Welcome to my June online income report, where I share how I earned money online last month. Below is an update on my progress and a breakdown of my income, along with insights into what worked and what I’m planning next.
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.
These reports began as an “extra income report,” focusing on side-job earnings separate from my day job. In October 2013 I left my role as a financial analyst, and since then my monthly income reports cover all the ways I make a living online.
Many readers ask why I publish my income publicly. Some think it’s unusual; others appreciate the transparency. I continue to publish monthly income reports for three main reasons:
- Before I started blogging, I knew little about side hustles and making money online. I assumed salary increases at a full-time job were the only way to significantly boost income. If others hadn’t shared their monthly income reports, I might never have tried side hustling. I publish my numbers to show the positives of side hustling and to encourage others to improve their financial situation by exploring online income opportunities.
- Publishing monthly income reports helps me reflect on progress, learn from mistakes, and identify areas that need improvement. I treat these reports partly as a business journal and a tracking tool.
- I want to show that making side income from home is real and achievable. There are many legitimate ways to earn online, and I often point readers to roundups and examples of other bloggers who share their monthly income to inspire newcomers.
I still love being my own boss and working full-time on my blog. Every morning I wake up excited about what I’m doing, and that enthusiasm shows in how I approach the business.
How was my business income in June?
I earned $68,440 online in June, before expenses.
June was a strong month for income and work-life balance.
I completed my online course during the month. Although the final push was stressful, it was worth it. Because I had pre-scheduled blog posts, I was able to dedicate most of June to finishing the course instead of producing new site content.
Page views dipped slightly, but income remained healthy—demonstrating that blog income isn’t entirely dependent on traffic volume.
I expect both income and page views to be lower for another month or so, as summer often slows blogging, affiliate marketing, and ad performance. Traffic and earnings typically pick back up toward the end of August.
Overall, the business is growing, my income is increasing, and I have many plans for the rest of the year. I truly enjoy running this business and appreciate the freedom it provides.
If you’re interested in starting a blog, I have a step-by-step tutorial that walks you through setting up a self-hosted WordPress blog for a low monthly cost and explains why being self-hosted helped my revenue growth. Being self-hosted made it possible for me to monetize professionally and scale my blog faster.
Breakdown of June 2016 income – $68,440.23:
- Affiliate income – $52,280.23 total:
- Bluehost (see my tutorial on how to start a blog) – $36,270.00
- Survey companies – $11,714.75
- MOTIF Investing – $1,104
- Ebates (estimate, tiered program) – $1,000
- Izea/SponsoredTweets – $480.33
- Credible – $450
- $5 Meal Plan – $209.40
- Digit – $155.00
- How To Work From Home Selling On Amazon FBA – $110.50
- Beautiful Dawn Designs – $93.25
- Building A Framework – $90.00
- Mystery shopping – $35
- Miscellaneous affiliates – $568.00 (smaller affiliate earnings from numerous companies)
- Sponsorships and advertising – $14,400.00
- Display advertising – $1,760.00
- Staff writing – $0
The totals above are for June and are shown before fees and expenses. Some fees and expenses for the month—such as virtual assistants, technical support, newsletter expenses, graphic design, PayPal fees, and course-related costs—totaled roughly $2,700 (rounded). Taxes are not included in these expense figures. After expenses and fees, I made approximately $65,740.
Please remember I’m self-employed, so I’m responsible for taxes (which can exceed 30%), health insurance, and other benefits or costs an employer might normally cover.
I maintain a comprehensive income archive on my site, where you can find monthly reports going back several years. Below are a few past highlights from prior years.
- $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 (summary)
Comparisons and 2016 online income total:
- Total income in June of 2016: $68,440
- Total income in May of 2016: $69,085
- Difference: -$645
- Total in 2016 (year-to-date): $375,871
Blog news
Making Sense of Cents continues to do well. Traffic declined slightly in June due to seasonal trends; the site received about 425,000 page views. I expect traffic to stay near this level until August.
Recent blog updates:
- I launched a free email course called How To Start A Blog, which has already attracted over 2,000 sign-ups. It’s designed for people who want to create a blog but haven’t taken the first step yet.
- In April, I switched from Aweber to ConvertKit for email marketing. ConvertKit simplified my workflow and made managing email sequences much easier.
- I began using BoardBooster in March to save time on Pinterest management. It took some initial setup but now runs smoothly and reduced the time I spend on Pinterest. I still use Tailwind selectively for scheduling other bloggers’ pins to my boards.
Since I travel full-time in an RV, readers often ask how I stay connected. I use a Verizon MiFi to maintain reliable internet access while on the road, which is much more dependable than random public Wi-Fi.
Top new posts on Making Sense of Cents last month:
- 17 Personal Finance Books That Will Change Your Life
- How Saying “No” to Money is Saving Me Money
- How To Find Time To Make More Money
- Becoming an RV Family – How We Travel Full-Time With 4 Kids and 2 Dogs
- Why You Need To Grow Your Affiliate Income
- How To Take A 10 Day Trip To Hawaii For $22.40 – Flights & Accommodations Included
- Are These Bad Money Habits Making You Broke?
Featured Question: What is affiliate marketing?
I include one reader question in each monthly income report. If you have a question you’d like answered, leave a comment below.
Affiliate marketing is earning a commission by promoting products or services through a unique affiliate link. When someone clicks your link and completes a desired action—such as making a purchase, signing up for a service, or submitting a form—you earn a commission. This completed action is called a conversion.
Common ways to share affiliate links include:
- Adding links within blog posts, pages, or emails
- Promoting products on social media
- Sharing links during podcasts or webinars
- Including links in resource lists and recommendations
Affiliate marketing can be a very effective and, at times, passive revenue stream for bloggers and creators when done transparently and with products that genuinely help your audience.
My plans for the website and making money online
Clear goals help me stay focused and motivated. Current priorities include:
- Promote more. I’ve improved my promotion efforts, especially on Pinterest, which drove around 150,000 clicks in June. My goal is 500,000 Pinterest-driven clicks by year-end.
- Continue learning. I paused in June but plan to resume professional development soon.
- Accept more interviews. I participated in a few interviews in June and have more scheduled, which helps with exposure and growth.
- Double my income. I’ve set an ambitious goal to double 2015’s income by maintaining momentum and scaling strategies that already work.
- Create a digital product. I completed and launched my affiliate marketing course, which covers my strategy in depth and includes lessons, worksheets, bonuses, and an exclusive support community.
- Increase page views to 1,000,000 monthly. It’s a measurable target I’m pursuing to help drive larger revenue opportunities.
Staff writing
I did not take on staff writing in June. I’m handling fewer freelance assignments to focus more on my blog and product launches. Shifting focus away from freelancing has helped me increase income and achieve a better work-life balance.
Related resources I’ve published include guides on starting a freelance writing career, becoming a virtual assistant, and other ways to work remotely.
Affiliate income
In June I earned $52,280.23 in affiliate income. Affiliate earnings remain a major part of my business and are valuable because they can be relatively passive once content and funnels are set up. My affiliate marketing course launched in early July, and early enrollment response was very positive.
The course includes multiple modules, lessons, worksheets, bonuses, and an active private community. Topics cover how affiliate marketing works, picking the right products, driving conversions, maintaining trust with your audience, required disclosures, essential tools, and promotional strategies including Pinterest tactics.
How was June for you? Are you interested in earning income online?