About
Hey friends – I’m Melanie! I started this blog, Up The Side Hustle, to document my financial journey and to share tips on how to save and make extra money.
One day, I remember stumbling across personal finance blogs. I became obsessed with the topic of finance and how to save and build extra income.
Not gonna lie, though. In my head, when I started this blog, I thought, “Oh man, most personal finance bloggers are making $10k per month. That’s not me.”
I felt like I had to be 50 steps ahead in order to share my advice and tips. But in reality, I am just getting started with my own journey.
I realize that it’s okay not to be expert in this field, yet I can still share ways I’ve made money online and be real with you guys.
I have a personal goal to pay off my student loans within a year, and this blog will help keep me accountable to it!
So whether you’re a college graduate looking to pay off student loans or just someone who is looking to make extra money, this blog is here to help you do that without feeling stressed!
A little about me
Growing up, I didn’t have a good understanding of money. I didn’t know how to budget and had no idea about managing my money. I would carelessly spend my money, living paycheck to paycheck.
As a fresh college grad, I, unfortunately, realized way too late that I did not want to use my degree. I was thousands of dollars in student loans.
There was so much pressure from my parents to go to graduate school, but I didn’t want to be more in debt and pursue my education just to please them. Anyone relate?
But this is when my whole “self-discovery” journey began. I ended up packing my bags and moving to Taiwan in late 2022. This big move really forced me to travel on a budget. I’m talking about doing 5 visa runs and paying for rent (moved 4 times) – while not having a full-time job. I also had to consider other costs like food, entertainment, Chinese classes, and other expenses. All of these expenses added up!
It’s crazy how I actually managed to do it, lol. So many people asked me how I was able to survive more than a year abroad without any stable income.
But this leads me to my next point….
How I started this blog
One of the biggest reasons I was able to travel and stay abroad longer was because of my Etsy shop!
I started my first Etsy shop back in the summer of 2022. In less than a year, I made over $10,000 selling printables on Etsy. That’s when I knew the possibilities of side hustles – it brought me financial freedom to travel and live on my own.
Another side hustle that I have is another blog that I own. I just got accepted to Mediavine and I’m so excited to see where it goes!
So being abroad, I’ve really had to learn how to manage my finances wisely. I’m still learning so much about finance, which is another reason why I started this blog – to document my own journey and share my tips with you.
I was inspired by many personal finance blogs who wrote about building wealth and growing their side hustles. I want to give you the same hope that it is very possible to make money online!
With that said, I hope you can join me on this personal finance journey – let’s dream big together!