Making Sense Of Cents

Learn how to make extra money, how to save money, how to start a blog, and more.

JOIN OVER 300,000
MONTHLY READERS!
  • HOME
  • BLOG
  • About
  • Categories
    • SAVE MONEY
    • Side Job Ideas
    • Blogging Tips
    • Budget Tips
    • Career Advice
    • College
    • Pay Off Debt
    • Extra Income
    • My Life
    • Minimalism
    • Pet-Related
    • Real Estate Help
    • Retirement
    • Product Reviews
    • Self-Employment Tips
    • Travel
      • RV Life
    • Wedding
  • How To Start a Blog
  • FREE FB GROUP
  • Recommendations
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • How To Save Money
  • Make Extra Money
  • Blogging Courses
    • Affiliate Marketing Course
    • Making Sense of Sponsored Posts
  • Travel

$13,673 December Income – My Monthly Online Income Report and Annual Wrap Up

Last Updated: December 11, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 149 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

65747shares
  • Facebook 26
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

$13,673 December Income – My Monthly Online Income Report

Welcome to December’s online income report where I show you how to make money online (specifically, how I make money online). It’s time to look at my monthly income update and track my progress once again.

If you are wanting to start a blog of your own, read my post How To Start a Cheap WordPress Blog. It gives step by step instructions on starting your own blog at a super affordable price. You can also get a free domain by signing up through my link. Plus, you can email me at any time and I can help you along the process so that you can launch a successful money-making blog.

Background information on my monthly income reports.

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 extra income reports from the beginning, I included all of the income I made except for what I made at my day job (that was a fixed amount).

However, in the beginning of September of 2013, I turned in my notice and my last day at my day job was in October of 2013.

Now, my monthly income report consists of the many different ways I make a living.

Many people have asked why I would ever want to publicly post my income each month. Some have called me crazy, and some are glad I’m so open. Whatever you think, I actually enjoy publishing these monthly income reports. I publish these online income reports for three main reasons:

  • Before I started blogging, I knew nothing about side hustling and making money online. I didn’t think side hustles were worth the effort, and I thought the only way to dramatically 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. This is why I like to publish my income reports. I want to help others see 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 see what areas need improvement. It’s also entertaining to go back to older income posts and read about the funny things I did to make extra money. Everyone has to start somewhere, right?
  • Lastly, I like to show others that making extra money is possible, and that everything is not a scam. 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 amazing bloggers who are kind enough to share their income with the public each month.

I know I say this every month, but it is the truth. Life is great now that I’m my own boss. I look forward to each and every work day and it is a wonderful thing.

Above is exactly 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.).

 

2014 Business Year In Review

In 2014, I made $163,929 after most expenses. In 2013, my business income totaled $116,519, so this is quite the jump over just a one year period! It’s a little hard to compare the two years since I did work full-time at my day job for most of 2013 though. Nonetheless, it is a still a good increase in income over the previous year.

2014 was a great year for my business. October of 2014 marked one full year since I left my day job, and everything has been great since. I believe 2014 was the best year of my life. I was able to work on what I wanted to work on, travel when I wanted to, and more.

I am extremely motivated and excited for what 2015 will bring for us. I think it will be a fantastic year.

My business-related goals for 2015:

  • Grow my income by 15% for the year. This is probably a big jump, but I want to aim high so that I can be more motivated.
  • Work on affiliate income. I would like affiliate income to comprise around 35% of my monthly income by the end of 2015.
  • Stop being shy. Interviews, podcasts, and more still make me nervous, and I know I need to get over my fear so that I can move on to the next step.
  • Work on an ebook. This is something I either want to have almost finished or finished by the end of 2015.

Now onto my December income report!

 

December income reportHow was my online income in December?

December was another great month. The second half of the month was almost like a vacation for me as well with everyone being on vacation. I spent most of the time fixing old posts, creating better images, and working ahead. It was nice!

Anyway, last month I made $14,972.73 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 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. 

