Welcome to the August income report, where I share how I made money online last month. Here’s an update on my progress and a breakdown of earnings.
If you’re new, you might wonder why I publish these monthly income reports. If you’ve seen them before, feel free to skip ahead.
This began as an extra income report, detailing side income earned in addition to my day job. After leaving my financial analyst position in October 2013, my monthly reports shifted to reflect the multiple ways I now earn a living full-time.
People often ask why I publicly share my income each month. Some think it’s unusual, and others appreciate the transparency. I publish these reports for three main reasons:
- Before I started blogging, I knew very little about side hustles and making money online. I assumed raises at a full-time job were the only way to increase earnings. Reading other bloggers’ income reports inspired me to try side hustles. I want to show others the benefits and possibilities of earning extra income and how it can improve one’s financial life.
- Monthly reports help me review performance, learn from mistakes, and identify areas to improve. I treat them like a business journal that tracks progress over time.
- I want to demonstrate that earning money from home is achievable and legitimate. For those interested in different ways to earn online, I’ve highlighted other bloggers who share their income publicly to inspire newcomers.
I genuinely enjoy being my own boss and working as a full-time blogger. I wake up excited each morning and appreciate the freedom my business provides. These reports show that you don’t have to hate your job or life—making changes and building income streams can let you enjoy what you do outside work, whether that’s spending time with family, pursuing hobbies, or traveling.
How was my business income in August?
I earned $90,188.40 online in August, before expenses.
August was an excellent month. I caught up on work that had been delayed while I focused on my course during the spring and summer. I’m now about six weeks ahead on blog posts for Making Sense of Cents, which feels great.
Although page views remained lower than usual, income held strong—an important reminder that blog revenue isn’t entirely dependent on traffic. I expect page views to recover after summer.
My business continues to grow, income is increasing, and I have many ideas planned for the rest of the year. I’m excited about the direction everything is heading.
If you want to start a blog, I have a step-by-step tutorial and recommend being self-hosted for monetization. Self-hosting helped my own blog income take off.
Breakdown of August 2016 income – $90,188.40:
- Affiliate income – $61,262.40 total:
- Bluehost – $48,430
- Survey companies – $7,322.50
- Amazon FBA guide – $1,397.50
- MOTIF Investing – $1,058.00
- Ebates (estimate, tiered program) – $1,000
- Credible – $450.00
- $5 Meal Plan – $205.20
- 30 Days Or Less To Freelance Writing Success – $142.80
- The Ultimate Pinterest Strategy Guide – $131.20
- 17 Strategies to Grow Blog Traffic – $130
- Bookkeeper Business Academy – $92.75
- Digit – $85
- Proofreading course – $65.82
- Izea/SponsoredTweets – $61.63
- Facebook growth guide – $56.00
- Building A Framework – $30.00
- Miscellaneous affiliates – $604.00
- Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course – $19,396
- Sponsorships and advertising – $7,800
- Display advertising – $1,730
The amounts above are for August and are shown before fees and expenses. Estimated fees and expenses for the month total roughly $3,500, including virtual assistants, technical help, newsletter costs, affiliate fees for my course, PayPal and Stripe fees, etc. Taxes are not included. After expenses and fees, I made approximately $86,688.
Please remember I’m self-employed, so I cover taxes (over 30%), health insurance, and benefits that an employer would normally provide.
Below are some notable past income reports and milestones. I publish these updates monthly; you can find a complete archive on my income page.
- $672 extra in May (2012)
- $6,523 in January extra income (2013)
- $11,927 in October – I left my job (2013)
- $12,640 in January income (2014)
- $23,758 in February income (2015)
- How I made $300,000 online in 2015
Comparisons and 2016 online income total:
- Total income in August 2016: $90,188
- Total income in July 2016: $112,595
- Difference from the previous month: – $22,407
- Total in 2016: $578,654
Blog news
Making Sense of Cents continues to perform well. Traffic dipped slightly for summer, with around 400,000 page views for the month.
