$5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

Hey everyone! Yes, you read that correctly, I beat my goal that I made in October, and I made $5,114 in extra income in the month of November! I thought the goal that I set was pretty high since I made $3,700 in October, but I did again. Check out my Extra Income page that I have for…

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Last Updated: May 25, 2023

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Hey everyone! Yes, you read that correctly, I beat my goal that I made in October, and I made $5,114 in extra income in the month of November! I thought the goal that I set was pretty high since I made $3,700 in October, but I did again. Check out my Extra Income page that I have for my blog.

This is proof on my online income since some of you have asked. This is for the month of November and before fees and expenses (expenses were around $475, and my actual pre-tax income is reflected in the title of this blog post) being taken out. The other income categories that are listed below were mainly just cash I received from my sister for rent. $5,264 plus $325 in rent minus $475 equals $5,114.

November was yet again another good month. W and I have both increased our incomes by a substantial amount. For me it was because of my online side jobs that I have (my income from my actual job is salary and does not fluctuate), and for him it was because of his job that he was hired for back in September.

November was also good because of Thanksgiving! And I’m looking forward to December because of Christmas and New Years of course. And our vacation too.

November Goals Update

  1. Keep our food budget down to $500. PASS. We did good with our food spending and while I did not keep exact track, I’m sure that we were right around $500.
  2. Workout at least 3 times a week and lose 3 pounds. PASS. Lost 3 pounds!
  3. Make an extra $2,000 this month. PASS. Definitely passed this with a little over $5,000!
  4. Start decorating the dining room. FAIL.  Haha how about we don’t talk about this…
  5. Finally GET CARPET MICHELLE. FAIL. Lets not talk about this either….
  6. Spend no more than $50 on clothes. FAIL. I bought a couple of things, but I don’t believe I spent over $100.

December Goals

  1. Keep our food budget down to $400. Since we are going on a short vacation this month, I lowered our food budget by a little bit since we will not be home (our food while we are traveling comes out of our travel budget).
  2. Workout at least 4 times a week and lose 3 pounds. I increased this by a little bit. Mainly because the weather is actually nice and I want to force myself to run outside before it starts to snow.
  3. Make an extra $2,500 this month. I increased this by a little bit, but not too much. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself. I also know that December is usually a little slow for extra income because of all the holidays.
  4. Start decorating the dining room and GET CARPET MICHELLE. This is a repeat from the last couple of months. I know, I am sad. I need to finish this!
  5. Have fun on vacation and spend no more than $1,500. We are going to St. Thomas for 4 days. I know it’s not long, but that’s all that I could get off work for. We have a lot planned and are still debating on whether or not we should get all inclusive while we are there. What do you think? The price for all inclusive is $140 more per night for the both of us (altogether with fees and taxes) than what just a basic room at the same hotel would be.
  6. Read 2 books. Since we are going on vacation, it’ll make this very easy. I finally recharged my Kindle and will have it with me everywhere 🙂

Blog Goals

  • Twitter Followers: Goal was for 1,600 and I’m currently at 1,750. I’m hoping to get 1,850.
  • Alexa rank: Goal was to be under 90,000. And I’m finally dropping. I’m currently at 66,000. My goal for December is to be at 60,000.
  • Guest post at least 2 times this month. I’ve been pretty horrible with this but this is something that I need to work on!

 

Extra Monthly Income in November

  • Online Income (this includes staff writing, blog, virtual assistant and is after all fees) – $4,489
  • Selling Clothes – $0
  • Miscellaneous – $200
  • Mystery Shopping – $100
  • Rent – $325

So I made $5,114 extra last month!

How did you do in November? Any extra income?


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Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Author: Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Hey! I’m Michelle Schroeder-Gardner and I am the founder of Making Sense of Cents. I’m passionate about all things personal finance, side hustles, making extra money, and online businesses. I have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, CNBC, Time, and Business Insider. Learn more here.

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  1. Congrats on the huge side income that you took in this month! I also need to start reading more. I think my goal will be to finish just ONE book in December…it's been a few months since I've been able to finish one.
    My recent post 10 Things I Learned from Working at Pizza Hut

    1. Thanks! And yes, even if I only read one book, I will be pretty happy.
      My recent post $5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

  2. Pauline @ Reach Financial Independence

    Great job on the weight loss! I always put on weight in winter..
    My recent post Little house in Guatemala, week 5

  3. John S @ Frugal Rules

    That's a crazy awesome month for income Michelle! My main goals are for the blog and I did pretty well on them last month, will be posting it on Thursday. 🙂

  4. Living Debt Free Rocks!

    You are doing so well!!! Enjoy your quick trip to St. Thomas 🙂
    My recent post Why Do You Blog?

  5. Veronica Hill

    Fantastic extra income! I'm afraid we didn't make much… oh, maybe $200 ;*(
    My recent post 10 Cheap and Practical Gift Card Ideas that Don’t Suck

  6. You are so motivating!! I love it, I need to do this starting in the beginning of the year. I'm setting everything up and I can't wait to start posting about it!! Good for you with the extra income!!