Related articles:

  • How To Make Money Blogging
  • How I Make Working From Home Work For Me
  • How To Become Financially Stable and Keep The Job You Love
  • Becoming a Work-Life Balancing Master

 

$13,673 December Income – My Monthly Online Income Report

This is for the month of December and before fees and expenses (most fees and expenses that lower the amount above total around $1,300, which includes VAs/staff writers for my other websites, technical assistance on my websites, PayPal fees, etc.) being taken out. I could run my website for as low as just $25 per month but I outsource a lot so that I can have more fun while I’m traveling 🙂

After expenses and fees, I made approximately $13,673. In the amount above, I do not include the amount I bring into 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 monthly extra income reports. I publish an update every month but have only included some of them below. If you head on over to my extra income page you can find all of my monthly income reports.

  • $672 extra in May (2012)
  • $1,425 extra in July
  • $3,275 extra in September
  • $6,523 in January Extra Income (2013)
  • $11,927 in October Income – I Finally Left My Job
  • $12,640 in January Income (2014)
  • $14,534 November Income – My Monthly Online Income Report

 


$13,673 December Income – My Monthly Online Income ReportBlog news.

The main areas I am concentrating on right now include working ahead with articles on Making Sense of Cents, as well as cleaning up old blog posts.

I don’t know why I waited so long to do these two things because I am already seeing improvements when it comes to a better work-life balance since I am working ahead, and I’ve also seen improvements in page views by cleaning up old posts and inserting better images.

I’m still working on building my new email list as well. I haven’t sent out a newsletter yet, but I hope to do that soon. By the way, Aweber is a must if you have a blog. It is a way for readers to subscribe to your blog posts and your newsletters. If you are currently using a free service such as Feedburner, then you should switch immediately because that is a BIG mistake bloggers make. Aweber is only $1 for your first month as well.

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. 

EDIT: In more recent income reports, I have been including featured questions from readers. Below are some of the questions that have been asked.

  • Where does blog income come from?
  • How do I increase my affiliate income?
  • Do I need millions of page views a month in order to make money blogging?
  • How do you build websites up to sell them?
  • Do only celebrities make money through owning websites?
  • How much money can a person make blogging?
  • Is there enough room for new bloggers to make money?

 

My plans for my website, online income, and making money online:

  • Publish an ebook – As I said above, this is an important goal of mine for 2015.
  • Promote more – I have been doing much, much better when it comes to promoting. I have seen an increase in Facebook clicks and pins on Pinterest. Pinterest alone brought 19,700 clicks to my blog just in the month of December! Edit: I now use Tailwind for Pinterest and it saves me a ton of time!
  • Accept more interviews. – I conducted a few email interviews in December, but not many. Most were interviews I received through HARO. I highly recommend signing up for HARO (Help a Reporter Out) if you are looking to get your name out there.

 

Staff writing.

My staff writing income is lower this month, as you can see from my income roundup at the end of this post. This is because most of my staff writing now is bundled in with my blog management service income that I make since I usually charge a flat fee for blog management and staff writing to my clients..

 

Update on my blog and social media management services.

In the month of December, I managed a few websites for others. I’m still enjoying providing this service and it’s an area I hope to continue to grow. I enjoy trying to find new ways to improve a website.

Related articles:

  • How To Become a Virtual Assistant
  • What Does a Virtual Assistant Do?

 

Affiliate income – An improving area.

December was my best month yet for affiliate income. I made $1,635 from affiliate reviews and I am extremely excited about that. It was relatively passive income and it makes me happy that the actions I am taking are actually working. Seeing results so quickly is amazing.

I am still only reviewing products that I have used myself and products that I actually believe in. I never want my blog to be annoying or untrustworthy, and this is something I always think about before I decide to review a product or service.

EDIT July, 2016: I recommend checking out my online course for bloggers, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. I earn over $50,000 a month through affiliate marketing and I share my exact strategy and tips in this very informative online course. If you’re a blogger, then you NEED this course.

