Welcome to September’s online income report. It’s time to look at my monthly income report and track my progress over the past month.
Background information on my monthly income reports.
This all started out as my extra income report because before October of 2013, I still had my day job. In those extra income reports, I included all of the income I made except for what I made at my day job.
In September of 2013, I turned in my notice at my day job as a financial analyst, and my last official day at that job was in October of 2013. Now, my income reports consist of the many ways I make an income each month.
I publicly post my income reports for several reasons:
The reason why I started side hustling in the first place is because I was reading other bloggers’ income reports and they had me interested and motivated in making extra money. There are several bloggers who publish income reports, and I love reading all of them. Since I love reading them, I figure others do as well.
Before I started blogging, I knew nothing about side hustling and making money online. I didn’t think side hustles were worth the time, and I thought the only way to really increase your income was through your day job through raises and promotions. If it weren’t for others publishing their monthly income reports each month, I don’t know if I would have ever attempted side hustling.
Also, I like to publish my income reports each month because it’s a way for me to look back, learn from my mistakes and see what I need to change or improve the following month. Just sitting here and typing up this month’s income report is a great way to keep track of my business goals and see where I am slacking.
I know I say this every month, but it is the truth. Life is great now that I am doing what I want to do. I look forward to each and every day and it is a wonderful thing.
It’s also been almost ONE YEAR since my last day at my day job. I will have a post going live about that within the next few days. It’s been amazing to be able to make money online from home.
Now onto my income report!
How was my online income in September?
September was my BEST INCOME MONTH YET. I was finally able to crack the $15,000 income mark.
I have been working hard, but I also have been outsourcing more so that I can enjoy life outside of work.
I hired my sister for more recurring monthly tasks in the past few months. It makes life a little easier on me, and she’s able to make money online from home all just using her laptop. I plan on giving her some more work as well and she plans on slowly increasing her workload.
One day, I would like to outsource even more. I know my time could be better spent, but I still find it hard to outsource at this point because I feel like I still have a decent amount of time on my hands.
It’s still hard for me to get out of the mindset of working a lot. For years I was working 100 hours per week with no breaks or days off, so working 50 hours a week almost makes me feel guilty and like I could be doing more.
So, my plan is to start outsourcing more of the smaller tasks that really do not need me so that I can still enjoy life and focus instead on areas in which I actually need to.
Anyway, in September of 2014 I made $16,621.63 in business income, before expenses.
This is for the month of September and before fees and expenses (most fees and expenses that lower the amount above total around $1,350, which includes VAs/staff writers for my other websites, technical assistance on my websites, PayPal fees, etc.) being taken out.
After expenses and fees, I made approximately $15,272. In the amount above, I do not include the amount I bring in to the websites I provide services to. I only include the amounts that are my actual earnings from my services.
Below are some of my other extra income updates (I publish an update every month but only included some of them below. If you go to my extra income page then you can read them all):
Blog News.
One big thing happened last month, and it was me taking part in a live segment with Huffington Post about how we bought a home when we were just 20 years old. It was a lot of fun, and it was a really good learning experience. You can watch my awkwardness here.
I was really nervous about doing this. I mean OVERLY nervous.
I debated whether or not I should even do it. I talked to a few bloggers, and Cat from Budget Blonde is really the one who motivated me to say yes. She’s been on HuffPostLive before and she said it was a great experience, so I took the opportunity and loved it.
That doesn’t mean I stopped freaking out though. I know it’s not a huge deal, but to me it was. It was live and recorded, so I was afraid of sounding like a complete idiot.
It all went well though!
I also attended FinCon last month, and it was a great time. It was a great networking opportunity, and I already bought my ticket for next year.
If you are wanting to start a blog of your own, read my post How To Start a WordPress Blog. It gives step by step instructions on starting your own blog.
We finally created Wes’s website.
I finally created Wes’s website and we are very excited about it. He already has a few posts ready and we plan on publishing them soon. One day I promise I will share the blog with you, but we want to wait until we are a little more ready and have something great to share.
