I woke up early this morning from a dream. In it, my brother and I were playing basketball. For some reason, he was dressed head to toe in a cheap Power Rangers outfit. As he helplessly tried to shoot the ball in the basket, his superhero mask would flop and fall in his face. It completely distracted him. At one point he tripped over himself when trying to make a shot. Frustrated, he continued to do the same thing without taking off the mask.
Then, my eyes opened. It was 5 AM and I couldn’t get back to bed. Something was restless inside me. With this newfound time, I decided to check the comments on Frugaling.
I saw a new one and eagerly read through it. The commenter said she had just read my book. She called it “interesting” and “inspirational.” I was flattered and humbled that she took the time to read my book, visit the site, and write a comment. But as I continued reading, I realized she was also writing a critique.
She was disappointed to see advertising on this site.
At first, like so many times in my life, I got defensive. Here’s what it sounded like in my head: “Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t put on my site? What would you do if you had five figures in debt and never wanted to live that way again? Google ads don’t even pay that well! It’s not liking I’m rolling in money because those little things.”
After my head exploded, I calmed down and read the comment again. She had a point. On one hand I was advocating for anti-consumption, critical personal finance, minimalism, and frugality. On the other, I was hawking advertisements (and have been since the beginning).
Was I being a hypocrite?
Was I not being true to my own values?
Was I living a lie?
Was I contributing to other people’s consumption by hosting ads?
The answers weren’t pretty: yes, yes, yes, and yes.
Sometimes commenters are dead wrong, confused, and/or seemingly typing while tripping on LSD. Those are easy to ignore. But challenging messages are usually my favorite. They force me to think and react – to qualify and justify my reasoning in life.
While not always right, I aim to do better. I look for these moments and embrace them.
This commenter had struck a chord with me. She highlighted something I’ve long wanted but waited to do: remove the advertisements. I’ve hesitated because income on Google ads has been enough to pay web hosting and domain name fees – basics for any website. Additionally, they’ve helped me pay for ancillary costs associated with running a business (i.e., extra tax help, software, etc.).
Those fees and costs remain. Until another company releases a completely free (of hidden costs and ads) domain names and hosting, it’s going to cost hundreds of dollars each year to run. But the advertisements cannot remain.
Today, I’m taking a risk and officially announcing that Frugaling is now free from ads! That means no pesky advertising trackers or Google boxes anywhere. Nothing will be adapting and changing to your buying/surfing habits. That’s the way it should be – void of third-party distractions that encourage people to spend more.
The Internet is chock full of advertisements predicting your next move, purchase, and trip. Rather than add to the noise, I want Frugaling to be an oasis. And my writings and website should host congruent values.
There are more ways to make an income than ads, and I’m hoping you agree. I no longer want to contribute to that system. I’m hoping you’ll help me in this ad-free endeavor. There are various ways to support me: share and spread your favorite articles, buy the new book, or make a donation.
It’s time to take off the distractions.
How do you feel when websites have ads?
What do you think of authors who accept money to write stories?
How should writers make money?
Great topic, Sam! I’ve struggled with these same questions. I can cover domain and hosting fees, but my ads have never earned much. I’ve intentionally kept them out of the way to maintain a better user experience. Plus, with iOS 9, ad blocking will be easier than ever for the masses. That said, most of us spend tons of time on our blogs and there’s nothing wrong with trying to monetize these efforts.
Really appreciate your comment on the debate over ads! I can tell you I’ve struggled for years with this question. The Google ads always helped, but I’m fortunate to be done with the worst of my financial situation. It’s time to more purely support those who need help. But that decision doesn’t come with a newfound judgment of those who do find ways to monetize. I for one certainly recognize that pressure. Keep up the great work, Kate. I’ve always loved it!
I think this is a great discussion. I celebrate your move toward an oasis based on values. I also think we should have a better discussion about how writers should make money. Books are an obvious support route. But maybe people are willing to donate in support. It will be interesting to see. Congrats on the mindful move.
Thanks for addressing the crux of the debate. Yeah, writers should make something. How and when is the big question. If writers can’t independently make some money, then they have to work for the behemoths. I’m not interested in everyone feeling that pressure. Hopefully we can make strides to find new ways to make a revenue without feeling like we’ve “sold out.” 😀
The constant fine line to walk for the writer. In a perfect world, people would vote with their time and the time spent with your writing would turn into a monetary form of support. It’s the “where’s the money coming from?” question that is lacking.
Discovered this blog from The Slow Your Home podcast and I really liked what you had to say about frugality and minimalism and consumption.