 December Monthly Online Income Report

Business and extra income in December ($13,673, after most expenses)

  • Staff writing – $215
  • Managing websites and social media for clients, as well as blog coaching- $5,382
  • Website-Related (From the 6 websites I own – advertising, partnerships & Adsense) – $6,441
  • Affiliate Income – $1,635
  • 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 most expenses, but before taxes)

  • Total extra income for December: $13,673
  • Income in November: $14,534
  • Difference: -861
  • Total in 2014: $163,929

How did you do in December? What are your extra/business/online income goals?

Why do you work towards making extra money?

 

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. 

 

How To Start A Blog FREE Email Course

In this free course, I show you how to create a blog easily, from the technical side (it's easy - trust me!) all the way to earning your first income and attracting readers. Join now!

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive regular updates and get access to the free course.

Success!

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

Related Posts

  • 75+ Ways To Make Extra Money75+ Ways To Make Extra Money
  • Living Life To The Fullest Is Something Everyone Should Start DoingLiving Life To The Fullest Is Something Everyone Should Start Doing
  • How To Live On One IncomeHow To Live On One Income
  • 4 Interesting Ways To Make Side Income Including Sleeping and Selling Your Poop4 Interesting Ways To Make Side Income Including Sleeping and Selling Your Poop
  • What Is A Blog, How Do Blogs Make Money, & MoreWhat Is A Blog, How Do Blogs Make Money, & More
  • How I Made Money in 2019 With My Blog – Annual Wrap UpHow I Made Money in 2019 With My Blog – Annual Wrap Up
65747shares
  • Facebook 26
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

149 Comments
Filed Under: Blog, Business Income, Extra Income Tagged With: Blog, Extra Money, Self-employment

About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Michelle is the founder of Making Sense of Cents, a blog about personal finance and traveling. She discusses how her business has evolved in her side income series. She paid off $40,000 in student loans by the age of 24 mainly due to her freelancing side hustles. Click here to learn more about starting a blog!

Comments

  1. Allan says

    January 11, 2015 at 7:51 am

    Wow Michelle, this is great!
    I was happy to make 30$ from adsense last month ahah 🙂
    I’ll have to come back here to understand how you did that.
    Best regards

    Reply
    • Michelle S. says

      January 11, 2015 at 12:13 pm

      Thanks Allan!

      Reply
  2. Tennille says

    January 11, 2015 at 3:08 pm

    I’m just in awe of your income reports every month. Congratulations on such a sucessful 2014! Good luck on reaching your 2015 goals!

    Reply
    • Michelle S. says

      January 11, 2015 at 3:17 pm

      Thank you! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Vern Lovic says

    January 29, 2015 at 12:03 am

    You’re smashing it! I loved reading about your income for December. Now I want to go back to the beginning and see how it was going when you first started. Must be some wisdom to be found in there for me! I have some online projects that are making a few thousand per month, but nothing like yours. Congrats and best in 2015!

    Reply
  4. Gen Y Finance Guy says

    January 29, 2015 at 2:44 pm

    Great job Michelle! I only recently started my blog about 4 months ago. But it is bloggers like you and Pat Flynn and John Lee Dumas who are truly inspiring. You guys really show people what earning money online can be like.

    Looking forward to following your future posts.

    Cheers!

    Reply
  5. Bharath says

    February 2, 2015 at 3:37 am

    Thanks for the Report. I love your Income reports. They are inspiration for Bloggers like me. I have also published my Income report of January 2015. If you find time, please have a look at it

    http://blogunation.com/my-game-blog-monthly-income-and-traffic-report-january-2015/

    Reply
  6. Martin says

    February 3, 2015 at 8:24 am

    HI Michelle, I found your site via Matthew Woodward and I must say this income report is a real inspiration. I’ve been blogging for a few years now as a hobby but I feel I know enough now to look at making some money by my efforts. Have signed up for yr newsletter. Cheers!

    Reply
  7. Varun bhati says

    February 6, 2015 at 1:13 am

    congratulation admin you done a fabulous job i just able to add $1500 wana grow more..

    Reply
  8. Kelly says

    February 23, 2015 at 9:18 pm

    Amazing! I want to be you when I grow up!

