How I Earned $104,814 in September Working From Home

Welcome to the September business income report, where I share how much I earned online last month. Here’s the monthly update and a breakdown of how the business performed.

If you’re new to Making Sense of Cents, you may wonder why I publish monthly income reports. If you’re familiar, feel free to skip ahead.

This began as an extra income report focused on side hustles. In the early days I reported all income earned from side jobs, excluding my day job. I left my financial analyst role in October 2013, and now my monthly reports cover the full range of ways I earn a living.

Many people ask why I publicly share my income each month. Some think it’s odd, and others appreciate the transparency. I publish these reports for three main reasons:

When I first learned about side hustles and online income, others’ monthly income reports inspired me to try. I want to show how side hustling can positively change someone’s life and to encourage readers to improve their financial situations.
Publishing income reports helps me reflect, learn from mistakes, and identify areas that need improvement. They function as a business journal and tracking tool.
I want to demonstrate that earning extra income is possible through legitimate work from home. To help readers find more examples, I previously compiled a Monthly Income Report Roundup that highlights bloggers who share their monthly earnings.

Life is wonderful now that I’m my own boss and a full-time blogger. I genuinely enjoy waking up every morning and look forward to each day.

My reports aim to show that you don’t have to hate your job or your life. You can pursue income streams that support a life you enjoy—whether that means more time with family, creative pursuits, outdoor activities, or travel. A job should, at minimum, allow you the freedom to do what you love outside of work.

How was business income in September 2018?

I earned $104,814 blogging and online in September 2018, before expenses.

September was a strong month for Making Sense of Cents and the overall business. I earned a solid income and enjoyed the month.

I feel like I’ve been working less while maintaining good income, which is rewarding. It’s satisfying to see the long-term effort pay off and help improve my work/life balance.

I don’t think I worked more than about 10 hours per week in September, which was a welcome change—though I do miss being busier sometimes.

I have big plans for the rest of the year and plan to get more organized. I’m considering a simple monthly planner to visualize everything at a glance instead of relying solely on my phone.

Recent months have shown similar income levels, around $100,000, partially due to the typical summer blogging slowdown. Traffic and revenue often dip in the summer and pick up again in the fall. Other factors this year included travel and visitors that limited my work time.

I never imagined I would earn over $1,000,000 a year from blogging. Remember that I started at $0 and built this income through consistent effort. Don’t assume that modest goals like $100 or $1,000 are out of reach; with dedication, progress is possible.

September was a gratifying month across the board—blogging, courses, and life. The business is doing well, and I find myself frequently thinking, “Life is really good.”

My Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course continues to perform strongly, with many new students joining recently. The course is still growing without recent guest posts or webinars, which is encouraging.

September 2018 income annual chart — *This chart only goes back to March 2017. You can find all of my income reports on the income page.*

Breakout of September 2018 income – $104,814.93

In September 2018, my blogging business earned $104,814.93. Below is the income breakdown by category:

Affiliate income – $65,438.93
- Bluehost – $44,660.00
- Survey companies – $10,985.50
- Six Figure Blogger – $1,417.00
- How To Work From Home Selling On Amazon FBA – $1,008.30
- Credible – $700.00
- Emergency Binder – $618.80
- Ebates (estimated tiered affiliate) – $500.00
- Internet Scoping School – $419.56
- Bookkeeper Business Academy – $413.50
- ConvertKit – $376.07
- Personal Capital – $200.00
- $5 Meal Plan – $131.70
- Miscellaneous affiliates – $4,008.50 (includes partner programs for which exact figures are withheld for privacy and some small affiliate earnings)
Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course – $24,243.00
Sponsorships and advertising – $12,700.00
Display advertising – $2,433.00

Total: $104,814.93

The amounts above are for September before fees and expenses. Estimated fees and expenses that reduce this total are around $4,000 and include virtual assistants, course platform fees, technical assistance, newsletter expenses, PayPal and Stripe transaction fees, etc. This does not include taxes. Affiliate payouts for course promotion totaled $4,282. After expenses and fees, I earned approximately $96,532.

