$13,673 December Income – My Monthly Online Income Report and 2014 Wrap Up

January 5, 2015 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 149 Comments

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$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.

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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!

How 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.

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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.

Blog 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.

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

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.

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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.

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

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