    Reply
  9. Jackie says

    February 23, 2015 at 10:48 pm

    Thank you for this post! I have a blog and have a wonderful mentor (Chantelle from the popular Fat Mum Slim blog). I have a 2 year old, I stay at home every day and also run my online crystal business. I get 1.5 days alone per week to really focus my energy but I’m feeling like my dream is impossible.. I want to make blogging profitable for my family, and initially wrote down a goal of $400 a week. That’s honestly what my goal is to earn through my blog. But I’m still struggling, I just feel lost! So thank you for breaking it down for all of us. Congrats on such great earnings! xx

    Reply
  10. Alejandra says

    March 7, 2015 at 10:01 am

    First time on your blog, found you via Pinterest, it works!!, thanks for sharing this post, one that I found you I want to read more and learn more from you.

    Reply
  11. Joanna says

    April 6, 2015 at 7:10 am

    Wow! Impressive! Both- the money you made and the honesty! 🙂 Keep it up! 🙂

    Reply
  12. Natalie says

    May 24, 2015 at 8:20 am

    Wow! This is everything I wanted to know in a nutshell. I’ve been working 10+ hrs of overtime at my job every week to live comfortably and I’ve been hating how much that takes me away from my daughter. I, also, just found out that I will not be able to work as much overtime and I’m looking for a way to make up that extra money at home.

    As a single mom (and a successful one 🙂 ), I have seriously been thinking about starting a blog to help and inspire other single moms out there. I’m good with a computer but I’m shy from anything new so I’ve been dreading starting a blog for the last year.

    Your post makes it look so “do-able”! I will definitely be checking out your link on how to start.

    Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply
  13. Casey says

    December 11, 2015 at 6:58 am

    Wow! I am so inspired and amazed by your blog income. Thank you for posting and showing the different sources your monthly income comes from. 🙂

    Reply
  14. Alysa says

    December 16, 2015 at 10:58 pm

    I guess I don’t get it…how does blogging create income? What’s the service? Who’s paying?

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      December 16, 2015 at 11:00 pm

      Hey!

      I answered this question in a recent blog income report. Scroll down to “Where does blog income come from” in this post https://www.makingsenseofcents.com/2015/11/october-online-income-report.html

      Reply
  15. Greghouse says

    January 29, 2016 at 3:47 am

    Hey really great Blog, inspires me to put way more work into my own Projects.

    Reply
  16. Matthew DeSandre says

    January 31, 2016 at 9:58 pm

    You provide me with a sense of pride in what I want to blog about, also that its not as hard as my mind is making it out to be! Greatly appreciate it! My site isn’t up just yet but it will be! Thanks!

    Reply
  17. Ashleigh says

    March 13, 2016 at 5:25 pm

    Thank you for sharing this! Your whole site is very informative and I feel like I’m ready to get my rear in gear and start working for myself! 🙂

    Reply
  18. Chris says

    March 18, 2016 at 6:46 am

    Wow! I’m very impressed, and inspired. I started my blog only about a couple months ago with the plans to monetize it and make some extra money. Your post inspires me to keep pushing forward. Since I’m seeing this so late, my plans for 2016 are to have a consistent income coming from my blog.

    Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  19. jennifer says

    April 14, 2016 at 3:21 pm

    This is the inspirational post I needed this morning!! I’ve been blogging for a little over a year now, and I’m just starting to see a little money from it from affiliate links.

    What do you think is the best way to go about getting more email subscribers?

    Thanks for the great post! 🙂

    xx, jen
    @jensav11

    Reply
  20. ronak toshniwal says

    June 3, 2016 at 1:35 am

    These kind of posts motivates me to blog more and better. 🙂
    Congrats
    Can you tell me if you have any tutorial to get more google traffic?

    Reply
  21. ronak toshniwal says

    June 3, 2016 at 1:36 am

    These kind of posts motivates me to blog more and better. 🙂
    Congrats
    Can you tell me if you have any tutorial to get more google traffic?

