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Monthly Online Income Report – $23,992 In August

Last Updated: BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 85 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.

August Income Report (1)Welcome to August’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 make a living each month.

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 August?

August was another great month for business income. I’m still trying to get the hang of traveling in an RV and working at the same time. It can be difficult at times as we’ve come across quite a few areas where wifi is hard to find (even though I have a mobile wifi device).

Having no wifi at times though is great though because I can enjoy where I am and write articles with no distractions. So, either way I am happy with how things are going!

Even though my income has increased significantly over the past few months, I’ve noticed that I’ve actually been working less. I’ve been a master at work-life balancing lately and it’s really paying off!

Like I say every month, the business is going well and I am very happy with it. Things around here seem to be improving and I have no complaints whatsoever.

I’ve always been very excited about my business, but I am more excited than ever for the future. I have so many plans and everything is going well.

Anyway, in August I earned $23,992 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:

 

August Income Report

The number above is for the month of August and before any fees and expenses (some fees and expenses that lower the amount above total around $1,900 (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 $22,092. 

Below are some of my other monthly side 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 extra income page you can find all of my monthly income reports from the past few years.

 

Blog news.

The main new thing I tried in August was scheduling my pins on Pinterest. I am now using Tailwind and it has saved me a TON of time. I’m still going on Pinterest to pin occasionally, but now I can get all of my other pinning needs out of the way ahead of time.

Overall, page views are increasing and I received around 300,000 page views in August.

I still need to go through many of my posts here on Making Sense of Cents and fix the formatting, change the pictures to Pinterest-worthy images, and more. I have only completed around 15% of my posts so that means I still have many more changes to make! I actually didn’t work on any of this in August as I forgot yet again.

Top new posts on Making Sense of Cents last month:

 

Featured Question: How do I increase my affiliate income?

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.

I plan on making this a whole post by itself one day because there are so many things I could cover with this single question. Below are some of the things that are working for me when it comes to affiliate income:

  • Use the Pretty Link plugin. I use this for all of my affiliate links. It makes them look cleaner when it looks like “makingsenseofcents.com/bluehost” instead of the long links that affiliate programs usually provide.
  • Provide real reviews. You should always be honest with your reviews. If there is something you don’t like about a product, either don’t review the product at all or mention the negatives in your review.
  • Ask for raises. If you are doing well with a particular affiliate program, ask for a raise. The worst thing that can happen is that your affiliate manager says no. The best is that they say yes!
  • Form a good relationship with your affiliate manager. Your affiliate manager can supply your readers with valuable coupons, affiliate raises, and more.
  • Publish tutorials. Readers want to know how they can use a product. Showing them how to use it, how it can benefit them, and more are all very helpful.
  • Have a recommendations page. I always like checking out recommendations pages on blogs. It can be a great way to list valuable products and services that readers may need or want. Here’s mine as an example.
  • Don’t go overboard. There is no need to include an affiliate link 1,000 times in a blog post. Include them at the beginning, middle, and the end, and readers will notice it.

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.

 

My plans for my website, online income, 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 definitely noticing an improvement. One area is still Pinterest – Pinterest brought around 95,000 clicks to my blog just in the month of August. The other area I am trying to improve is Facebook and I’ve noticed somewhat of a difference, but not much. Why must Facebook be so difficult?
  • Accept more interviews. – I took on a few interviews in August but, for the most part, didn’t have time for HARO. I plan on responding to at least a few a week from now on out.
  • Stop being shy – This is one of my goals for 2015. I am such a shy person and it’s something I need to work on if I want to grow my business.

 

Staff writing.

Staff writing is still a service I enjoy providing.

I did start writing for a new client – GoRVing. Please check out 4 Steps To Afford The RV Lifestyle. I’m super excited about this new writing gig!

I did have one problem last month though where a client decided not to pay me – still unsure of what to do about this situation as I have never come across this before.

Related articles:

 

Website management.

Blog and social media management are others services I still enjoy providing to my clients. I plan on keeping the clients I currently have, but I am no longer expanding this service to new clients due to time constraints, though.

Many contacted me last month which made me want to reopen this service, but I am trying to focus on what is currently on my plate while also managing a good work/life balance. If this is a service you are looking to find someone for, I do have contacts I can refer you to, though.

