Welcome to the Filling the Jars Recommendations page! This is where you will find links to specific products that I use, love, or fully believe will make your life better and simpler.
As this page grows, I’m updating and dividing my recommendations into easier-to-follow categories. I’ll release each page as it’s finished, and they will be listed here with links to each page.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through an affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can see my full disclaimer here.
Click the image below to visit the Recommendations Page for Paper Organizing Tools to find the perfect products for clearing your paper clutter and handling all the paper that enters your home.
Click the image below to visit the Recommendations Page for Planners, Journals, and Binder Accessories to get your day organized. There are also links to helpful websites.
Click the image below to visit my #AmazonInfluencer page for even more products to simplify and organize your life. Plus there might be some farmhouse-style decor items and other pretty stuff! 😉
Blogging Recommendations
I’ve been blogging since late 2015, so I’ve seen quite a few blogging resources come and go. These are my current recommendations for anyone who may be starting out or looking to take the next step with their site.
If you’re a new blogger, I cannot stress enough how important it is to GET YOUR WEBSITE LIVE. That might seem scary, especially when you don’t really know what you’re doing and you want it all to be absolutely perfect.
Here’s the thing… it will NEVER be perfect. You will ALWAYS be changing and tweaking things. It’s far more important to have a little bit of a plan and jump in fast. You can always improve things later!
A blogging course is a fantastic way to get that initial plan together and at least feel like you have a little bit of a clue. My current recommendation for brand new bloggers is Suzi Whitford’s Blog By Number course.
You may see the name of her website — Start a Mom Blog — and think ‘that’s not for me,’ but her framework can work for many types of blogs. I don’t have a ‘mom blog,’ yet I purchase and use pretty much everything Suzi creates because it’s just.that.good.
Not ready for a full blogging course? You can get a taste for Suzi’s style by signing up for The Blog Plan, a free introductory sample course.
More blogging resources:
BigScoots Hosting – This is the hosting company I have been with since 2020, when my pageviews increased to the point where it was time to move on from Bluehost.
Bluehost – This is the hosting company I used for several years after I began blogging. It’s very affordable and worked just fine for my needs for quite a while. It is under the EIG family of companies, which doesn’t get much respect in the blogging world. Despite that, I would feel confident using Bluehost for a new site while the site was still small.
ConvertKit – They have been my email service provider (ESP) for nearly 5 years now, and they’re considered to be one of the very best email services for bloggers.
Otter.ai – I absolutely LOVE this app! It will record your thoughts for blog posts, emails, whatever you want. When you’re ready, you can use the recording or download the transcript to edit and publish the text version. This is one of my favorite things because it syncs across all of my devices.
Tailwind – This program is an official Pinterest partner and will help you schedule your Pinterest pins and Instagram posts. It can help you figure out the best time of day to post, shuffle your posts, etc. I like the visual layout and drag-and-drop capabilities. Click HERE to get a credit to try your first month free.
Canva – I find this photo and graphic creation program extremely easy to use. It’s what I use for all of my blog graphics and many of my printables. Plus, it’s free unless you use the premium options — which are absolutely worth the minimal monthly cost.
DepositPhotos – Stock photos. Some are for editorial use only, so be sure to check before you download! A couple of times each year they usually have a great pricing deal via AppSumo, which is when I stock up on plenty of credits.