    Reply
« Older Comments

Trackbacks

  1. 10 Ways To Make Money At Home Online - Make Side Money – Making Sense Of Cents says:
    January 21, 2015 at 1:55 am

    […] I say in every one of my monthly online income reports, I love being able to earn a living online. In addition to the fact that you can actually make […]

    Reply
  2. 9 Plugins You Need If You’re A Blogger - Diversified Finances says:
    January 25, 2015 at 3:58 pm

    […] EDIT: If you are new here, please check out my monthly income posts on my main blog, Making Sense of Cents, such as $13,673 December Income – My Monthly Online Income Report and 2014 Wrap Up. […]

    Reply
  3. Einbruch im Dezember?! - Traffic & Einnahmen von 22 englischsprachigen Blogs > Blogs, Geld verdienen > Selbständig im Netz says:
    January 28, 2015 at 4:07 am

    […] weniger hat makingsenseofcents.com eingenommen. Der Blog konnte insgesamt aber sein gutes Niveau […]

    Reply
  4. 9 Ways To Make Money While Traveling - Diversified Finances says:
    February 2, 2015 at 9:06 pm

    […] Read How To Start a Blog on WordPress on my main website, Making Sense of Cents. Also, if you are interested in blogging, check out my monthly income report $13,673 December Income – My Monthly Online Income Report and 2014 Wrap Up. […]

    Reply
  5. Need Some Extar Cash? Try Making Money Online! - Get To Work From Home says:
    February 27, 2015 at 8:40 am

    […] Google to search for online income opportunities. you'll get a lot of results. When you find something interesting, look into it […]

    Reply
  6. How To Start A Blog – Tips for a Beginner – Making Sense Of Cents says:
    May 4, 2015 at 10:14 am

    […] do I start a blog? How did you earn over $150,000 by blogging in […]

    Reply
  7. Ways To Make An Extra $1,000 A Month – Making Sense Of Cents says:
    May 11, 2015 at 11:37 am

    […] positions). I make most of my money now by owning my own blog, which is amazing. I made over $150,000 through blogging last […]

    Reply
  8. 75+ Ways To Make Extra Money – Making Sense Of Cents says:
    May 11, 2015 at 12:28 pm

    […] is how I make a living and just a few years ago I never thought it would be possible. I made over $150,000 last year by blogging and will make more than that in 2015. You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use […]

    Reply
  9. How To Live On One Income – Making Sense Of Cents says:
    June 21, 2015 at 12:46 am

    […] is how I make a living and just a few years ago I never thought it would be possible. I made over $150,000 last year by blogging and will make more than that in 2015. You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use […]

    Reply
  10. My Student Loans are GONE – Making Sense Of Cents says:
    June 21, 2015 at 12:47 am

    […] is how I make a living and just a few years ago I never thought it would be possible. I made over $150,000 last year by blogging and will make more than that in 2015. You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use […]

    Reply
  11. How To Save 50% Or More Of Your Income - Making Sense Of Cents says:
    February 24, 2016 at 11:04 am

    […] is how I make a living and just a few years ago I never thought it would be possible. I made over $150,000 last year by blogging and will make more than that in 2015. You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Making Sense of Cents welcome page photo
Hello and welcome!
My name is Michelle and I'm the author/owner of Making Sense of Cents. Learning how to save money and make more money changed my life. It allowed me to pay off $40,000 in student loans, start my own business, and I now travel full-time.
Follow on Bloglovin

Subscribe Via Email

As Seen On

as seen on
How To Start A Blog
making sense of affiliate marketing for bloggers
My Monthly Online Income Reports
My Student Loans Are Gone - How I Paid Off $38,000 In Student Loans
Buying a House at 20 (How I did it)
How To Make Money Blogging Picture
How To Save 50% Or More Of Your Income Picture
How I Graduated From College In 2.5 Years With 2 Degrees AND Saved $37,500
75+ Ways To Make Extra Money

Subscribe Via Email

HOME
CONTACT

POPULAR POSTS
How To Make Money Blogging
How To Start A Blog Tutorial
I Paid $40K In Student Loans By 24
75 Ways To Make Extra Money

PRIVACY POLICY
TERMS OF USE
DISCLAIMER / EARNINGS DISCLAIMER

Copyright © 2011 - 2021. All Rights Reserved.

© 2021 Making Sense of Cents
Design by Swoon & Co. Creative