How Much Have I Spent on My Blog?

I have had Beauty From Katie for over a year now and blogging has turned into one of my favorite hobbies. At first, I wasn’t committed to being a serious blogger but as I got more personally invested in my blog, and saw the opportunities that could come from it, I decided that I wanted to step up the quality a little bit. I don’t think there is a blogger out there who is perfectly happy with their blog but I love the direction mine is taking and I want to continue improving! Sometimes that means putting not just more time, but more money into it.

While I definitely think you can blog for free, I’ve found a lot of budget-friendly items that have really made a difference in my photography. I was recently looking through my blog props and I decided to figure out just how much money I’ve invested in my blog so far! This doesn’t include all the makeup I’ve bought #fortheblog (this post would be far too long if I did that!) but mostly items that I’ve bought only with my blog in mind.

One Yard of White Fur cloth $15

This is without a doubt the best blog purchase I’ve made. I know a lot of people like a marble or wood background, but I love a lightly textured fur. While I was in Joann Fabrics a few months ago I found this beautiful soft cloth and decided to purchase it on a whim, and I think I’ve used it in every blog post since. Just laying it out on the floor puts me in a creative mood! If you don’t want to buy fabric, a white fur rug or shirt would do nicely, too. Even if you don’t like fur, fabric stores have a lot of beautiful backgrounds that may be worth checking out!

Red Doilies $1

As you will soon be able to tell, I get a lot of my props from the Dollar Store. It’s the best for budget-friendly seasonal props! They have fake flowers, Halloween/Autumnal decorations, and at this time of year, Christmas ornaments. Doilies make a nice background at all times of the year and I’d like to pick up some other colors soon.

Sparkly Fake Leaves $1

Another Dollar Store purchase, I loved using these multicolored leaves throughout autumn.

Sparkly Gold Bows $1

I don’t think I have used these a lot yet, I thought they would be nice for Holiday themed posts. Alas, I decided not to do Blogmas this year so these have gone to the back of my closet. When finals are over I might do a 12 days of Blogmas-type thing so expect these to make an entrance soon!

Cream and Blue Ombre Scarf, H&M $8

Confession: I don’t know how to wear scarves. They look ridiculous on me. I bought this with the best of intentions to try to make it work, but I’ve only used it as a background so far. I like the little fringes on it and it’s multicolored so I can use it with a lot of different posts.

Green and Blue Crystal Dish $6

This was on sale where I work and I immediately thought of the photos I could take with it! I like to prop things up with it or use it as a background for something small, like a lipstick.

Other photograph props I use are magazines and jewelry, but I didn’t buy those specifically for my blog so I didn’t include them. In the future I would love to get some copper, gold, and marble pieces to use for photography. Copper and white is one of my favorite combinations, and everyone loves marble! Fairy lights also add so much to a photograph so I’d like to pick up a few colors of those, too.

In terms of blog layout and spending money on the website side of things, my goal for the new year is to move to my own domain name. I might buy a new layout as well, but to be honest I don’t understand how to do that or how to buy from someone reputable, so for now I’ll keep it simple. Any suggestions would be welcome! 

Do you buy props just for photos? 

Xx Katie