100th Blog Post – My Experience so Far

100th Blog Post – My Experience so Far

In July of last year I unleashed my very first blog post onto the world. Being relatively new to both our community and blogging as a whole, I couldn’t think of anything better than a standard income and expenses report. Over time those monthly savings rates posts took the central stage in my blogging effort, nicely complemented by other subjects like index funds, dividend growth strategies, and financial independence ramblings. Today I publish my 100th post.

We’ve come a long way during that time. Not only has the layout of the No More Waffles blog changed substantially, the content gained much needed quality and depth, at least in my opinion. The very first people to comment on my writings are, however, still regular readers. Fellow Belgian and dividend investor Geblin still tags along for the ride and Will from First Quarter Finance also makes a surprise visit in the comment section once in a while, for example.

That’s why I’d like to firstly thank you guys for sticking with me. During the past 100th blog posts a whack-ton of people visited, read and commented on No More Waffles. I’ve met people online who I now consider friends, who taught me more than I could ever imagine from keeping a blog, and who felt inspired by what I’m trying to achieve and now wish to do the same.

I have grown tremendously as a person and most of that is because of you. So thank you.

A special thanks goes to Jason from Dividend Mantra. He single-handedly showed me what dividend growth investing could do for me. Other people who deserve a shout-out are Trevor from Dividend Life whose views and insight I respect to no end, Keith from DivHut for showing that slow and steady wins the race, The There’s Value household and Weenie because they’re awesome Brits, Tawcan – Canadian and father extraordinaire, The Dividend Family Guy for his positive attitude, and Tyler from Dividend Hustler for being the nicest person I’ve ever met. And of course, J Money for driving tons of traffic through his top community picks at Rockstar Finance.

And the list above is by no means exhaustive. Blogging expanded my horizon and comfort zone immensely. Very few moments in life compare to what I’ve experienced the past few months. Leaving my parents’ home, starting university, or entering the work force for the first time and enjoying my job probably are the only other life changing experiences that come close.

This blog allows me to vent – or should I say complain? – about things no one in my personal life likes to talk about. Indeed, I’ve had my share of awkward conversations in the past, but at least now I know I’m not alone in my views. Even though I always believed in what I imagined saving and investing could do for me, our community and its zealous members showed me the ropes – and I hope to have returned the favour to at least a couple of you.

By providing Excel and Google Sheets spreadsheets featuring a budget tracker and a dividend income tracker, I wish to provide the tools necessary to keep a budget, to save as much as possible, and to keep tabs on investments. On top of that, I took the first steps towards an encompassing Euro area dividend champions list called the Euro Dividend All-Stars.

However, the journey towards my 100th blog post wasn’t all moonlight and roses. Blogging is a ton of work – yes, I know that sounds weird for someone who is trying to gather as much assets as possible so he doesn’t need to work anymore. At the beginning of the year I definitely took on too much, and while I have dialed back I still feel like I do overburden myself sometimes.

The past few weeks, for example, I haven’t nearly put enough time into keeping up with everyone as much as I would love to. On top of that my mail box continues to remind me of an alarming 100+ unread e-mails. So if I haven’t gotten back to you, it’s because I also only have 24 hours every day to work with even though I wish I could slow down time.

Despite the fact that this blog is on my mind quite a lot, I have decided for myself that life is more important than pumping out sub-par content. The past couple of weeks I spent most of my free time with friends or outdoors instead of working on new posts. I wouldn’t want to sin against my only financial independence rule to never, ever say no to drinks with friends, now would I? After all, if I want to Win for Life, then there’s no point in missing out on life in trying to do so.

Once again thank you for being such an incredibly generous and stimulating audience. I hope to be able to write the same thing another one hundred posts down the line!

32 Comments

  1. NMW!

    Thanks for your amazing content, and for adding some humour to an otherwise (arguably) very serious subject! I’ve found the Euro Dividend All Stars very helpful, and I’ve used it to create the basis of my Euro watchlist. Just like you’ve thanked Jason from Dividend Mantra for being such a huge inspiration, I want to thank you for doing the same to people starting out, like me!

    I’ll be reading for many years to come, that’s for sure!

    Cheers,

    DL

    1. DL,

      Glad to hear you found the Euro Dividend All-Stars useful and that you enjoy reading my posts. I appreciate it!

      Hope we stay in touch.

      Cheers,
      NMW

  2. Congrats mate for still having a blog which is alive after all these months!
    And I +1 your choice of putting priority on life instead of doing too many things at once.

    For me blogging is a pleasure and must not become a pressure!

    Keep going and thanks again for your posts!

    Cheers from CH for your 100th post!
    MP

    1. MP,

      It seems like many bloggers give up after a while, so I’m actually impressed that I made it this far myself. Usually I get bored quickly by stuff, so it’s a miracle that I still enjoy writing and publishing my progress online.

      I think “pleasure and not pressure” is a good attitude when it comes to blogging or keeping a website. No More Waffles has become a fun past-time even though I wish I could spend more time on it.

      Hope you and your family are great over there!

      Best wishes,
      NMW

  3. Well done, NMW! 100 posts since July. Very impressive especially when you consider the quality of the output too!

    You made me check out how many I had done since launching the blog. 92 so far. Not quite at the 100 mark yet, but not long!

    Keep up the great work! Here’s to the next 100 being as good if not better than the last!

    1. Dividend Drive,

      Thanks for the kind words! I try to keep the quality up, but it’s not always easy. Writing standard and low-quality posts is much easier, but would drive away readers. I’d rather have ten commited followers than thousands of one-time visitors.

