I have a love-hate relationship with the word "monetize." I like money because it pays my bills, helps me buy food, and live a comfortable existence. I dislike money in the hoarding sense, and resent that eating quality food has been the stuff of privilege.
I chose to go with FoodBuzz's Featured Publisher Program as a suggestion made by Chocolate Covered Katie. I get $3 for every 1,000 US impressions, so in the beginning I was only making a few bucks. I used this money to take myself out for a fancy coffee drink, put it towards buying a book or other coveted vegan item. One day I thought about how this all started--that most of the food I blog about comes from a food pantry, and I wanted to find a way to give back. I used to be pretty embarrassed that my family needed this help, but MHC is so awesome and committed to empowering and educating people, I chose to start speaking about my shopping publicly. I used to have a ton of time on my hands and volunteered in Mother Hubbard's Cupboard garden program, but after having kids that dissolved.
So, since I'm home most of the time, I find ways to get blogging time in my schedule. My efforts have paid off. I have readers from all over the globe and omni friends try vegan cuisine and ask me for recipes/suggestions! How cool is that happy crappy? My goal is to increase traffic so I can get bigger rewards from FB, and pass those on as monetary contributions to local charities, specifically Mother Hubbard's Cupboard.
I am and will probably always be part of the working poor. It's a tough cycle to get out of, a social class that has been vilified/misunderstood, and a reality for many many Americans. It's harder to want to give back, but never have enough money to give to charity and still take care of my family. By visiting my blog you are educating yourself about veganism, collectively giving to a community, and hopefully laughing out loud at some of my musings.
Please spread the word about my mission because I believe in delicious miracles.
Sincerely,
Jen
