• Planning,  Web Publishing

    Comprehensive List of Blogging Expenses

    There’s an old saying “you’ve got to spend money to make money,” and in many contexts it is true. Blogging can be one of the most rewarding, and lucrative, businesses out there today. But what does it really cost to run a blog? You can start a blog for under $50, and you can also spend thousands of dollars a month running a blog. It all depends on how big your operation is, how you make your money and how quickly you want to grow. In order to profit in any business, you must first know how much it costs. So here’s my comprehensive list of all expenses that you could run into as a blogger. About Me and My Blogging Sites Real quick, before I start my list, I want to briefly give you some information about who I…

  • Airbnb,  Planning

    2 Bedroom Sets That Work Great in Airbnbs

    Those first couple weeks after closing on a new Airbnb investment property can be madness. You have dozens, perhaps hundreds of items to buy. From refrigerators, appliances, tables and chairs for your kitchen to bed frames, dressers, nightstands and mattresses in your bedrooms. Not to mention all the decor and other touches involved (we usually do some painting and a few small projects). It’s nice to be able to buy a package deal where you get a unified look for a good price to ease the burden of all those purchases. And that’s exactly what a great bedroom set does for your Airbnb. The Most Important Thing In An Airbnb My wife Kate and I have been hosting for more than 5 years now, and as much as it pains me to say this, the most important thing in making…

  • Airbnb,  Planning

    The Top 3 Best Rugs In Our Airbnbs

    Your ideal rug for an Airbnb is one that looks amazing, has a luxury feel, but holds up to the constant food traffic and vacuuming. For us, this usually means a sturdy low pile rug (long shag rugs are almost impossible to vacuum). While rugs aren’t at the very top of the list for purchases that can make or break your Airbnb business, they can make a HUGE difference in the way your space looks and feels. A well placed, beautiful rug can seriously enhance your Airbnb. It can turn a “meh” space into a “this is nice!” space. So today I’ll be sharing a couple rug purchasing blunders we’ve made and also listing some of our successful purchases that have worked out. A Large, Expensive Rug That Got Ruined My wife Kate, who is the interior designer of our…

  • Airbnb,  Planning

    Best Wine Glasses For Your Airbnb

    The golden rule of buying things for your Airbnb is to buy something “easy to use, hard to break.” But there are times when it’s OK to break this rule. We bought another home and listed it on Airbnb just two months ago, and we ended up buying real glass, stemless wine glasses. Even though we know from experience that some of them will likely break in the coming years, we feel that the wine drinking experience is much improved with real glass. So today I’ll just talk through some of the experiences we’ve had and things we consider when buying wine glasses for our Airbnbs. Then I’ll share 3 different brands that we actually put in one or more of our listings. All The Ways Wine Glasses Can Break Anyone who has had a drink out of a wine…

  • Airbnb,  Planning

    Best Refrigerator In Our 4 Airbnbs

    While a refrigerator isn’t a tier 1 concern in your Airbnb, it is something most of your guests will use. And that means that your fridge can cause problems. We’ve run into a few problems during our 5+ years hosting Airbnbs and ended up replacing a few fridges. What we’ve found is that the best refrigerator for Airbnb is one that is small, has a fridge and a freezer, has ice in it, but does not have any dispensers. The ice doesn’t have to be produced by an ice maker, and in many cases it’s preferable if it doesn’t have an ice maker. Today I’ll be sharing 3 fridges that we’ve used in our Airbnbs, and even showing you the one we bought most recently. What Do We Stock In Our Refrigerators? Guests don’t need much to already be in…

  • Airbnb,  Planning

    The Best Silverware For Airbnb (Hint: Stainless Steel)

    After hosting 4 different Airbnbs over the last 5 years, my wife and I have never had to replace any of our silverware. I’ve never put much thought into it, but we must have made some decent purchasing decisions. The common denominator for silverware across all our listings has been stainless steel. In all honesty, it’s hard to find a set of silverware that’s NOT stainless steel, so maybe we weren’t as smart as we thought. But either way, I’m sharing the three sets we’ve bought that have stood up to years of guests and have emerged without a scratch. What Exactly Should You Stock In Your Kitchen? In our Airbnb market, kitchens are an important selling point. We live in a college town, and the University is without a doubt the biggest draw to our listings. I’d say around…

  • Airbnb,  Planning

    Best Airbnb Dishwasher To Encourage Your Guests To Clean

    The best dishwasher for your Airbnb is one that doesn’t have a lot of unnecessary features, is easy to operate and won’t break down. Today I’m sharing two of the dishwashers we have in our listings that have checked those three boxes. They’ve both been working without issue for at least 2 years, and have been easy for our guests to operate. Dishwasher vs. Hand Washing In Our Airbnbs At the moment, we have 4 Airbnbs that we manage. Three of them have dishwashers and the other does not. All 4 listings have silverware, dishes, glasses and mugs. And even though that one listing doesn’t have a stove top or oven, guests still cook from time to time with the microwave, toaster and electric skillet that we provide. Cooking is less common, but it still happens. And from time to…

  • Airbnb,  Planning

    Best Dishes And Dinnerware For Your Airbnb

    The best dishes or dinnerware set for your Airbnb is affordable, preferably white (or light colored) and made of porcelain. Why porcelain? Well we haven’t tried every material, but in our experience, porcelain dishes are easy to clean and don’t often stain. That’s certainly not the case for plastic dishes. Dinnerware is not a make or break item in your listings (mattresses are), so as long as you get reasonably durable dishes that won’t stain over time, then you should be good to go. Cleaning Kitchens With and Without a Dishwasher Airbnb guests love listings that have full service kitchens. I live in a college town, so we get a lot of guests that are parents coming to visit their kids in school. Lots of the parents want to come down and give their kids a home cooked meal. They…

  • Making Money,  Planning

    How To Spend Less Than $100 A Month On Food/Groceries

    Spending $100 or less on groceries today is quite the challenge. And with the ever present force of inflation slowly pushing prices up and up, it only gets harder to survive on that $100. The last time I lived on such a budget was more than a decade ago, but the same strategies that got me through the poorest time in my life still work today. And even though I have more flexibility today with my financials, I’ve always been tight with money, and I’ve picked up some new ways to make each dollar go farther. My College Days I graduated in 2008, so it’s been a little while now and food is more expensive now than it was then. However, I’m no stranger to the $100/month meal plan. I worked for the school cafeteria about 20 hours a week…

  • Airbnb,  Planning

    Best Pots and Pans For Your Airbnb

    My wife Kate and I have been Airbnb hosting for about 5 years now across 4 different listings and we’ve picked up on a thing or two in that time. One of those things is that a well stocked home makes for happy guests. It’s true that not every guest will have a need for a pot or pan. But most guests have the need for something slightly out of the ordinary. Maybe they have allergies and need tissues, maybe they’re having their local friends over and want to play a board game, or maybe they want to cook a meal and need some things in the kitchen. We regularly have guests inquire about our kitchens and what amenities are available. So we do our best to keep those spaces well stocked with all the common items a guest might…