When I first started blogging, I tried to figure everything out on my own and do everything by myself.

Most do!

I thought I was “saving” money.. but in reality, I was wasting time (and delaying the point where I actually started making money, which means I was, in fact, losing money).

These days, I look at things differently. I’m not afraid to spend money on my blog because the right investments save me years of trial and error.

Here’s where my money goes each month, and where I’d start if I had to do it all again:

5) Tools

I’ve tried a million tools. At this point, “a million” might actually be selling it short.

If it has anything to do with blogging or online business, I’ve probably tested it.

With that said, here are the ones that were absolutely worth every penny (my top 4 best tool investments of all time):

• Canva - Affordable, and can be used for almost anything.
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• ​ThriveCart* - My #1 purchase ever. It hosts all my products and gives me another income stream.​
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• ChatGPT - My everyday assistant, from brainstorming ideas to writing drafts.​
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• Loom – I use it constantly for screen recordings, tutorials, and even drafting blog content through transcripts.

*Affiliate link - I may earn a commission if you use this, but I only recommend ThriveCart because it’s truly the GOAT. Not perfect, but SUCH a great deal.

Other tools I use:

• ​Kit* - Email marketing; not the greatest tool, but I use it.​
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• Strevio - This is for Facebook pages; it's only necessary if you're really focused on growing your Facebook page)
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• Claude - AI model; it's no ChatGPT, but it has its upsides, too.
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• Google Workspace - I like to look professional when I email people, so Google Workspace it is!
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• ​Hosting.com* - If you’re serious about blogging, WordPress.org is the platform you should use. And you'll self-host through something like Hosting.com.

.. and lots more!

*Also affiliate links. While I don't think Kit is the best, I still recommend it, in addition to Flodesk.

You’ll notice I didn’t include a keyword research tool on this list.

While I do pay for one (Ahrefs), I can’t honestly recommend any of them. In most cases, you’ll get better results doing keyword research yourself with free resources like Ubersuggest’s Chrome extension, Google, and Google Search Console.

And if you’re not sure how to do keyword research without relying on a paid tool, that’s definitely a fundamental skill you’ll want to learn.

4) Facebook Ads

Do you need ads to succeed as a blogger? Absolutely not.

Most of the time, I wouldn’t recommend them at all unless you’ve built the skills to run them and have a monthly business budget to support it.

I started to run Facebook ads once my businesses were profitable. This helped me grow faster in several areas including:

• Growing Facebook page likes
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• Growing my newsletters/email lists

Think of ads as a shortcut, not a requirement.

But if you’re in the position to use them, they can be a smart investment.

3) Admin Assistants

Admin help. Oooof.. much needed.

Hiring contractors to take care of the small but necessary tasks freed me up to focus on the things that really grow my businesses: strategy, revenue, and of course, my deliverables.

A few years back, I joined a mastermind with Rick Mulready as the mentor, and I’ll never forget his advice:

“Laura, you’re at a place in your business where you need to be doing the $10,000-an-hour work, and you need to hire out the $10-an-hour work.”

If you can invest in your blog or business in any way, take this advice with you.

You may not find $10/hour help, but the idea is simple: stop doing the low-value work so you can focus on the high-value work that grows your business.

2) Writers & Editors

Yes, AI is here.. and yes, I use it for many things (as should you).

But I still pay contractors to write, edit, and publish blog posts.

Here’s how I think of it: The more content you publish, the more people you reach. The more people you reach, the more money you could make.

Since I’m running multiple businesses (and I'm pretty exhausted from having a 1-year-old), I can’t possibly write everything myself.

Not to mention, I’m certainly not an expert on every destination or topic. But I can hire someone who is!

Investing in writers and editors means I can scale without sacrificing quality (or my sanity because ChatGPT can really test my patience 😂).

1) Courses: The Shortcut to Income

I used to think I could “Google my way” into success. But what I didn’t realize was that every free article or YouTube video I consumed was just a piece of the puzzle.

Courses gave me the full picture and much-needed direction.

Now don’t get me wrong, I still test everything for myself. But I don’t start from zero anymore (if I can help it) because this isn’t a hobby for me, it’s my business. I treat my blog like a profession, and I make decisions like one.

Courses give me the foundation, and I shape it into strategies that work for me.

If I was starting over, I’d buy fewer random tools (AWeber that I never used, a few templates that I never opened, etc.) and spend more on the right courses.

It would have saved me a lot of wasted time.

Scale Your Travel Blog is currently closed for enrollment until 2026, but I can promise it's worth the wait!

>> Click here to join the waitlist for Scale Your Travel Blog!​

Next week, my baby will be having surgery, which means I’ll be a bit quieter in my inbox as we help her recover.

But, I’ve queued up a few newsletters, so you’ll still be hearing from me.

Talk to you soon,

Laura

P.S. Scale Your Travel Blog is currently CLOSED for enrollment until January 2026.

​To join our waitlist, please click here!​