My goal right now is to further grow the sites I currently manage and own, spend more time on my blog/website coaching service, and grow my income here so that I can be more of my own boss. This will mean that I will be less diversified as most of my income will be coming from this website and related services, but I do think this is what I am truly after with my business.

Related articles:

 

Affiliate income.

As each month passes, I get more and more excited about affiliate income. Why I waited around three years to be active with affiliate income is something I will never understand!

The somewhat passive income that I’ve been making this year has been great. Knowing that I can travel and still earn a living is a great feeling.

I earned around $22,000 in affiliate income in August. My best month for affiliate income ever.

I won’t see the payments I earned in August until 60-90 days later for most of the affiliate programs I am in, so 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 so reliant on Bluehost. I have been doing somewhat well with diversifying my affiliate income so far, though, with around $7,000 last month coming from other affiliate programs.

August Chart

Breakout of the actual payments I received in August ($23,992, before expenses)

  • Staff writing – $1050
  • Managing websites and social media for clients – $1,764
  • Blog coaching and consulting – $790
  • Website-related (from the 3 websites I own – advertising and partnerships) – $8,486
  • Affiliate income (from Bluehost (main source), Republic Wireless, etc.) – $11,902
  • Selling items from our home – $0
  • Miscellaneous (not related to blogging and online income) – $0
  • Mystery shopping – $0

When you see my monthly income each month please keep in mind that I work for myself. 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 August: $23,992
  • Income in July: $25,138
  • Difference: -1,146
  • Total in 2015: $186,515

How was August 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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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

  2. giulia says

    Well August is been a good month, thanks for sharing with us, your post about income reports are always detailed and full of good information and tips!!!

    Reply

  4. Chris @ Flipping a Dollar says

    First, I love that you’re so open and honest. It’s great to see what others are doing so I know that it’s possible!

    I made $1200+ in extra income from eBay and my blog last month. Well, only $6 of that was from my blog. 🙂 I am stoked to get my first Google Adsense payment this month though!

    It’s taken a while but I remember reading a guest post here about how to grow your blog. I wasn’t posting or writing regularly. Thanks for the smack upside the head! Just writing every day (even if it’s 250 words for the start of a post) has helped smooth out my process and relieve a lot of the stress.

    Reply

  5. Luke Fitzgerald @ FinanciallyFitz says

    Awesome month! You’re doing amazing things. Keep up the great work. Inspirational to say the least!

    Reply

  6. Amy @ DebtGal says

    Wow – congrats on another great month! It must be especially gratifying that you can travel and be location-independent, without negatively impacting your income!

    Reply

  8. Holly@ClubThrifty says

    Great job, Michelle! Our online businesses hit 20K again in August, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m not sure if I can keep it up, but I’m gonna die trying! What worries me most is that the bulk of my travel for this year is coming up. Over the next 45 days, I am going to Charlotte, Montego Bay, Minnesota to see the in-laws, and Italy. I have to work in there somewhere!

    Reply

  9. Steve Miller says

    Congrats on another great month. I always look forward to see how you did for the month. I think working on your affiliate income and eliminating some of the more labor intensive income is a good call, it will allow you to travel and enjoy life more.

    Reply

  10. Kate @ Cashville Skyline says

    Really impressive, as always, Michelle! I’ve loved seeing your pictures from the road. I’m definitely planning to step up my online business over the next few months. FinCon really boosted my motivation last year, so I’m looking forward to that again 🙂

    Reply

  11. Erica {Erica@EricaDHouse.com} says

    August was good to me! An above average month for blog income, and in the last week of August I scored a few gigs that made it my highest earning week yet in the three years I’ve been blogging.

    Reply

  13. Ali @ Anything You Want says

    Congrats on another great month! I think one thing that you do very well is balancing making money from your site with not seeming like you’re constantly trying to get readers to buy something. I hate reading a post and feeling like it is just a sales pitch, but your posts never feel that way. I’d love for you to write something about how you manage that, and perhaps how you pick which affiliate programs to work with.

    Reply

  16. Kristin says

    Yippee, great job! I love that you have so many different sources of income. Sening positive vibes on how it goes with your non paying client. Would you ever do a post on what to do in this situation?