    Ergo – Blog
    My recent post The Battle of Spritz Cookie Press Cookies…

    1. Thanks! And I'm definitely looking forward to what you're doing. Send me links when it's all ready.
      My recent post $5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

  7. Ashlee

    Awesome girl!!
    Hope you take lots of pics on your trip because some of us may never be fortunate to go there {boyfriend won't fly} 🙁 lol!
    Now, go get you some CARPET!!!!!!

    1. I will definitely take LOTS of pics. I am good with that. And until around 1 year ago, W NEVER flew EVER before. Crazy right?

      And yes, ahhh I know I will get carpet soon.
      My recent post $5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

  8. that's so encouraging! I'm a little behind on your blog right now, so now I need to go catch up.

  9. LenaAtOnMySide

    Now you can afford a really fun vacation 🙂 Or a carpet …:)

  10. GEEZ! You kill it time after time.

    I also know what you mean about remembering to charge the kindle. Isn't it so sad this is what keeps me from reading? lol. Let me know if you'd ever like to guest post at Moneytree. My alexa is right around 90,000 but I think we would have TONS of fun 😉

    1. Thanks! And yes my kindle has been dead for months and I haven't read anything since haha

      I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to guest post for you! I will try and email you sometime soon.
      My recent post $5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

  11. therandompath

    Wow, Michelle you totally rocked it in November!!! Good for you 🙂
    My recent post My Own Grocery Challenge

  12. Kate

    WOW! That is amazing! How did you find a virtual assistant job? Can you tell me a little more about that?

    1. Thanks! And if you want, you can email me with your questions 🙂
      My recent post $5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

  13. @danilee_13

    This is awesome! For someone who can't seem to find a job to save her life because no one wants to work around my school schedule, finding other ways to make income is something I am definitely interested in!
    My recent post That Time I Made Up My Own Recipe – Broccoli Soup

  14. This is absolutely nuts!!! Another valiant effort – well done Michelle 🙂
    My recent post A Tragic Tale

  15. Amazing, are your friends getting jealous yet? You're free to guest post on my site anytime!
    My recent post Lending Club: One Year Later

    1. Thanks! and haha most of them do not know.
      My recent post $5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

  16. Happy_Homeowner

    Holy poop! That's phenomenal! Keep up the great work 🙂

  17. WOW!!! I am super jealous! I definitely want to know your secrets. Do tell 🙂
    My recent post Are You Yellowing?

    1. I will make a post soon, but in the mean time you can of course email me.
      My recent post $5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

  18. Linda

    Awesome!

    Can you elaborate on exactly how this extra income is created?

    Thanks!

    1. Yes, you can email me if you'd like. I have a post drafted but I'm not positive on when I will make it live. so email me whenever you would like.
      My recent post $5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

  19. Kim@Eyesonthedollar

    I would love to know how many hours you have to put to make that much extra money. That's amazing. I think all inclusive is a great way to go, but you won't venture out as much if that is a goal at all. You will also have a hard time losing any weight. We did an all inclusive in Jamaica once and would go out and get nachos at 1AM just because we could! It was fun to just go order any time you want without having to carry any money. I certainly wouldn't help your rankings much, but you can guest post for me anytime.

    1. I definitely put a lot of hours into it.

      And haha we are definitely thinking about getting all inclusive. And I would love to guest post for you, but it might take me a bit.
      My recent post $5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

  20. Money, Money, Money!! This is awesome Michelle. I wish I could do this. I am sure that I can with a lot of work, but I always feel run down after work. Keep up the great work and let me know you secrets…..

  21. DEFINITELY do all-inclusive on your trip. it's well worth the food + drinks.
    My recent post hey there santa, i've been nice…

  22. fifighterx

    wow, you are doing FANTASTIC! Keep up the great work!

  23. Thanks! And yes I do just need to get them done.
    My recent post $5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

  24. Thanks! And glad to answer your email 🙂
    My recent post $5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

  25. I am a horrible teacher but hopefully I can help.
    My recent post $5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

  26. I'll try and write for you! I'm so bad with committing to timelines haha
    My recent post $5,114 in Extra Income in November and My Goals

  27. Wow that's incredible!! And that's mostly from the blog? And WITHOUT ad sense? haha. I'm certainly impressed and hope to catch up to you soon!!
    My recent post Scottish Bagpipe and Kilt | Do you think they’re manly? They got my vote.

  28. Evan

    AMAZING MONTH! Very happy for both you and the boyfriend.

  29. Canadianbudgetbinder

    Good For you Michelle, I made a whopping $0 on my blog but that was by choice. I would love to learn what you are doing, maybe I'll chat to you more and you can give me some tips. Cheers and keep up the great work. Mr.CBB
    My recent post CBB Net Worth Update~November 2012

  30. BudgetingBabe

    Woah! Awesome! Congrats!
    My recent post 70 in December

  31. Fantastic!

    Let me know if you want to guest post as my blog.

  32. Lisa

    Such an inspiration!! You inspired me to start my first blog. Thank you so much for giving me the courage!!