How I Earned Income Blogging From Home in June

Welcome to the June business report, where I share how I made money online while traveling full-time last month. Below I provide an update on the business, highlights from the month, and plans for growth.

If you’re new to Making Sense of Cents, you might wonder why I publish a monthly business report.

This began as an extra income report, covering earnings from side jobs while I still had a day job. I tracked all income except my salary from that position. After leaving my job as a financial analyst in October 2013, these monthly updates evolved to show the multiple ways I make a living through my business.

Many readers ask why I publicly share what I’m working on each month. Some people think it’s unusual, while others appreciate the transparency. I publish these reports for three main reasons:

Before I started blogging, I knew little about side hustles and making money online. I assumed raises at a full-time job were the main way to increase income. If others hadn’t published their income reports, I might never have tried side hustling. I share my results to demonstrate the benefits of side income and to inspire others to improve their finances.
I use the reports to review progress, learn from mistakes, and identify areas for improvement. Publishing monthly keeps me accountable and helps me track growth over time.
I want to show that earning legitimate side income from home is possible through many different methods.

I often say this, but it’s true: being my own boss and a full-time blogger is wonderful. I wake up excited most days, and I genuinely enjoy the freedom and work I do.

These are some reasons I share monthly income reports. You don’t have to hate your job or life—making changes and pursuing income opportunities can allow you to enjoy life outside of work, whether that means spending time with family, pursuing hobbies, or exploring the outdoors.

A quick reminder on the recent announcement

I want to reiterate an earlier announcement for readers who may have missed it: I published a recap about the year’s income and whether these income reports would continue. If you missed it, please look for the update titled “How I Made Over $1,500,000 In 2018 – Is This The End Of Income Reports?” for details and context.

How was business income in June of 2019?

If you’re new here, the primary income streams for Making Sense of Cents are:

Affiliate marketing — the largest portion of income.
Sponsored partnerships.
Courses — including Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing and Making Sense of Sponsored Posts.
Display advertising — I use AdThrive; other options include Mediavine and Media.net for newer blogs.

I regularly earn over $100,000 per month from blogging, and over the years the business has generated more than $5 million in total revenue. June 2019 was another strong month: income remained solid, and I enjoyed the month while working toward growth goals for the rest of the year.

Some initiatives I’m pursuing to grow the site include:

Focusing on SEO. I plan to take a comprehensive SEO course to optimize content and grow organic traffic.
Learning about Pinterest and Facebook advertising to increase traffic and grow the email list.
Adding an online shop for products like printables.
Creating new opt-ins to attract more email subscribers.

The business performed well overall. I have many ideas for improving income, expanding readership, and publishing more helpful posts.

Below are select past monthly income reports. For the full list, see the income page on the site.

$672 extra in May (2012)
$6,523 in January extra income (2013)
$11,927 in October income — I finally left my 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
How I made over $1,500,000 in 2018

If you’re interested in starting a blog of your own, I created a tutorial that walks through setting up a WordPress blog with inexpensive hosting. Going self-hosted was essential for monetizing my blog, and switching to self-hosted WordPress was a turning point in growing my income.

Follow our travel adventures on Instagram. Photo by Cait.

Blog and life news

June was fun and productive. I signed up last-minute for Outwild — a weekend retreat filled with yoga, rock climbing, great food, and community. It was my first retreat and first yoga experience, and I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone. Attending solo felt like a grown-up summer camp and gave me a chance to disconnect and enjoy the outdoors.

The rest of the month I focused on boat maintenance, preparing for hurricane season, and finishing our van build. I also caught up on emails and wrote multiple blog posts. While I made good progress, my to-do list remains long.

Other updates from June:

I’m about one month ahead on blog posts; my goal is to be two to three months ahead.
Monthly traffic exceeded 400,000 page views.
I’m developing a series of practical financial tutorials—how to open a bank account, find an online bank, set up investment accounts, and more—and welcome topic suggestions.
The Making Sense of Cents community Facebook group continues to grow and now has over 15,000 members.
I released a free “How To Start A Blog” email course that thousands have signed up for. I also created a free “Master Your Money” email course with financial worksheets and a budget template.
Other free resources include “10 Easy Tips To Increase Your Affiliate Income” and “8 Easy Tips To Make Money From Sponsored Posts On Your Blog.”

Popular new posts on Making Sense of Cents last month:

How To Start A Successful Blog In 10 Steps
How We’ve Turned A Free Chair Into $103,000
Is Couponing Worth It?
We’re Going To Start Living In A Van!
How To Earn Over 20x The National Savings Rate
10 Easy and Delicious Camping Meal Recipes
How We Paid Off $266,329.01 in 33 Months
10 Powerful Lessons That Every Freelancer Needs to Know
Save Money With These Top Tips For Buying A New Car

My plans and goals for the blog and business

I have many goals right now and feel energized by the possibilities. Plans keep me motivated and help me build a sustainable business. Key items I’m working on include:

Completing a Facebook Ads for Bloggers course to learn paid strategies for growth.
Finishing the Stupid Simple SEO course to improve organic traffic and optimize content.
Creating a free opt-in resource affiliates can share to promote the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course.
Getting at least three months ahead on blog posts to free up time for other projects and travel.
Working fewer than 30 hours per week and improving work-life balance.
Being more present in everyday life while still enjoying and growing the business.
Having fun—an essential but unquantifiable goal for the year.

Affiliate marketing results

Affiliate income in June was around $50,000, which is typical for Making Sense of Cents. I expect affiliate revenue to increase in July and beyond as I promote several offers. My strategy includes expanding SEO efforts, testing Facebook and Pinterest ads, and creating high-quality funnels that provide value to readers.

Specific actions I’m taking to improve affiliate income:

Planning affiliate promotions across the year to stay organized.
Applying SEO techniques to increase traffic and conversions.
Using Facebook ads strategically to promote evergreen content and offers.
Building funnels to nurture readers and offer timely recommendations.
Analyzing top-performing affiliate posts to refine them and testing new affiliate products based on audience interest.

Affiliate income remains a favorite because of its passive potential, which supports full-time travel and flexibility. If you want to learn more, I offer a free “10 Easy Tips To Increase Your Affiliate Income” guide and a comprehensive course, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing, covering strategy, product selection, conversion optimization, and more.