Buy a little, blog a lot, make a lot of comments... it's a slow grind.
Steem can be earned, but it isn't easy. It's about supply and demand. There are many people who can write a bit, and there are only so many Steem to go around.
It's hard, and it's supposed to be hard.
It's hard indeed... and I sort of like it this way. This 'competition' encourages the bloggers to write good & qualitative content. This way, there's no room for spammers and other sorts of people.
Cheers!