My good friend Roger Green posted last month on his blog about the behind-the-scenes cost of running and maintaining a personal weblog.
I can tell you that, from personal experience, blog hosting does not operate for free. At least not GOOD blog hosting.
When I escaped from the Times Union’s blogfarm in 2017, I had to plunk down a good chunk of change to reserve not only a decent URL (chuckthewriter.blog), but also an independent WordPress hosting platform. And I’ve stayed with WordPress for all this time, with no reason to move anywhere else.
For this, I pay $96/year. This covers 15G of data space (for photos and videos) as well as the Jetpack module. I also pay so that my blog remains ad-free for those who visit.
Recently I received word that my blog storage space has reached 96% of capacity. Holy Dolly Parton in Paris Hilton’s chemise, Batman!
Once I reach 100% capacity, I will have to either remove some data or delete some blog posts. And I’m not keen on either option. I mean, someone might care about what I wrote ten years ago.
Well … I’m currently at 96% image storage capacity. If I upgrade to WordPress’ “Business” platform, I get 50G of storage, along with some other perks. It’ll just cost me $25/month, or $300/annually.
The question is … can I justify the increased price to my blog?
I could. This blog is nearly two decades old over three different platforms; at this point it should have a driver’s license and pay income tax.
But here’s the kick. I have to come up with that $300/year somewhere.
And after much thought and soul-searching, I’ve come to a decision.
And that decision is – when it comes time for renewal, I will go to the higher subscription plan.
As for the increased cost … I will pay that myself. There is absolutely NO REASON for me to pass those increased costs to my blog readers. This is a free blog. This isn’t a Substack or Medium or one of those other pay-to-read platforms. You shouldn’t need to use a special filter or cost bypass to enjoy this blog.
So the increased cost for you to read my blog will be from zero cents to three times zero cents.
At this point, it’s just me and those hot dogs at Costco that are holding back the walls from inflation.
But you’re thinking, “Well, what if I want to help Chuck out and send him some cash because I enjoy his blog?”
Well, I do have 11×14 art prints for sale … go to my etsy site and shop the available prints. Or buy one of my fiction books on Amazon, either Collarworld or The Robins of Iverhill. But whether you do so or not, it will not affect the quality or frequency or productivity of this blog.
I didn’t write this blog as a fundraiser. I started this blog as a personal journey through life and wonder. All the highs and the lows. And those stories should be shared, not just bundled up and stored away.
This is my blog. I operate it for your enjoyment.
And if I have to incur an additional cost to keep this blog operational, then so be it.
In other words, this blog is brought to you by Chuck Miller.
It’s not brought to you by SquareSpace, or by Blue Apron, or by 1-877-Kars-4-Kids.
Chuck The Writer 
The way inflation is going here in Canada I’m not sure I can afford an increased cost of zero dollars for reading your blog. For us that’s 0 x 1.38 you know, due to the currency exchange.
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