SHE'S only 26 but blogger Dawn Yang's monthly income is in the high four figures and sometimes in five figures. And it comes from just blogging and running her blogshop. Her blog apparently pulls in up to 20,000 visits a day. With that kind of traffic, Yang says she can pull in advertisements worth up to a few thousand dollars a month.

It seems like an easy way to earn money but Yang thinks otherwise. "People think... I just take photos and write. But it's not, because there's a long process" she claimed.

There have even been a few occasions when the flow of advertising income dried up. As a result, her "bohemian lifestyle" is unstable and it has caused her parents to be sceptical about her chosen career path. "My parents worry (but) my reply is, there are no iron rice bowls any more. I won't have a problem when the time comes for me to get a 9-to-5 job, but I have no such plans now," she said.

Since last year, she has had another source of income - her online blogshop Lexi Lyla, which she started with her younger sister Claire. When it comes to her money, Yang says "I'm quite easy-going... I neither hanker after it or hoard it. I can't take it to the grave so I just want to be a good manager of my finances." She spends less than $2,000 a month on her insurance premiums and daily expenses. She also claims she tithes 10 per cent of her income. The remainder goes to the bank.

Hunt for good deals

Every four months or so, she rewards herself with a vacation or a designer bag. The foodie, who loves hawker food as much as fine dining, is now thinking about venturing into the food and beverage industry. She is also always on the look out for a good deal. "I eat out half of the time, and my mum and I like to look for online discount coupons for restaurants and spas. We even got 50 per cent off a restaurant recently," she said