Please remember that I am self-employed. I must cover taxes (which exceed 30%), health insurance, and benefits typically provided by an employer.

Below are links to some other monthly income reports and summaries from past years, showing how the business has evolved over time.

$672 extra in May (2012)
$6,523 in January extra income (2013)
$11,927 in October income — I left my day job (2013)
$12,640 in January income (2014)
$23,758 in February income (2015)
How I made $300,000 online in 2015
How I made $979,321 in 2016
How I made $1,536,732 in 2017

Comparisons and 2018 business income total:

Total income in September 2018: $104,814
Total income in August 2018: $110,284
Difference from the previous month: -5,470
Total in 2018: $1,205,129

Blog news – 5 Year Self-Employment Anniversary!

This fall marks five years since I left my day job to blog full-time.

I can’t believe it’s been five years. Sometimes it feels longer; other times it feels like I just started. The changes have been profound. I used to work as an analyst at an investment banking and valuation firm, doing the typical 8-to-5 grind. I had student loan debt then, a mortgage, and car payments.

Now I’m financially independent, travel full-time, and run a business I love. I can retire when I want, and I enjoy life surrounded by supportive friends and family.

I attended FinCon in September, which was excellent. I’ll share more about that in the Featured Question section. We also closed on a sailing catamaran in May and have spent much of our time outfitting and adapting to boat life, which has kept us busy but excited for the future.

Overall site traffic for the month was around 500,000 page views.

Other blog and business updates:

I’m creating a new series with step-by-step financial tutorials—topics like opening a bank account, writing a check, choosing an online bank, and setting up investment accounts. I’m open to suggestions for additional topics.
I’m considering group coaching to help more people and build a supportive community for bloggers, as one-on-one coaching was time-intensive.
The Making Sense of Cents Facebook community continues to grow and now has over 13,000 members where readers can ask questions about finance, blogging, travel, and more.
I launched a free How To Start A Blog email course; over 40,000 people have signed up. I also created a free Master Your Money email course featuring money management lessons and worksheets.

Featured Question: What are the top things you’ve learned recently?

I feature one reader question each month. Please leave a comment if you have a question you’d like answered.

I attended FinCon in September, a conference I love. I attend for the sessions, of course, but I learn a great deal from conversations with other bloggers and finance experts.

The biggest takeaway for me this year was realizing that I’m happy sticking with blogging and that it’s perfectly okay not to pursue every large-scale opportunity others chase—like public speaking or building a massive company. Success looks different for everyone. I prefer a smaller team and a life that fits my preferences, even though I admire those who pursue larger ambitions.

That said, FinCon inspired a few practical ideas I’ll implement, including better email management (I receive about 1,000 emails a day) and creating more printable resources for readers, both for money management and blogging.

Tell me in the comments: What are you working on? Are you working on working less?

My plans for the blog and business

Clear plans and goals help keep a business focused and maintain motivation. Current priorities include:

Get at least three months ahead on Making Sense of Cents posts. I’m currently less than one month ahead; being ahead on content will free time to focus on other priorities.
Create two more products to sell in 2018 to diversify income beyond my flagship affiliate marketing course.
Grow to 150,000 email subscribers by the end of 2018.
Work less than 20 hours per week to maintain a better work/life balance.
Have fun and enjoy the journey—this is as important as any measurable goal.

Affiliate income results

In September 2018, I earned $65,438 in affiliate income. As we prepare to cruise full-time while living on a sailboat, passive affiliate income will be especially valuable since internet access may be less reliable and I’ll be busier with boat life.

Affiliate income offers a level of passive revenue that supports full-time travel and flexibility. Blogging income does not strictly depend on page views; new bloggers can also earn with the right affiliate approach. That’s the core of what I teach in my Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course, which launched in July 2016 and has enrolled over 5,000 students.

The course contains six modules, 30+ lessons, worksheets, bonuses, and access to an exclusive Facebook group. Topics include choosing affiliate products, increasing conversions, building reader trust, required disclosures, essential tools, and promotion strategies. It’s designed to help bloggers at every stage and across niches.

How was September for you? Are you interested in earning blogging income?