Welcome to November’s online income report where I show you how I made money online last month. It’s time to look at this month’s update and track how I did.
If you’re new here, you may be wondering why I would want to publish my online income report each month. You can simply skip to the next section if you’re not new here.
This all started out as my extra income report because in the beginning it was all about the money I was earning from my side jobs. In my side income reports from the beginning, I included all of the income I made except for what I made at my day job.
However, I left my day job as a financial analyst in October of 2013 and now my monthly income reports consist of the many ways I earn a living.
Many have asked why I would ever want to publicly post my income each month. Some think I’m crazy, whereas some are glad I’m open about what I’m doing. Whatever you think, I enjoy publishing my monthly online income reports and I share them publicly for three main reasons:
Before I started blogging, I knew nothing about side hustling and making money online. I didn’t think side jobs were worth the effort and I thought the only way to significantly increase your income was through raises and promotions at your full-time job. If it weren’t for others publishing their monthly income reports each month, I don’t know if I would have ever tried side hustling. I want to help show others the positives in side hustling and how it can change a person’s life. There are many different ways to make money online, and I like to share my story each month to help motivate others to improve their financial situation by making more money.
Secondly, I like to publish my income reports because it’s a way for me to look back, learn from my mistakes and actually see what areas need improvement. I use my monthly income reports as a way to track how I’ve done and I treat it sort of like a journal.
Lastly, I like to show others that making side money is possible and that there are many legitimate ways to make money from your home. If you are looking for information on the many ways to make money online, I published the article Monthly Income Report Roundup – My Favorite Income Bloggers that showcases many successful bloggers who are kind enough to share their income with the public each month.
I know I say this every month, but it’s the truth. Life is great now that I’m my own boss. I look forward to each and every day and it’s a wonderful feeling. I truly love waking up each and every morning.
Above are just a few of the reasons for why I enjoy publishing my monthly income reports. I like to show others that you don’t have to hate your job and hate your life. You can make changes to your life and make money in a way that allows you to truly enjoy the life you are living. I’m not saying that you have to LOVE your job, I’m just saying that your job should at least allow you to do what you like to do outside of work (whether that be spending time with loved ones, painting, hiking, etc.).
How was my online income in November?
November was another great month for business income. I made slightly over $30,000, which I still cannot believe. It’s crazy to think about how I’m working far less than normally, yet my income is around $30,000 a month.
This is an amazing feeling. I’m making a great income while enjoying the work I’m doing. I don’t think it gets much better than that!
The business is doing well and I’m very happy with it. Things around here are improving and I have no complaints whatsoever.
I’ve been catching myself saying “Life is really good” a LOT lately. And, I mean it – life is really good.
Anyway, in November I earned $30,569 in business income, before expenses.
If you are interested in starting a blog of your own, I created a tutorial that will help you start a blog of your own for cheap, starting at only $3.49 per month (this low price is only through my link) for blog hosting. In addition to the low pricing, you will receive a free website domain (a $15 value) through my Bluehost link if you purchase at least 12 months of blog hosting. FYI, if you are asking yourself “can you make money blogging?” – my top tip is to be self-hosted. This is essential if you want to monetize your blog as you will appear more professional and this will help you monetize your blog tremendously. My blogging income did not take off until after I switched to self-hosting.
Related articles:
The number above is for the month of November and before any fees and expenses (some fees and expenses that lower the amount above total around $1,500 (rounded up), which include virtual assistants/staff writers for my other websites, technical assistance on my websites, newsletter expenses, PayPal fees, etc., however, this does not include taxes) being taken out. After expenses and fees, I made approximately $29,069.
Below are some of my other monthly online income reports. I publish an online income update every month but only included some of them below as it would be a very long list. If you head on over to my online income page you can find all of my monthly income reports from the past few years.
Blog news.
Making Sense of Cents is doing well and I’m very happy with everything.
I took some time off from writing in November, which was nice. However, it stung a little because now I’m not as far ahead as I once was! For December, one of my main goals is to get back to being one month ahead. It’ll take some work but it’s always well worth it.
Pinterest is still one of the main ways I receive referral traffic each month. I’m still using Tailwind and I highly recommend anyone who is interested in Pinterest to try out Tailwind. Tailwind has saved me a ton of time and the analytics the site provides are great. Plus, even though I am automating a lot of my Pinterest work, I am actually seeing an INCREASE in traffic which is great.
Also, I have received many questions recently about how I’m staying connected to the internet so that I can work and travel in my RV at the same time. I use a Verizon MiFi and I am able to stay connected pretty much anywhere. I don’t know what I would do without this device!
