Thursday, November 4, 2010

Throwing Pasta at the Wall

So....it's heart to heart time. I've been blogging for about 2 months now and in those 2 months, I've thrown all sorts of pasta at the wall to see what sticks. I started this blog with a vague idea about what I'd write about. I'd been thinking over the blog idea for a while, but wasn't completely sure about the subject matter until I thought of the name. Call it "divine intervention," but once I thought of "Fiscally Chic," I signed up for a blog to save the name and went from there.

Over time, I've been trying out things to see what works. I had a list of ideas when this started, but no strong focus. (Totally out of character for this perfectionist.) And while everything I've written is true, I haven't been completely true with what I want this blog to be about. Think about college. You try on all sorts of different hats and majors to see what sticks for you. This little blog has been deciding her "major." She sort of tried the cool ones out, but deep down, those weren't for her.

I love cooking and baking, but I'll never be a food blogger. Running is obviously fun, but I couldn't think of enough ways to keep that interesting. Style blogger? Not for me. I get the J.Crew and West Elm catalogs like everyone else, but I'm not into high fashion or have the skills to style someone's home. I can barely keep ours clean.

Deep down, I'm just a dorky accountant. Finance, economics, and business excite me. I don't particularly enjoy doing my taxes, but a few years back, a friend asked me to help her make a budget. I was all over it! Those sorts of things just seem like common sense to me. I guess I have my upbringing and education to thank for that.

I started "Fiscally Chic" to talk about "saving money with style." I guess I've been focusing on the "style" aspect a little too much for my tastes. Maybe I thought that would be more interesting and I'd get a few more readers. But that wouldn't be fair to you or fair to me. It's not my expertise. There are all sorts of other blogs that are much, much better at discussing style. If you need some recommendations, just ask. As I said, I get more excited with the "saving" aspect of my tagline.

I'll still write about running, cooking, decorating, and things that are going on, but I'll phrase it in such a way that supports my "fiscally chic" lifestyle. You'll get the added benefit of me talking about how I'm actually practicing what I preach. Like how we're saving money to eventually buy a house and start a family. All of those activities are an aspect of my life and what make me unique. How many people out there brew their own beer, run marathons, bake cupcakes, and talk about money? Maybe a few, but probably not a lot. And I'm Catholic, but we can talk more about that later. Even I would get bored hearing myself talk about automatic transfers to a savings account. Everything needs balance (insert corny balance sheet joke).

Will I be the next Suze Orman? Definitely not overnight. But at least I know I'm being true to myself and hopefully helping people along the way. Plus, I don't have Suze's haircut or jackets.

Phew, this is quite the rambling post. But it was much easier to write this than putting together a recipe post. So maybe this proves my point to myself. And since every post needs a picture to be relatively entertaining, here's one from Galena.


Thanks for reading. I think "Fiscally Chic" has the potential to be something awesome. It just takes a little time.
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7 comments:

  1. I totally hear you... I think I'm still trying to find my niche too. You are so right - being true to oneself is what makes a blog successful and satisfying!

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  2. All I can say is: YOU HIT THE BELL! Keep this up, it's going to take you on the path you are meant to follow :)

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  3. Melissa - You'll figure out your niche too. We can brainstorm over coffee or wine sometime.
    Jess - Thanks for your encouragement!

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  4. Finding your "voice" is something I think all bloggers struggle with! And trust me, no one starts a blog and instantly becomes Emily from Cupcakes to Cashmere or the Pioneer Woman! We all go through some murky terrains to come out on the other side. When I started blogging, I thought I'd highlight some recipes and home decor ideas, until I realized....who am I kidding?! I'm not a baker/ cook or a "decorator". I think when I started shedding all the expectations on what I thought my blog "should" be is when it started molding itself into something that's not only authentically me, but something that I'm proud of :) Good luck in your journey! If you keep at it, I promise it'll get better!

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  5. Kudos to you for being so honest and open while trying to seek out your voice. I think when someone posts about something they love or are good at that really comes through.

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  6. Good for you - seriously, you have to do what makes you happy and interests you!! I love your analogy about throwing pasta and seeing what sticks. How cool that you found what's sticking for you! Keep at what you love. I for one am a budget happy gal - I'm one of those weirdos that loves to balance her checkbook! :)

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  7. I hear you on this one...I think it just takes time to figure out your focus. I'm still trying to figure it out :) Everyone recommends having a plan so I'm trying to put that on paper. We'll see :)

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