Since I’m ahead on posts, I plan to use the next month to complete maintenance and participate in a three-month SEO mastermind with other bloggers—an area I haven’t focused on before, so I’m eager to learn and see results.
In September I’ll attend FinCon, the financial blogging conference I always enjoy. It’s a great place to learn and reconnect with peers.
Recent blog updates include:
- I launched a free “How To Start A Blog” email course. Over 4,000 people signed up in a few months and feedback has been excellent.
- After that success, I created a free “Master Your Money” email course in August with lessons and financial worksheets, including a budget template.
- I’m considering a free personal finance support group on Facebook to create a space for people to discuss money openly—would you be interested?
- I switched to ConvertKit for email marketing in April. It simplified newsletter management and helped improve affiliate income despite lower page views.
- There’s a valuable Pinterest bonus available with my affiliate marketing course: a Pinterest strategy lesson from a consultant I trust, which I use to grow traffic.
I also get questions about staying connected while RV traveling. I use a Verizon MiFi device that keeps me online reliably when free Wi‑Fi is slow, hard to find, or insecure.
Top new posts on Making Sense of Cents last month:
- Why You Should Spend Like A Millionaire – The Frugal and Smart Money Habits of Millionaires
- 11 Questions To Ask Yourself Before A Large Purchase
- Celebrating Our One Year RV Life Anniversary
- Free Money Management Course – Master Your Money!
- The $20 Savings Challenge
- The Power Of Frugality – You Shouldn’t Just Focus On Earning More
- How To Not Get Screwed At The Car Dealership
- Yes, You Can Save Enough Money For Long-Term Travel
- We No Longer Have Traditional Health Insurance – Liberty HealthShare Review
Featured question: What do you do when you’re feeling blogger burnout?
I answer one reader question in each monthly income report. Leave a comment if you have a question you’d like me to answer.
Burnout is common among bloggers: feeling unable to write, losing motivation, or being tired of having life revolve around the blog. After blogging full-time for years, I still face these moments. Here’s how I handle burnout:
- Take a break. Step away and recharge. Even a day off can help you return refreshed. Forced posts usually aren’t your best work.
- Publish less content. I reduced my publishing frequency from nearly daily to 2–3 times per week. This improved work-life balance and allowed more time for promotion, which helped growth and income.
- Network with other bloggers. Conferences and networking restore motivation. Events like FinCon always reinvigorate me.
- Outsource tasks you dislike. Delegate technical or tedious tasks to free up your energy for what you enjoy.
- Read outside your niche. Consuming content unrelated to your blog can spark new ideas and refresh your perspective.
- Make time for life. Schedule non-work activities and prioritize balance so life isn’t all about the blog.
Top tip: Work ahead as much as you can. Having an editorial buffer lets you take time off without stress.
Past featured questions cover topics such as increasing affiliate income, traffic strategies, blog monetization, launching a blog, and more.
My plans for the website and making money online
Clear plans and goals keep a business moving forward. Current focus areas include:
- Promote more. I’ve improved promotion efforts and saw strong results from Pinterest—about 150,000 clicks in August. My goal is 500,000+ Pinterest clicks by year-end.
- Continue learning. I joined an SEO mastermind and am studying SEO, an area I hadn’t focused on previously.
- Accept more interviews. I did several interviews in August following my course launch.
- Double my business income. I aim to double 2015’s income, averaging roughly $53,000 per month. I’m on track so far.
- Increase monthly page views to 1,000,000. It’s a measurable target. I’ll focus on Pinterest, Facebook, and SEO to reach it.
Affiliate income
In August, affiliate income totaled $61,262.
I value affiliate income for its passive potential, which supports full-time travel and other lifestyle goals. August marked my highest affiliate month despite lower page views, reinforcing that effective promotion and strategy matter more than raw traffic.
My affiliate marketing course launched July 5, 2016, and includes modules, lessons, worksheets, bonuses, and an exclusive community. It covers topics such as choosing products, increasing conversions, building trust, disclosures, essential tools, and using Pinterest for affiliate success.
How was August for you? Are you interested in earning income online?