    Reply

  22. Natasha says

    Thank you for sharing! I learn so much from your posts. I just launched my new website so I’m excited to get a really good jumpstart on it.

    Reply

  25. Gina says

    Thanks so much for sharing these. I’m now becoming dedicated to my blog and trying to monetize it. So, your posts like this are really helpful to show me what to focus on.

    Reply

  26. Dane Hinson says

    I really enjoy these income reports. You’re living proof that making a great living blogging is possible. The affiliate income is incredible. I’m still very new to blogging but your reports definitely keep me motivated.

    Reply

  27. Jason Butler says

    Congrats on another great month. Earning affiliate income is something that I’m working hard to get. I had a couple affiliate sales last month but it wasn’t enough to reach a payout. Hopefully this month will be better.

    Reply

  28. Cathy says

    I have a question for you. How did you go about being a website and social media manager for others? How did you find your clients? How do you find the time to manage their stuff?

    Reply

    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      Pretty much everyone contacted me directly. They either found me through my blog or someone told them to contact me. So, it was very easy to find clients since they all found me!

      Managing social media is quite easy when you are already doing it all the time for your own blog and you know all the quirks.

      Reply

  30. MsCrookedHalo says

    Awesome post. I too read income blog posts to see how others are doing as well as how they are doing it. It is a great way to keep motivated or just find new things (like the pretty link) that you had no clue even existed.

    Reply

  31. Chonce says

    Congrats on another amazing month Michelle! Your reports are so inspiring. Also congrats on the writing gig as well. Looking forward to reading more about RVing 🙂

    Reply

  32. chelsea @ the new wifestyle says

    i am SO glad you commented on my blog because this was so insightful and inspiring to read! thanks for breaking it down and i appreciate you sharing your monthly reports – keep rocking!

    Reply

  33. Sarah says

    Great month, as always! I’m amazed that you’re able to keep up with your workload while travelling the U.S. Talk about living the dream. 🙂 I’ve been following your pictures on instagram and it looks like you’re having a blast and seeing some great landscapes.

    Reply

  34. Kayla @ Femme Frugality says

    My online income continues to increase over time, but I don’t know if I’ll ever earn over $20K in one month. That just seems impossible to me. I do want to get to where I’m well-over what I need to budget with every month though. It’s just hard right now as I’m barely making it after setting aside taxes and a little bit of business savings.

    Reply

  36. Toni @ Debt Free Divas says

    Wow! This is amazing to me that affiliate income can be so lucrative. It pays (literally) to get page views up. If you could pinpoint one thing that’s helped improve traffic, what would that be? Thanks for providing the great insight. Enjoy the rest of your RVing!

    Reply

  39. Viral says

    Hi Michelle,

    I am a new reader of your blog and am very impressed with your achievements! From starting in 2012, you have really grown your income tremendously in 3 short years. Congratulations!

    I’m just curious, how much traffic does this site receive per month, in total?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  41. Janell says

    Hi Michelle,

    I just found your Blog and you are very inspirational! I look forward to checking out all of your posts and filling my brain with all of this useful information. RVing has always been a dream of mine. Thank you for opening up and sharing your life and wealth of knowledge!

    Reply

  42. Konrad Braun says

    Truly inspiring!
    The “stop being” shy goal is one I need to set for myself. I have a tendency to be overly modest to the extent where I am shy. It certainly hasn’t done my business any good.
    Congrats on your success!
    Konrad

    Reply

  43. Munna Hossain says

    Great article. Thanks for sharing with us. I have learned a lot from your blog. It is really an inspirational blog and you also. I am blogging for three years but I can not earn money from my blog but I still working. I have patience enough, I am not a lose, I learn from every mistake. Hope your blog will help me to earn my first affiliate income.

    Reply

  44. Anil Verma says

    you are really awesome. You have shared secrets to make money online from blogging on your website. Transparency of sharing income boost confidence of other bloggers. Thanks for sharing…

    Reply

  45. Teresa says

    Hi Michelle,

    Quick question: I starting filling out surveys after reading your articles and I have hardly made anything. Am I missing something? I’ve tried for about 6 months.

    Reply

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