How I Earned $7,862 Extra in March and My Next Goals

Happy Monday and happy April, everyone! March was another great month. I earned a significant amount of extra income from my side hustles, and life in general has been going well. We purchased a new car and decided we won’t be selling our house this year — we’re planning to wait. This post is quite long; would you prefer I split posts like this into multiple parts, or is one long post okay?

If you remember, W and I covered a vacation for his parents. They left on Wednesday and returned late tonight. I’m so glad we could give them a Caribbean getaway — without my extra-income efforts, I’m not sure that would have been possible. That’s one of the main reasons I pursue side hustles: why not make the most of my time outside the salaried job?

In March I earned $7,862 in extra income after most expenses. If you’re new here, “Extra Income” refers to earnings that do not include my salaried job in the financial services industry. It also doesn’t include W’s income since his pay is commission-based and varies month to month.

None of this was effortless — I put in enough time that it’s comparable to a full-time job in addition to my salaried position. Fortunately, I enjoy what I do and my financial goals motivate me: paying off student loans and saving for a new house next year. See more on my Extra Income page for details.

This total is for March, after most fees and expenses (expenses were a little over $900 and include payments to staff writers and work with FITnancials, PayPal fees, etc.). March’s number above includes rent income.

March was an excellent month and I hope earnings continue to rise. Affiliate income has been performing very well and I’ve focused more energy there. If you want inspiration, check out The Happy Homeowner’s blog for another example of a blogger growing their extra income significantly.

I’ve come a long way since early last year when I celebrated $50 in extra income for a month. Don’t get me wrong — $50 was great — but I never imagined I’d be where I am now.

Blog

The new design for Making Sense of Cents should roll out this month, and I’m excited to see how it looks. March was busy for the blog and I’ve been working to create more helpful content. Many readers have enjoyed the debt payoff series — is there another topic or guest post series you’d like me to add? I find it valuable to hear varied personal experiences and how different people reach their goals.

I have a long list of post ideas for April. Whenever inspiration strikes I add it to my phone’s to-do list so I don’t forget. Also, more people are aware of the blog now; only a few people don’t know. Because I write about personal life details, I’m considering referring to our budget using percentages instead of specific dollar amounts to preserve some privacy. Have you ever had to change how you share personal details once more people knew about your site? What adjustments did you make?

In February I posted “How To Start A Blog – Tips for a Beginner” and “Blogger or WordPress (and how to switch to WordPress).” Those posts generated decent affiliate income, which will be included in April’s income report. Thanks to everyone who has supported the blog!

My sister’s blog, FITnancials, is progressing well even though she’s not strict about a posting schedule. I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned to help her improve. If you haven’t yet, consider subscribing to FITnancials.

Staff Writing

My staff writing workload has decreased since the fall. I’ve turned down opportunities and one outlet was affected by a PageRank issue. That’s worked out because it freed time for other priorities. Currently I write for one personal finance site and one hotel travel blog. In March I earned about $700 from staff writing; I’m intentionally scaling this back to a manageable level.

March Goals Update

Cook 5 days a week. PASS. We had a strong stretch until about a week ago; we need to make more meals at home.
Run 4 times a week and lose 3 pounds. PASS. I’ve been consistent with workouts and want to start running in the mornings before work.
Make an extra $5,500 this month. PASS. I exceeded that goal by more than $2,000.
Choose a wedding date. We need to coordinate with W’s family since we’ll be using their property. FAIL. We discussed plans but didn’t set a date yet — it’s fine for now.
Sell 25 items from my closet. FAIL. I didn’t sort my closet and forgot about this goal.
Come up with a name for the new business. FAIL. Progress is stalled due to busy season and limited time.

Old picture from San Juan 2011

April Goals

Cook 5 days a week. We spend too much on dining out, so with a solid meal plan this should be achievable. This goal will likely stay on the list indefinitely.
Run 4 times a week and lose 3 pounds. I want to lose a bit more weight and build muscle.
Make an extra $6,000 this month. This is a modest increase from March and feels realistic given my focus on affiliate income.
Choose a wedding date. We must coordinate with W’s family soon so planning can move forward.
Sell 25 items from my closet. We want to declutter the house in preparation for possibly selling in the future.
Come up with a name for the new business. Naming is the first step before forming a legal entity, building a website, or purchasing inventory.
Go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and spend money on home improvements. We plan to upgrade landscaping and buy plants, and swap outdated door hardware. I’ve earned some gift cards from credit card rewards to help.

Extra Monthly Income in March

Staff writing – $700
Blog (consulting and advertising — direct ads and Adsense — after expenses) – $5,687
Blog — Affiliate income – $1,100
Virtual Assistant tasks – $50
Selling clothes – $0
Miscellaneous (not related to blogging/online income) – $0
Mystery shopping – $0
Rent (I rent a room to my sister) – $325

Comparisons and 2013 total