It’s that time again, when I whip out my spreadsheet and tally up the totals for my monthly income report! I tell ya, I was never much of a spreadsheet girl before, but several months ago, I created a simple side income statement template that does all the calculations for me, and now I love going in there and adding my side income revenue, because it instantly tells me my total thus far for the month and how much over or under I am compared to the month before.
It’s great because it keeps me motivated. “Oh, I’m only about $50 under last month’s total, and I have a week to go… better hustle and find a way to make at least $50 so I can top it!”
It makes it like a game of sorts, and it makes it a fun way to break down my income into actionable goals.
My Side Income Statement Template
Here’s what my side income spreadsheet looks like. This is an example from August 2015 (and yes, I totally chose it because it had the highest monthly total!)
All I have to do is plug in the amount I get paid for a particular side income gig or online sale in the appropriate column, and voila! All totals are updated at the bottom of the column, and in the side income total at the bottom.
I wait until the end of the month to input affiliate income and Adsense, because I don’t have those totals until the end of the month.
I also have it set so that my salary from my full-time job is shown to me, but not factored into my side income totals. That way I still have a high-level view of my overall monthly income.
Column C is from my online jewelry shop (most of you know it already, but I blurred the name out so it’s not quite so obvious to random people on the internet who stumble upon this image).
November Online Income Report
November’s side income was an improvement from October, which I’m happy about considering I’ve not taken on any new clients or actively seeked out any work. Right now, all of my side income is a result of people coming to me, so it’s nice not to have to spend time hustling to find freelance work or new clients.
That’s a huge perk of having a blog like this. Eventually you develop an audience, and they become your spokespeople, and help spread the word, then people come to you.
90% of my side income is a direct result of this blog. That’s a testament to how important having a blog can be. I’ll be talking more about this in my next post, so stay tuned.
But without further ado, here’s the breakdown of November’s income.
Just like I mention every month, my side income report numbers are an accurate depiction of what I’ve made on the side, bad or good, compared to the previous month. These numbers don’t include my income from my full-time job as a QA Specialist (aka glorified proofreader), or my handsome hubby’s income (from his music, book, and freelance work).
Webmaster/Web Design: $0
Online Sales: $305.35
Affiliate Income: $291.38
Adsense: $13.87
Writing Gigs: $150
Misc: $36.70
TOTAL: $797.30 in extra income (Up $119.41 from previous month)
I’ve also saved a total of $454.61 so far with Digit, the free automated savings app that I am absolutely in LOVE with. You’ve heard me talk about it before on here, and it’s really an awesome way to save money.
It just pulls a couple dollars here, a couple dollars there – amounts so small that they are inconsequential to your banking balance, but they add up relatively quickly in your Digit account. I highly recommend the service. And it’s free!
You can sign up easily by going to: Savingtosail.com/Digit
December Goals
- Reveal my new blog/website
- Launch my first online workshop (I’m excited about this!)
- Grow my subscriber list for this site and the new one
- Write at least 3 posts/week (between this site and other site)
- Eat healthier (we don’t eat poorly, but we do eat out too often)
- Exercise more
Some of these goals are carried over from last month’s side income post, and I could name a ton more, but the more I name, the more overwhelmed I feel, so I’m sticking to a few hard and fast goals right now, and once I get a few of these checked off, I’ll start incorporating more goals.
Until next time! Can’t wait to see how December’s income report turns out!
Oh, P.S. I want to be nosy… how many of you reading this already have a blog? If you do, post a link in the comments – I wanna go check them out! If you don’t have one, then let me know that in the comments, too!
You helped me get started with your great how to posts on here. I try to post at least weekly. http://www.lifeofasailor.ca
Good post! Good luck on December’s goals.
Thank you! I know I checked out your blog when you first started it. I’m gonna go check it out again now. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Melody! Great info. We are just getting started. Sooo exciting! http://www.Sailingrewind.com
I just checked out your blog – love it! Funny because I see my husband’s book on your reading list in your most recent post – very cool! 🙂 Enjoy the process – sometimes I wish we were just starting out again, because everything was so new and exciting – it was like falling in love for the first time! Let me know if you have any questions about the process or anything else!
Hi there,
Love your posts. Its great getting ideas from you. We too are busy saving to sail. We have full time jobs and a boat at the moment, but the plan is to retire sooner rather than later and sail off in to the sunset!
Our blog is http://www.astrolabesailing.com
🙂
Thanks, Viki! Hoping you can get off the dock sooner than later, too! I just checked out your blog – very exciting! And I love that it was your lifelong dream and you found the perfect partner. Oftentimes it’s the other way around (the guy gets the girl on board!)
Just saw your site on WWS, will be very interested to follow your progress. I took a WP class last spring (after my FT position as an IT Manager was eliminated) and then launched our site to cover our sailing journey. I essentially semi-retired a few years earlier than I expected and now need to figure out ways to keep the sailing kitty funded. Any feedback you have on our site would be appreciated.
Hi Julie! Just checked out your site – Gozzards are such beautiful boats. 🙂 I wasn’t able to tell if you are monetizing your site or not. I do know that it’s really hard to make significant income from Adsense unless you have a crap-ton of visitors. If you aren’t already, I would suggest joining Amazon’s affiliate program. You could then pepper some of your posts with affiliate links for products you love, or gift ideas, etc.
If you love writing, then that’s a great way to help replinish the cruising kitty. You could check out my post about sailing magazines that pay well for articles, or its follow up posts about how to make money writing for magazines. You could use your blog as your portfolio when making your pitches. 🙂
Good luck!
Hi Melody!
Just going back and catching up on a few of your older posts that I’ve missed. We moved onto our boat this past August, which is when I also started my blog, MangoesMarleyAndMermaids.com. I have not (yet) monetized it, but do hope that at some point I will be able to earn some money as a result of my blogging efforts!
Keep up the great posts!
Chris
Hey Chris – I just checked out your blog – so jealous that you’re in the Bahamas right now! We’re planning on jumping over next year.
I definitely suggest signing up for Amazon’s affiliate program, or other good affiliate programs. I wouldn’t bother with Adsense. Your blog is too pretty to clutter it with ads that might make you a couple of pennies a day. 🙂
Good luck, and thanks for reading!
Hi Melody!
Maybe we will run into you here next year, as we plan on spending next season in the Bahamas as well! We’ll be headed back to Michigan for the summer and will be working on getting rid of the rest of our worldly possessions so that we can fully commit to this lifestyle.
Thanks for the advice on the affiliate programs and Adsense. I think that’s actually been one of the things holding me back…I really like the look of my blog and don’t want to clutter it up! I guess I need to get busy working on a privacy policy!
Thanks again!
Chris