .94 right now). Not too shabby! I can live on that. Subtract $550 for rent and utilities, $120 for car insurance, $125 for student loan payments, $250 for food (incl. cat food), $50 for games to make VR Let's Play videos of, and what's left? A humble fiver. Five big, fat dollars. Still, this level of income is entirely adequate for my needs.
I mean, I never asked for more than the ability to support myself and my cat so I can write. I don't write in order to live, I live in order to write. If I make a reliable $20 per post, then I'm making enough to live comfortably while also putting away 50% of my earnings as savings.
That's quite good! Most people don't sock away 50% of their paycheck, at least that I know of. But then I've been broke a long time and have started saving relatively late in life, so I need to make up for lost time if I'm ever going to buy a house, or retire for that matter.
What I need to keep doing this full time as my main focus is to continue averaging $20 per post. If you see some of my recent posts that haven't paid out yet aren't at or above $20 and you have the voting power to spare, it would help me out big time if you'd get it up to where it needs to be.
At the same time I'm well aware people who started later than I did are struggling even to make burrito money from Steemit. Trust me, I know what that's like, I was there too not so long ago.
I've recently helped @lcollazo57 get started here, resteeming and full upvoting his every post as well as my normal upvoting routine on posts in my feed which catch my eye. I also got two other friends to join Steemit, though one recently left due to harassment.
I'm doing about as much as I can for other Steemians. If there's more I could be doing that I don't know about, by all means, let me know. Providing I can make as much as I need to pay my bills on here, I can definitely spare the time and energy to go the extra mile for the community.
That's my thinly veiled "pls gibe monies" appeal. Sorry about that. Either way, expect the content to keep coming and please accept my fullest appreciation for the support you've given me thus far.
Wow your post touched me 😑. I don't have the steem power to push this current payout to anywhere. ( But I'm gonna still upvote it ,follow you and resteem)
I just came back to it a month Ago . I'm really working it hard here , my reputation has been building from 25 now to 46 but my payout per post don't even make $1
I have a long way to go .
Good stuff, have a follow. My only advice is to stubbornly stick at it. I made $0 for a long time after I started, that's the period during which most people give up.
😇 oh yea , the starting point is the thoughest here .🙌 Thanks for the follow . I will be looking for to more of your updates
For sure, I'm starting to get a feel for that. It also seems "volatile" posting here. Never know what's a hit and what's a miss with other steemians!
Youtube is the same way. Feels kind of like gambling sometimes, doesn't it.
Very much so. I'm posting chapters in a larger story. Sometimes a chapter that I feel amazing about makes less than 0.08, another time a chapter that I feel might not be quite up there with the rest ends up making more than 80,0. A factor of over a thousand for very much similar content.
Your post motivates me. You have an upvote and a follower. All the best!
Great post, imppressive .In the way beginning you achieved less, but you know I have here for six months and my reward is fluctuate all the time. Some times I get good but sometimes it is very little. I don't understand what to do?can I aske you to upvote my posts ?
Bad idea, it's considered poor etiquette and will have the opposite of the effect you want. Instead, do what I did: Just keep making quality content. Be stubborn and persistent, just keep at it and eventually success will come (with a little luck). Also there actually is one place it's ok to promote your work and ask for upvotes, the post promotion section of Steemit chat which can be found here.
Thanks for the nice suggestions. Yes I agree with you that to request for upvote is bad idea, but I asked it only with you, but why do you behave like a strict teacher ?Joking, I am become fade up some time, when I did not achieve $1 too. I only express my feelings friend, thanks for sweet suggest, have a great time ahead.
Nice little read man.
While I'm here I might as well ask what you guys think of my new post style? Let me know if you dig it! Cheers.
https://steemit.com/blog/@kaliju/step-up-your-steemit-photography-with-ease-rogue-magazine-vol-1
Thanks, but heed my advice: Advertising your own articles in other peoples' comments sections is considered poor etiquette. You also gave a legit reply with it, so I will look the other way, but most people on this site are not so forgiving. Use Steemit Chat to promote your posts instead!
@alexbeyman , I have been following your posts closely, and I appreciqte the support you are fiving to the STEEMIT community. This is a great quality post and just upvoted with full power. Hope we can continue this support for eqch other.
By the way, I thought you would be interested in checking out the latest post I made about STEEMIT, about 7 strong reasons why it will climb: https://steemit.com/steem/@gold84/7-great-reasons-why-we-should-buy-at-least-100-or-1000-steem-today-and-power-up
Looking forward to your thoughts on it.
Regards, @gold84
Some advice: Most people will not be as chill as I am if you post advertisements for your own articles in their comments section. That is a bad strategy in the long term that will often cause people to flag you. Use Steemit Chat to promote your posts instead!
@alexbeyman thanks for this comment. I definitely know this, and do not post it as advertisement. Just share it with people we support each other. In this case it was with no advertising intention. Just bringing steemit on the top, and show you I am on the same page as you with steemit. You mentioned you are doing a living with it, and I wanted to inforce that with how I believe it will climb.
Thanks for your support. Upvoted your comment with full power. @gold84
Even if you don't call it advertisement, do not link your own articles in other people's comments sections. Whatever you call that, it is considered bad etiquette and is likely to backfire on you if you keep doing it. Many people on this site are quicker to flag than I am, and will not explain what you did wrong first or give advice.
@alexbeyman I definitely understand your point, and will follow your advice. @gold84
Thanks for your support @alexbeyman ! Hope your car is ready for use soon. @gold84
I have been wondering if someone can make a fair amount of money and I'm glad to see that you have found a way to do it. Thanks for the post and I upvoted and followed you. Take it easy. :)
Wow that is fantastic💪 You really made it with 24/7 hustle💲
hello @alexbeyman,
Yep starting out is hard here, still at it myself day 75, and planning on sticking it out. I came to steemit, because of my wife and her friend, and am staying because there are just so many fascinating writers on here, with a heck of a lot of good stories. I have really enjoyed some of your stories, and will be around upvoting and reading when I can, and continuing to promote the writers on steemit in my little mag. I am sorry to hear about one of your friends being harassed off, I had a harasser or two. One was a busted down whale, the other a wanna be whale. I had to edit out my opposing point of view comments on a rant post he made, and then I muted and never looked back. It sucks when shit like that happens, but people just need to stand and push onward. Thank you again for the wonderful stories, and Whittier Story really was a hoot to read.
It's not over yet, that was just part 1. It will become much stranger soon. }:^)
As a fellow appreciator of these two seasonings, I uttered an audible "Heck ya!" as I read your endeavor epistle. I admire people that put the work in, and I threw what support I have in your direction!
Thanks! You have some fine content yourself by the looks of it, have a follow.
I'm glad that I discovered your story =)
It's giving people hope and motivation to continue and out-perform themselves.
I'm one of them and indeed it is not easy to build strong and reliable relationships here on Steemit. I guess staying honest and true through all your post helped you build those kind of relationships =). Thanks for that
Yes i will always support you cuz you are a great blogger. You can make a person laugh so loud, make them cry, and make people feel terror just by your writings. Always supporting you.
Haha hope so =). I will keep an eye on your journey. See you around my friend