Are you in college right now? Are you wanting to start a blog or creative endeavor? If so, this blog post is for you!

I’ve had a few girls in college reach out to me and let me know they want to start a blog BUT have some financial and time constraints. As someone whose been in that position, I know exactly how their feeling.

I financed my college education with loans, scholarships, grants, and my Boeing summer internship money. My last two years of college, my parents financially pulled away. And it was up to me to make sure I had enough money for tuition and my cost of living. After paying for rent, tuition, and books, I barely had $30-40 a week for groceries.

My end of junior year and start of senior year of college I discovered Instagram, lookbook.nu, and bloggers. I was inspired at the everyday people sharing their street style in cities all over the world. I knew I wasn’t going to work in the fashion industry so I wanted to carve out a creative, fashionable place alongside my corporate career. I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog – Emma’s Edition. You can read more about why I started my blog here.

At first, I was hesitant because I had little money, little time, I wasn’t sure what I would share as a blogger, and no photographer. But I knew it was the right thing to do in my life.

If you’re currently in this position, I feel you. I’m here to give you some tips on how to overcome these challenges, especially if you’re feeling inspired to start a blog or creative outlet!

Here are 7 tips to start a blog

– whether you’re a college student or honestly at any point of your life.

Problem: You don’t have (a ton of extra) money to buy new clothes, make up, and things.

If you’re looking to become a fashion, beauty, or even interior/home blogger, you don’t need a ton a money to start. Here’s what you can do if you’re tight on cash:

Start a Blog Tip #1 Shop your own closet

You don’t have to shoot new things every single week or every single month. You can start with your own closet and restyle pieces in different ways. For instance, I wore this orange dress with a jean jacket and then I layered it with a thrifted blouse (also featured in blog post last summer) in “4 things brands look for in a blogger collaboration blog post.

I also use the same shoes and accessories in almost all my blog posts. I’ve worn these strappy metallic heels in:

My Biggest Blogging Insecurities + How I’m working to overcome them

What makes me feel empowered? #WeAllCan

Start a Blog Tip #2: Shop secondhand

Besides saving a ton of money, shopping second hand is also great for the environment! I’ve found Joe’s Jeans, Hudson’s jeans, and Everlane jeans at Value Village! I also have bought a ton of J.Crew items at Goodwill for work. Even though I’m working a full time job now, I’m still shopping second hand because I continuously find great pieces! You just have to be patient in sifting through the racks.

Start a Blog Tip #3 Try a subscription service

One subscription service that I’ve tried and love is Stitch Fix! (this is NOT sponsored) You have to pay a $20 styling fee and then if you choose to keep any items, Stitch Fix will charge you.

But if you’re college student on a budget, the $20 styling fee may be worth it to try on and be able to shoot in new pieces each month. You’ll have to return the items by a certain date but at least you get new batch of clothes without having to spend a ton of money!

Problem: You don’t have a photographer.

Start a Blog Tip #4 Find a friend in college whose starting out in photography

When I decided to start Emma’s Edition, I reached out to my friend Holly to see if she’d be interested in shooting me. She had never shot portraits/people before, so she shot me for free and I promised her I would pay once I got a full time job. She started shooting me almost four years ago and we’re still working together today (and I have the income to pay her!). Anyways, see if you have any friends who want to experiment with taking photos with you!

Start a Blog Tip #5 Buy a tripod

If I don’t have a photographer or my boyfriend with me, I’ll set up my tripod to take my photos. I literally set up the 10 second self-timer and run to take the photo. I ordered an iPhone tripod off amazon and it worked pretty well!

Start a Blog Tip #6 Find a friend who’s willing to take your outfit of the days

Have you asked around your friend group to see if anyone else wants their photo taken? I know plenty of bloggers who get together to take each other’s photos!

Problem: You don’t have time to blog.

Start a Blog Tip #6: You define your schedule and you define what success looks like.

In college, I was balancing a part time, looking for a job, blogging, midterms, and everything else. I was barely posting once a month on the blog. And that’s okay because that was where my capacity level is at. If you’re in this boat right now, don’t feel like you have to post every single week. Setting realistic goals, like posting once or twice a month, will set yourself up for success.

Problem: You don’t know what to write/make videos/share photos of.

Start a Blog Tip #7: Start with what you know and what you’re passionate about.

I personally have always loved fashion, so I started a fashion blog. Over the years, my blog has evolved to also share career and lifestyle advice/content. But I picked a niche that I was most comfortable with.

Ask yourself: what makes you most excited? What’s a topic you could talk about for hours? What do your friends turn to you for? Is it fashion or styling advice? Do your friends ask you to do their hair? You might already be somewhat of an expert in niche and not even know it!

Those are a few tips I picked up at the beginning of my blogging journey! I hope they help you take a leap of faith into your creative journey/ help you start a blog!

Shop my look: (exact jumpsuit, look alike shoes and bag)

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Outfit details:

Jumpsuit: Forever 21 | Bag: Style Me For Less | Shoes: Just Fab | Earrings: Taylor Wilkinson Designs (I won these through an Instagram contest!)

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Thank you for reading!

Love,

Emma

Photos: Holly Phan Photography