Overall, traffic increased in November and I received around 375,000 page views.
Top new posts on Making Sense of Cents last month:
Featured Question: Is there enough room for new bloggers to make money?
I feature one question from a reader in each monthly income report. Please leave a comment below if you have a question you would like me to include.
This is a question I often receive.
To quickly and simply answer this question – YES!
There is plenty of room for new bloggers to make money.
I’ve had many tell me that they started a blog because of my income reports and that they are able to make money blogging (awesome, right?!), so this is proof that new bloggers are still making money. I also personally know bloggers who started a year or two after I did, yet are making double, triple, or even 10 times the amount that I am earning.
The world is a huge place and the online world is just going to keep growing. Every blogger earns a living online in a slightly different way and everyone has a different message/story. Plus, there are TONS of different ways to make money through a blog and I expect this to keep growing.
Due to the reasons above, I believe there will always be room for more bloggers.
Past questions:
My plans for my website and making money online.
Without any plans and goals, I think it would be very hard to run a business. Constantly working towards something can help keep a person motivated.
Below are some of the areas I am currently working on:
Promote more – I am doing much better at promoting my articles and I’m noticing a huge improvement. One area is still Pinterest – Pinterest brought around 140,000 clicks to my blog just in the month of November.
Create a book – Still working on this, of course. I did have one quick question – what would you like to see in a book written by me?
Create something – Okay, this is very broad. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about creating something to help my readers. I have many different ideas that include creating a webinar, a course, some sort of Facebook group, or forum. For a possible Facebook group, I’ve been thinking about one for those looking to improve their finances or one for bloggers.
Accept more interviews. – I only took part in a few interviews in November, but I am happy with that.
Stop being shy – This is one of my main goals for the future. I am such a shy person and it’s something I need to work on if I want to grow my business.
Staff writing.
I only wrote one article for someone else in November. I only have one planned for December as well. As you can tell, it’s not something I’m working on growing as I am trying to focus on my business and my blog. However, it’s something that I’m still doing on a case-by-case basis.
Related articles:
Affiliate income.
One new thing in the affiliate income area for me is that I have recently been approved for Amazon Affiliates. Yes, I’m late to the Amazon Affiliate game, haha!
I know there are ways around it, but I’ve always lived in a state that didn’t allow for Amazon Affiliates (I know many others just use someone else’s address in another state). Now that I’m RVing, I’m able to use my new RV address for the Amazon Affiliates program.
I’m not sure how much I’ll end up earning from Amazon Affiliates, but every little bit helps so that I can become more diversified with affiliate income.
Overall, I earned around $34,000 in affiliate income in November. Last month was the biggest month ever for me in terms of affiliate income.
I won’t see the payments I earned in November until 60-90 days later for most of the affiliate programs I’m in. Due to this, you won’t see those amounts reflected in my monthly income reports until then.
My main form of affiliate income is through Bluehost with my How To Start A WordPress Blog On Bluehost tutorial. However, I am looking to diversify my affiliate income and I have been researching other affiliate programs so that everything isn’t reliant on Bluehost. I have been doing somewhat well with diversifying my affiliate income so far, though, with around $9,000 last month coming from other affiliate programs.
Breakout of the actual payments I received in November ($30,569, before expenses):
Staff writing, website management, and consulting – $1,505
Website-related (from the 3 websites I own – advertising and partnerships) – $7,986
Affiliate income (from Bluehost (main source), Ebates, etc.) – $21,078
Miscellaneous (not related to blogging and online income) – $0
Mystery shopping – $0
Please keep in mind that I work for myself when you read my monthly income report each month. This means I have to cover taxes (which are over 30%), health insurance, and all other benefits/expenses that an employer may provide.
Comparisons and 2015 online income total (before taxes):
Total business income for November: $30,569
Income in October: $33,482
Difference: -2,913
Total in 2015: $281,596
How was November for you? Are you interested in earning income online?
If you are interested in starting a blog of your own, I created a tutorial that will help you start a blog of your own for cheap, starting at only $3.49 per month (this low price is only through my link) for blog hosting. In addition to the low pricing, you will receive a free blog domain (a $15 value) through my Bluehost link if you purchase at least 12 months of blog hosting. FYI, you want to be self-hosted. This is essential if you want to monetize your blog as you will appear more professional and this will help you monetize your blog tremendously.
This post contains affiliate links. All opinions and statements are 100% mine and links are only placed to help you with your own blogging journey.
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