Thanks you so much for going ad free. For all the minimalist/frugal blogs, it’s the one taboo, but it’s so important that we confront the very idea of advertisement –not just the content of ads, but advertisement itself. Simply because advertisement warps our sense of priorities and value, and it should be antithetical to either frugality or minimalism.
Some food for thought: far from making anything cheaper, the advertisement and PR budgets inflate the prices of so much we touch. Sneakers made of cheap plastic and nylon, in sweatshops with incredibly cheap labor, are passed off as luxuries thanks to advertising!
But I’d like to also say, as someone whose gig is involved in Facebook advertisement and such, advertisement in the internet era is fast becoming a part of the whole surveillance state in disturbing ways. Facebook likes get matched to all the discount cards (at grocery stores and such), along with property records (mortgage applications, auto loans, etc.), voter records, and the whole nine into profiles. And then to boot, the people who really need information about you (insurers, healthcare providers, HR departments) don’t bother with encryption, so all that information is out there waiting to be matched up for malevolent purposes.
So kudos man! I hope you figure out the best way to unplug from the Matrix.
Thanks man right back at you! Hope you enjoyed the podcast. Brooke is a fantastic interviewer and simple living proponent. Loved talking with her. 🙂
Hey Sam. Aussie girl also from Slow Home. Thank you and very glad to have found your blog!
I have no problem trying to make some money from your website if for no other reason to cover your costs.. But hosting, etc isn’t all that much money and even if the site is a hobby site I think it’s worth the few dollars spent even without the ad revenue for all the fun and opportunities blogging offers.
Besides, now that you’re ad free your site loads faster and is more readable so we can concentrate on what matters the most – your content. 🙂
I have had some luck with Google Adsense in the past but I find I have much better luck with either affiliate offers or even private ads if you can find them.
A fantastic point that’s often overlooked. I didn’t even think about the page speed and loading benefits to readers! Hah. Thanks for being willing to support and share my work. Means a lot.
FWIW, Apple is addressing the page speed issue by baking in an adblocker into Safari. And AdBlock (the company) is making its own browser. So the ad network-vs.-ad blocker arms race is about to begin.
One thing that’s leading several online outlets toward is so-called “native advertisement” or “advertorial” (where the content is literally the same as advertisement –check out The Daily Beast or NYT, who sneak the odd story by Lenovo or Citibank’s PR department under their masthead.
I sincerely hope this isn’t the direction your turn against ads is going –that’d be compounding the problem rather than solving it. You’re writing longer form books and such, which is the healthier option (e.g., “freemium” pricing).
Good for you! I got rid of ads on my blog recently as well. I thought it cheapened the look of my blog, and it wasn’t exactly what I stood for either.
Congratulations on your commitment to your values!
Congratulations! I got rid of ads on my site a while back for many of the same reasons.
I have always ignored the ads on any site I visit and the sites/blogs with “pop up” ads that I have to X out of before being able to continue, I tend to not go back to. I see where some online newspapers allow you to read a few articles for free per month, but if you want more you can sign up for a nominal yearly fee. Yours is one of the few blogs I have continued to follow as you write great articles that are pertinent to my life. I can not relate to financial bloggers that go on about their ways of saving money and share their net worth when it’s hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I would like to suggest that it would be worth a nominal fee to me to support you. I hope you don’t consider me ridiculous/rude for a cost suggestion of $5.00/year. Your archived articles are worth way more than that!
Oh, I did buy your book to support you and shared it on my Facebook page too. 😉
Keep up the great writing!
Interesting choice. I recall articles like the two below where it seemed, to me, that earning income through advertising (including adsense) was one of your main goals and you were astonished and proud of how well you were doing (because $10k in your first 6 months of blogging is a HUGE accomplishment).
https://frugaling.org/make-an-extra-10000-dollars/
https://frugaling.org/monetize-your-blog/
Haven’t seen you comment in a long time. Good to hear from you. That’s a totally fair point! You’re right that one of the parts to the website included making money. I documented the many efforts I was taking to add wealth and reduce debt. But over time, my more individual values shined through. I’m not necessarily a naysayer or advocate for credit cards, but I’d rather not pay the bills by hawking them to people. They can be dangerous.
Overall, I thank you for being able to celebrate those moments with me. That means a lot that you’ve been following along since then. But I’m ready to transition to something deeper and higher quality, while espousing and living my values more fully. I don’t want to buy more to add more to my life. Advertising suggests that’s exactly what you need. The two cannot live harmoniously to me.