      You’re almost at one hundred, keep it up! You’ve been going really fast over the past couple of months – very impressive.

      Cheers, to the next 100 for us both!
      NMW

      1. I know what you mean. It is getting the balance right.

        Yes, I have had loads to write up recently so I have been going quicker than I was originally anticipating. I suspect it will slow down slowly but surely. However, I always think of things to write about and have a huge backlog!

  4. NMW,

    One more goal achieve, 100 posts! well done and congrats.

    I believe you have been achieved this level due to the high quality of your articles. You have been to catch the attention of most of us.

    The people you mentioned are very good exemple as well.

    Cheers,

    RA50

  5. Hey NMW. Thank you for sharing and logging your journey with us. Congrats on the milestone and I’m sure there are many more to come. Thank you for the compliment bud. Just like you, Dividend Mantra has inspired many of us including myself. I have a deep respect for Jason. You’re doing wonderful bud. Everything always kinda works out, so don’t worry if you’re busy with life, it’s all good. Go have fun. Write when you get a chance. Pace yourself. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Things will smooth out. Life’s a balancing act. Keep it up bud. Cheers.

  6. Congrats on the 100th post. Here’s to many to come in the future. Father extraordinaire? LOL that’s a big label. 🙂

  7. Hey NMW

    Congrats on your 100th post and thanks for the shout out – I have really enjoyed your first 99 posts, especially as you are doing what I really should have done at your age in terms of getting financially sorted! Here’s to your next 100 posts and more!

    Also, I’d like to thank you very much for the dividend income tracker, I use it all the time!

  8. Big congrats NMW on 100 posts! You’ve definitely been a great breath of fresh air in the personal finance community, love your perspective, attitude and humour.

    Thrilled to see you finding your balance between working hard and enjoying your life – it’s not an easy thing sometimes to live in line with what you value most, but sounds like you’re doing a pretty decent job so far!

    Cheers,

    Jason

  9. Congratulations NMW! It truly is time consuming to blog but it is all worth it, the pros outweigh the cons. Communicating (and complaining/venting) with other bloggers is one of the many perks, sometimes you just need to talk to somebody whats on your mind but nobody around understands, luckily we have the community that supports each other and that thank you, you have contributed so much for us, keep it up my friend!

  10. NMW,

    Congrats on 100 posts! That’s a heck of an accomplishment, in my view. Blogging is a lot of fun, but it’s also a ton of work. Keep it rolling!

    Thanks for the special mention up there. Really appreciate that. I’m doing all I can to inspire and grow this community, much like yourself. 🙂

    Looking forward to the next 100.

    Best regards.

  11. Goed bezig! Lees al vanaf het begin mee, maar heb volgens mij nog nooit een bericht achtergelaten. Je (oa) hebt mij in ieder geval ook geïnspireerd om te gaan beleggen, bedankt daarvoor!

  12. Hi,

    I’ve been reading your blog for a while and congrats on the milestone! Please keep it up, I really enjoy your blog and seeing other young people like myself interested in personal finance – really keeps myself motivated to know there are others like me who are interested in this.

    From Australia,
    Jess

  13. I still want to see you post on your favorite waffle recipe. And keep saving! Congrats on 100 posts. Which reminds me I have no idea how many I have done (and still need to do). I do wish I had more time to keep up with everyone and write more posts. Someday when those kids are older (like 10 years) I will be able to pump out more than a few posts a month. For now time goes mostly to work and the family.
    Later,
    DFG

  14. 100th is a nice mile stone. I’m happy that not only you’ve learnt from the pro-blogger, you’re also create the tradition of sharing from your investing experience, to your income/expense, and macroeconomic view. It’s been fun reading your blog. Keep up the good work, bro.

  15. Great achievement! Keep saving like you do and soon you will be free. Dont worry too much about not answering emails: you have a good reason: hanging out with your friends.

  16. Hi NMW,

    Congrats on your 100th post – well worth a celebration and even, dare I say, a waffle!

    Your writing is always great and entertaining with a variety of articles so I look forward to reading the next 100 and following your progress on your monthly goals.

    What do you think is your most unexpected gain or surprise you’ve had from starting your blog? For me, I had never really appreciated just how valuable writing stuff down can be; it makes things a lot more real than just words and thoughts.

    Best wishes,
    -DL

  17. 100 blog posts in a year, that’s incredible bro! Congrats!

    Your blog was one of the first I ever stumbled upon in the DGI community, before you left your first comment on mine and before I even started blogging. I love your writing style, it’s clear, polished, and always a pleasure to read. I hope you keep it up for years to come, as I look forward to seeing both your portfolio and your blog grow and expand.

    Most importantly tho, you’re a gamer, which automatically makes you awesome 😛

    Cheers my friend!

  18. NMW,

    Congratulations on your 100th post! Just like in investing slow and steady wins the race, you need to pace yourself and blog at your own speed. Here is to 100 more posts!

    Dividend Growth Investor

  19. Congrats on your 100th post. Taking the time to write 100 posts is an undertaking and you got it done in less than 12-months. I enjoy your site and wish you success with your next 100 posts. I am happy to see your traffic is spiking and wish you continued success.

    Dividend Dreams.

  20. Nice job!

    I was browsing through my dividend portfolio spreadsheet yesterday and could hardly believe I’m almost doing this for 10 months now, time is flying. I’m considering to start a blog myself but the remaining anonymous vs sharing personal finance aspect still has me a bit in a knot.

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