Ideas needed.

[Wayne]

Hi guys,

I used to be into this Web site stuff, and yeah, I still enjoy haunting here, time available, but I'm in a bit of a quandry...

I have essentially this site, and one other (salemspectator.com) which pulls a respectable amount of use. Google ads pretty much stopped being useful so I just gave up and took them down. The problem is, I got a message from Hostgator.com that they've canceled my auto-pay with Paypal, which I've used with them since 2011.

When I checked into it, I discovered that they've also gone from $35/month to $50/month, seemingly overnight... Trouble is, I'm getting to the point where I can't justify $50 a month plus the $55/year for the license updates for Xenforo. The soap opera it's based on, I used to love but haven't really watched in about 15 years. I've kept it going solely because of the fanbase over there.

So. I'm curious as to whether anyone has any ideas as to how to keep everything running/afloat while trying lowering the monthly OOP expenses as much as possible.

My first thought is to simply try and negotiate moving both domains to single-hosting accounts (I have a reseller account now) which would be cheaper, but may not meet the needs of the other site based on content and traffic...

Suggestions?

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

Have you thought of winning the lottery? That's my plan for retirement.

I have about 3 low traffic sites running out of one host but I'm not using any fancy CMS. I'm paying about $6/mo (Canadian) so you must have a pretty beefy plan.

 

[JoBBo]

If you can manage a Linux VPS yourself, Oracle have been offering free-of-cost VPS for years now.

That said, have you previously tried HostGater's shared hosting plans? Their "business plan" might be perfectly sufficient for salemspectator.com (and whyzzat.com). Same cost as two separate single-hosting accounts but you can use it for multiple websites and performance will likely be better.

 

[Wayne]

If you can manage a Linux VPS yourself, Oracle have been offering free-of-cost VPS for years now

Unfortunately, "can" and "want to" are two entirely different things really... I'm really just a passive bystander on that site. I pay for it, keep it running and updated, but that's about all. Sadly life for me has changed to the point that my interest in the Internet has dwindled in favor of maker stuff (3d Printing and CNC stuff, neither of which seem to make me money at the moment.

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

Unfortunately, "can" and "want to" are two entirely different things really... I'm really just a passive bystander on that site. I pay for it, keep it running and updated, but that's about all. Sadly life for me has changed to the point that my interest in the Internet has dwindled in favor of maker stuff (3d Printing and CNC stuff, neither of which seem to make me money at the moment.

Do they make you happy?

 

[Wayne]

Do they make you happy?

Internet stuff, or the 3d printing and CNC/woodworking?

The former, meh, though I enjoy hanging out here and posting stuff. I keep the other site running simply because it has since 2011 and I really hate the idea of disappointing the 400-some-odd unique visitors it gets every day. If Google ads still worked, I'd never even question it, but Xenforo and Google Ads don't really work all that well.

The latter as in the maker stuff, very much so. 5 minutes ago, I was physically standing outside in a rain shower with a power tool in my hand trying to make cuts before everything got ruined... Smart eh?

Wayne

 

[Wayne]

Ok, an FYSA announcement. I called hostgator just now and arranged to be migrated to their Business Shared hosting plan in the hopes that this will be a much cheaper option for me. Since I have to pay migration fees and all that, I'm starting out with the 1-month at a time plan $18, but that's better than the $50 I was paying. Then, when all is settled and good, I will probably go to a yearly plan which is about $9 a month, but you have to pay for the year up front and all that. We'll see what happens.

Wayne

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

The latter as in the maker stuff, very much so. 5 minutes ago, I was physically standing outside in a rain shower with a power tool in my hand trying to make cuts before everything got ruined... Smart eh?

Wayne

Yeah. I meant the makery stuff. At a certain point it becomes apparent that if you are working for money the thing you end up wanting to spend it on is things that make you happy - but if you're already doing things that make you happy you don't need so much money - well, provided that you cover your bills I guess.