Oh yeah, everyone keeps asking – his blog is not related to personal finance in any way. His blog will be more of a hobby blog in that he just wants to share some of the things he’s done and tasks he hopes to accomplish.
Okay, I’ll just tell you – his blog will be related to hiking, trails, biking, camping, climbing, and everything outdoorsy.
Working on the road.
In September, we traveled to Colorado and New Orleans. It was fun working on the road (yes, it is slightly different from making money online from home), but I do need to work on getting my work done even further in advance so that I can enjoy our trips a little more.
We are still interested in getting a travel trailer but the ones we like are incredibly expensive. I just don’t know if we’re ready to add such a huge expense to our lives. We found some for $5,000, and then some amazing ones for $400,000. The $400,000 one will definitely never happen but they sure are pretty to look at 🙂
My plans for my website and my online income:
Start an eBook. -I actually have jotted down a few ideas for a few different ebooks, and even started outlining one. I’m not sure when or if anything will actually happen with either one, but it is fun to think about. Being a published author one day would be a dream!
Promote more. – I have been getting better at promoting my posts. I have noticed that working on improving my images has led to more clicks from Pinterest, which is awesome!
Accept more interviews. – I had several interviews and mentions that took place September. I’m still taking advantage of using HARO and accepting more interviews.
Staff Writing.
Staff writing has been going well. I gained one new client last month. If you are looking for a staff writer, please contact me. I’m still looking to take on a few more clients as I only have a few staff writing clients right now.
Here’s my monthly shameless plugin: If any of you need a staff writer or just a one-time content writer, please let me know. Whether you need a couple of articles every week, or just a single post with no ongoing relationship, I am your person. I can write regular content and be hired as a staff writer, content to fill in gaps in your writing schedule, content for advertising and so on. My turnaround time is quick and I am reliable.
Update On My Blog and Social Media Management Services.
In the month of September, I managed a few different websites for other owners. I’m still loving it and it’s an area that I hope to continue to grow.
Pricing is on an individual basis because no two websites/blogs are alike. If you are interested, send me an email and I would love to help you out. If you are interested in the different services I provide, you can find them here.
If you are interested in being a virtual assistant, read the articles below:
Affiliate income – What a slooooooow process.
Affiliate income is still stuck, but I am hoping to change that. I still don’t want to be pushy when it comes to affiliate offers, so I am trying to think of other ideas in order to not transform this blog into one big affiliate advertisement.
Instead, I am trying something new on my blog that I haven’t really tried yet. Instead of just reviewing specific programs in every single affiliate post, every now and then I am going to discuss a topic, and then include a review at the end in case anyone needs further help.
I did this with my post the other day How Your Credit Score Affects Your Life + Credit Sesame Review and I hope it’s an idea that works.
Business and Extra Income in September ($15,272, after most expenses)
Staff writing – $900
Managing websites and social media for clients – $7,075
Website-Related (From the 6 websites I own – advertising, partnerships & Adsense) – $6,767
Affiliate Income – $530
Selling Items From Our Home – $0
Miscellaneous (not related to blogging and online income) – $0
Mystery Shopping – $0
Rent – $0. We no longer rent a room in our house and won’t be adding roommates.
One question I am asked nearly every time I publish my monthly online income report is whether or not I can further break down my income. I have never fully broken everything down line by line, and I do this mainly to protect myself and those I provide services to.
Most bloggers who completely break apart their income have most of their income coming from affiliate links, while I do not. Keep in mind that a majority of my income comes from private clients that I work for so sharing their name and what they pay me wouldn’t be the correct way to run a business.
Also, please keep in mind that I work for myself. This means that I have to cover all taxes (which are around 30%), health insurance, and all other benefits/expenses that an employer would normally provide.
Comparisons and 2014 online income total (after expenses, but before taxes)
Total extra income for September: $15,272
Income in August: $14,156
Difference: +1,116
Total in 2014: $121,586
How did you do in September? What are your extra/business/online income goals?
Why do you work towards making extra money?
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