Ads, like commercials were the reason I got rid of my TV. So glad your doing this. Donations, books are all great ideas. You should be paid! This endeavor shouldn’t put you in the poor house.
Aww, this comment is much appreciated! It’s support enough. Thanks for making my day.
I am too cheap to pay anything for web hosting or a custom domain, but I still run ads on my blog. I think of it as an insurance policy in case something goes viral- I’ll have ads in place, ready to go! I have cut back on ads, but since many people who come to my blog are interested in products that can help them save money, I don’t mind showing some relevant ads since these may actually be useful.
Well… since you asked…. I have been disappointed with your site and others also who advocate for frugality and the environment and then sneak in the affiliate links to buy stuff. I think it is tacky, hypocritical and, in my opinion, devalues the content. Additionally, given that there is so much free information on the internet, I also think donations are extremely tacky. I ‘unfollow’ any blogs asking for donations. You should make money with your books and add other services like seminars or pre-recorded workshops. There are so many ways to create a product that doesn’t involve ‘stuff’ that people will buy. Why would I donate to you instead of help a homeless person? Blogs are a dime a dozen and what makes yours more special to solicit donations than say Courtney Carver or Joshua Becker? Blogging should go back to a platform to share ideas and develop informational products and not to make money off of things that others developed. I usually don’t give unsolicited advice, but, like I said, you asked… 🙂
You’re right, I asked for it! Haha. The fact is that I’d like to get paid something for my time spent writing, providing my advice, and creating this site. I don’t necessarily do it for charity. That being said, I don’t want to increase or encourage consumption in the process. I don’t consider my blog to be any better than anyone else’s. I’m shocked and saddened that you get that impression from my ask for donations. Likewise, if you would rather support homeless people over my site, I’d say good on you! You’re living a valued, intentioned life and supporting those in need. Can’t say I’d say anything but thanks! But if you choose to support me through a book or donations, that could really help keep this going and managing to ward off the debt monster. Heck, I’m still a graduate student. At the end of the day, I love your thoughts and appreciate your honesty. Hope you keep sharing it!
I have been going ad-free forever – as a reader. The browser extension ublock-origin & the HOSTS file from MVPS get rid of most of them. Ghostery, RequestPolicy, Masking-Agent, RefControl, Better-Privacy, Privacy-Badger, CanvasBlocker, Redirect-Remover, and Cookie-Whitelist get rid of the tracking I don’t want. Noscript lets me choose whose scripts to run. Then I add security with Calomel SSL validation & Certificate-Patrol (& the NoScript helps too).
Ads can be annoying, but they have also been an important vector for downloading viruses and malware.
Congratulations!
Way to go! Although I don’t like ads and I use Ad Blocker, I understand why most websites decide to use them. People have to make a living and businesses need to make a profit. I think in this day of free media we often forget that someone is behind the curtains creating that “free” media.
I applaud you for this on so many levels, Sam! Good for you for making sure that everything about your site matches your values. We didn’t judge you for having ads, just as we assume they will appear on most sites, but love that you’ve taken the affirmative step of creating a commerce-free zone here.
We struggle often with a similar dilemma, which is the paradox of frugal people investing. On one hand, we think consumption leads to nothing but problems, but on the other hand, we plan to live off of our investments one day, and in order for those to support us, the share prices need to go up, which requires people to buy more whatevers. Sure, there are socially responsible mutual funds available (with super high fees, btw), but even those are reliant on rampant consumer spending. We haven’t found a way to achieve our plan while living our values, but let us know if you come up with an answer. 🙂 Glad you found a way to resolve your paradox! And doubly good for you for being open to a critique in the comments — that’s not something most people would do!
Yes! Thank you. It’s often incongruent for a person to talk about noncompsion and have ads running.
I chucked my pay site and started a free site so that I wouldn’t be tempted to put ads on it. I like a clean, minimalistic site. However, I didn’t realize that the free site had random ads put on it. I can’t see them on my computer, but when I looked on the hubby’s computer, there they were. And they were so gross and disgusting. So now I’m going back to a pay site. At least I can control what’s on there. Live and learn, right?
P.S. I’ve missed your site. It’s your site that got me into blogging, but there’s only so much time in a day, and I ended up only commenting on blogs that commented on mine for a while now. I’m hoping to visit more now that I have some new spare time opened up. Keep up the great work, Sam, and remember ~ you can’t please everyone. Do what YOU want. Trust me. You have enough people who love what you do. 🙂