How I Earned Income Blogging from Home in May

Welcome to my May business report, where I share how I made money online while traveling full-time last month. Here’s an update on how the business performed and what I learned.

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

This began as an extra income report to document the money I earned from side jobs, excluding income from my day job. I quit my job as a financial analyst in October 2013, and since then my monthly reports have showcased the various ways I earn a living through my business.

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

Before I started blogging I knew almost nothing about side hustles or making money online. I believed raises at a full-time job were the only way to significantly increase income. If it weren’t for other bloggers sharing monthly income reports, I might never have tried side hustling. I publish these reports to show the possibilities of side income and to motivate others to improve their financial situation.
I use these reports to reflect, learn from mistakes, and identify areas that need improvement. Tracking progress publicly also helps keep me accountable.
I want to demonstrate that earning money from home is possible and that there are legitimate ways to build income streams from home.

As I say each month, life is great now that I’m my own boss and a full-time blogger. I genuinely look forward to each day and cherish the freedom my business provides.

A quick reminder on the recent announcement.

I’ll repeat the announcement because I’ve been asked about it: see my post “How I Made Over $1,500,000 In 2018 – Is This The End Of Income Reports?” for details and context so readers who missed it aren’t confused.

How was business income in May 2019?

Here are the primary income sources for Making Sense of Cents:

Affiliate Marketing – the largest portion of income.
Sponsored Partnerships – brand collaborations and sponsored posts.
Courses – such as the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course and Making Sense of Sponsored Posts.
Display Advertising – I use Raptive; other options include Mediavine or Media.net for newer blogs.

I regularly earn over $100,000 per month from blogging and have earned over $5,000,000 from the business over the years. May 2019 was another strong month for the blog and business. I earned well and enjoyed the month while balancing travel and work.

I have many plans for the rest of the year to grow the blog: increasing income, attracting more readers, publishing helpful content, and improving systems. Specific actions I’ll focus on include:

Focusing on SEO by taking an SEO course from start to finish to improve search traffic.
Learning Pinterest and Facebook advertising to grow traffic and expand the email list.
Adding a shop to sell digital products like printables.
Creating new opt-ins to grow the email list and reach more readers.

The business is thriving, and I’m excited about the ideas I’m planning to implement. Below are a few notable monthly income reports and milestones from previous years if you want to see how things evolved.

$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, I created a tutorial that walks you through starting a WordPress blog with affordable hosting. Being self-hosted is crucial for monetization and helped my blog income take off.

*Follow our travel adventures on Instagram.*

Blog and life updates

May was wonderful. We got our van, took a short road trip to visit family, and returned to the boat. At the end of May and into early June we sailed from Fort Lauderdale, stopped in the Keys, and continued on to St. Petersburg. The passage included a memorable night sail, stars over the ocean, and dolphins swimming alongside us for hours.

I also caught up on work and cleared many emails and messages accumulated while we were in the Bahamas. It was a productive month, though my to-do list remains long.

Other highlights and blog-related updates:

I’m currently about one month ahead on blog posts; my goal is to be 2–3 months ahead.
Traffic for the month exceeded 400,000 page views.
I’m working on a series of practical finance tutorials and how-to guides (e.g., opening a bank account, writing a check, finding an online bank, creating an investment account). What topics would you like covered?
Our community Facebook group has grown to over 14,000 members, where readers can ask questions about finance, blogging, travel, and business.
I released a free “How To Start A Blog” email course that has welcomed over 50,000 sign-ups and received very positive feedback.
Following that success, I relaunched the free “Master Your Money” email course, which includes money management lessons and free financial worksheets like a budget template.
Other freebies include guides on increasing affiliate income and making money from sponsored posts.

Popular new posts last month:

Living On A Boat – The Good, The Bad, And The Beautiful
How To Make $1,000 Extra With Facebook Each Month
15 Outdoor Jobs For People Who Love Being Outside
10 Easy Freezer Meal Recipes
30 Money And Life Lessons I’ve Learned In The First 30 Years Of My Life
How We Paid Off Our $223,000 House By The Time We Were 30 (Yes, We Have Kids!)
Money And Relationships: Are You On The Verge Of Calling It Quits?

Featured question: How can I get the most out of a blogging/writing/media/industry conference?

I answer one reader question in each monthly report. Attending conferences is an excellent way to network, learn, and grow your blog or writing career. Many bloggers avoid networking or treat other bloggers as competition, but collaboration and relationship-building are valuable.

My tips for getting the most out of a conference:

Bring business cards. They’re an easy way for people to remember and contact you after the event.
Have a concise elevator pitch that explains who you are, what you do, and what you hope to gain from the conference.
Attend the sessions to learn from experienced speakers and deepen your knowledge.
Go to events like parties, dinners, and interviews. Those settings are great for informal networking and meeting potential collaborators.
Have fun and push past nerves. Many attendees feel nervous; being open and friendly will help you make meaningful connections.

Do you attend blogging or media conferences? Which one are you planning to go to next?

Past featured questions have covered topics like whether it’s too late to start a blog, how to find photos, the cost to start a blog, increasing affiliate income, building websites to sell, and many more practical blogging questions.

Plans and goals for the blog and business

June is busy: more work on the boat, travel to visit family, and outfitting the van for future trips. I also plan to make significant progress on a few business priorities. Clear goals help maintain focus and motivation.

Current projects and goals include:

Complete the Facebook Ads for Bloggers course to better use paid social to grow traffic and sales.
Finish the Stupid Simple SEO course to implement stronger SEO practices and grow organic traffic.
Create a free opt-in that affiliates can use to promote the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course and earn referrals.
Get at least three months ahead on blog posts to reduce stress and allow more flexibility for travel and life.
Work less than 30 hours per week to improve work-life balance while maintaining productivity.
Be more present and enjoy life outside of work; this year I’m prioritizing travel and experiences alongside the business.
Have fun—enjoy the year and the adventures ahead.

Affiliate marketing results

Affiliate income in May was around $60,000, which is in line with normal levels for the blog. Most of that was passive affiliate income, with one promoted launch. I continue to refine my approach to affiliate marketing through planning, SEO, paid ads, funnels, and content optimization.

Steps I’m taking to improve affiliate income include:

Planning affiliate promotions across the year to stay organized.
Applying SEO techniques to grow organic traffic and affiliate conversions.
Testing Facebook ads to amplify affiliate offers and reach new audiences.
Building high-quality funnels to nurture readers and improve conversions.
Growing overall reach to attract new readers and potential customers.
Analyzing and improving high-performing affiliate posts.
Finding additional affiliate products that align with my audience’s interests.