Hello Everyone,
This is Dave Gates reporting in for my fourth Jewel-Osco Saturday Morning Sampler Savings Report.
Are you wondering what this is all about? Well for starters, I though it would be interesting to report how much I’ve saved by redeeming the coupons for free items at our local grocery store.
Secondly, I like building blogs and this experiment offers me the opportunity to create content and learn new skills.
We live in the Chicago-Land area and one of the major groceries stores is Jewel-Osco. This year I signed up for their MyMixx rewards program and downloaded their smart phone app.
A lot of blogs publish income reports on how much their blogs are earning. I’ve decided to take this concept and turn it around a bit.
Instead of reporting on how much my blog is making, I plan to report on how much I’m saving by redeeming coupons for free items. It’s just a little experiment, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you have any questions about any of the information from this report, please leave a comment and I’ll reply very early in the morning before the wife and kid wake up.
Our report includes the following.
- SAVINGS THIS MONTH
- YEAR TO DATE SAVINGS
- NUMBER OF COUPONS REDEEMED
- LIST OF ITEMS
- WEBSITE TRAFFIC
- EMAIL LIST
- BLOG UPDATES
- MOVING FORWARD
SAVINGS THIS MONTH April 2017 ($12.24)
YEAR TO DATE SAVINGS ($61.70)
NUMBER OF COUPONS REDEEMED = 6
LIST OF ITEMS
1. Fruzinga® Probiotic Drinkable Yogurt 7 oz ($1.49)
2. Lay’s® Poppables 5 oz (3.29)
3. Izze FusionsTM 12-oz ($1.49)
4. Lemon-Lemon Sparkling Lemonade 12 oz ($1.49)
5. 1893 PePsi Cola 12 oz ($1.49)
6. Zico Pinapple Coconut Water 16.9 oz ($2.99)
WEBSITE TRAFFIC
Traffic Overview
A lot the traffic was from me updating and modifying the blog. We do see a slight increase in activity. Not a ton of traffic, but we are slowing growing. Any blogger will tell you there is a lot of work behind creating the articles and maintaining a blog. But it is actually fun and interesting. I’m glad I found the Jewel-Osco Saturday Morning Sampler items as something to blog about.
As you can see the sessions have increased and the number of users has also increased. We are well on our way to the stardom I can see it now!!
If you are enjoying these reports please share and comment. I’d really appreciate it. Once change I’ve made to this report is to include both last month and this month snap-shots. I think this gives a better idea how we are growing.
March 1 – 24, 2017
April 1 – 28, 2017
As for the traffic sources, I’ve started to comment and interacting with others through blogs and social media. This has shown an increase in where the traffic is coming from. One website I’ve been following is Mashupmom, which would explain the one referral in this chart.
Here are the top traffic sources from last month.
Here are the top traffic sources from this month.
As for the devices, as you can see mobile devices has already over taken the desktop. This is no surprise as more people are using their phones to view blogs and interact with others through social media.
And finally mobile vs desktop vs tablet statistics from last month.
And finally mobile vs desktop vs tablet statistics from this month.
Yes, that would be me on my phone and computer. The numbers are still pretty low. But I have no way to go but up. Building a blog is a slow process. It’s not a get rich quick business. I’m here for the long haul, so I don’t mind.
EMAIL LIST
One of the things I find most challenging is developing and growing a mailing list. I’ve signed up and registered for an email newsletter service with MailChimp.
My plan is to track the growth of this list. Since I just joined in January, we have a great base to start with. Oh, and that one additional subscriber we reported in March would be me. Yes, another beginner statistic. I used another email address to make sure my list is actually working. I should spend more time on this. One reason I haven’t been focusing on it is because I’m wanting to add more content and articles.
For all you long time bloggers, I know you’ve always said to start growing your email list. Well, now is your opportunity to join my list and help me grow this thing.
We did have two more subscribers, we are now up to 4 total subscribers. I guess you could break this down to one new subscriber a month. That’s not going to cut it and I’m going to have to keep plugging away at this.
March 2017
April 2017
BLOG UPDATES
I’m still loving my theme from Studiopress. I highly recommend them. Although I’m really wanting to update and improve the home page. I think this is something I’ll focus on in May. The big question now is do I hire someone or figure out how to do this myself?
Any suggestions out there would be greatly appreciated.
I’ve also put together a page that shows “How to Start Your WordPress Blog Today.” This is filled with affiliate links for Bluehost, the web host of our choice. Yes, I’m still happy with their hosting and services.
I’ve been working on the monthly report you are reading here. My plan is to publish a report each month, or until they stop offering free items.
I’ve been writing other content for the blog. Most notable is that I’ve added books to the sidebar on what I’m currently reading. I have a long list of books I’ve read in the past and plan to add these to shorter list. I’m looking forward to revisiting some older books I have in my personal library.
Most notable are my autographed books. I find it hard to part with these.
Thanks to those of you who have commented and for keeping me on my toes. It is greatly appreciated.
MOVING FORWARD
The plan for now is to continue visiting my local Jewel-Osco on Saturday morning’s for their Free items. Four months have gone by pretty quick and I’m amazed at how much I’ve saved and how this blog thing is turning out.
I’ll also be working on tweaking the blog, newsletter and writing. Stayed tuned, and please leave me a comment, don’t be shy!!
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