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I’m thrilled to share my May 2017 income report. Below you’ll find the details of how I made almost $5,000 working online last month.
But first, a review of why I share these posts:
- I’ve always been inspired by reading income reports from others
- To show that you can make real money working at home (even with a houseful of kids!)
- So I have even more motivation to stay up to date on my income/expenses tracker 😀
Note: Wondering how I find time to work with 8 kids? I share all my secrets in Balancing Diapers and Deadlines. You can grab your copy (and over $2000 worth of other incredible products!) as part of the Work at Home Super Bundle.
Grab your copy today!
May 2017 Income
May didn’t start out with a bang. In fact, until the 30th, I had only earned $1,355.00.
What happened?
My curriculum writing client ended up misplacing one of my invoices. But, thankfully someone there worked hard to make sure I got paid in May.
With that payment, plus another small payment from a different client, I ended the month at my all-time high: $4,813.00!
I made almost $5,000 working part-time from home!
Still in shock! 😀 But so thankful for the opportunities that have come my way.
Now, I’m not going to sugar coat it. May was rough on me. The curriculum needs finished because school will be starting up again soon, and it was a lot of work. I had a couple of late nights, especially after my three-year old ended up with a broken thumb. Ouch! That resulted in a couple of nights of no sleep, and a couple of unexpected trips to town to see the doctor.
Combine that with the curriculum writing project ending soon and me needing to pitch more to find more gigs, and there were a couple of days where I definitely felt my head barely staying above water. Especially because I decided to double down on my book writing goal! (I finished, and it looks great! You’ll hear more about The Ultimate Guide to a Successful Writing Time later.)
Despite the increased work load (about 25 hours/week this month), we made it! My family helped more wherever they could, and we stuck to it, together.
Having family support helps so much! We’re in this life thing together, so it’s definitely important to be working towards the same goals.
Income Breakdown:
Curriculum Lesson Writing: 62%
Virtual Assistance: 21%
Writing: 15%
Affiliate Income: 2%
I’m excited that I reached triple digit affiliate income for the first time in May! Thank you!
May 2017 Expenses
I made some business decisions in May that resulted in more expenses. But, they saved me time. I definitely needed the time!
I also enrolled in a higher-end course to help me grow my email list. I’ve gone from low seventies to almost 200 in just a couple of weeks, so I think it was a good move as well. We’ll see as time goes on!
My expenses were $591.55. Here’s where the money went:
- Content Creation (eBook expenses: editing & cover design; images for blog)
- Education/Training
- Fees
- Marketing expenses (CovertKit (aff. link)and business email)
- Shipping (for a VA client)
- Subscriptions (Microsoft Office and a new to me blog maintenance subscription)
- Supplies
I also saved 25% of my income for taxes, and an additional 10% to put towards next month’s expenses. Then I tithe 10% of any money that enters our personal account.
Looking into June
June is underway, and here’s what I know:
- I’m really enjoying working with my latest VA client.
- The end of these lessons for the curriculum are in sight–should be done in two more weeks!
- I’m going to be investing more time and energy into growing my blogs.
- Pitching will increase as I have more time, I’ll need clients to help replace the curriculum writing income. (Need a writer or virtual assistant? Click here!)
I’ll continue seeing payment from these lessons through June, and into the beginning of July. I’m planning on putting a significant portion towards our debt reduction, so we can get below the threshold and continue moving forward on our missionary application. (Still need to pay off around $7,600!)
How Did May Treat You?
Did you also reach your personal high income? Was it an average month? Or were you in the middle of a freelance famine? However you ended last month, I’d love for you to share in the comments below.
Lisa Tanner is a former teacher turned homeschooling mom with 11 kids. She's also a successful freelance writer. Lisa enjoys helping other busy moms find time to start and grow a side hustle of their own.
Thank you for sharing your detailed information. I haven’t earned any money from my blog yet, but you give me hope that this will be a possibility down the road.
Just keep working on it Diane, and don’t give up. There is definitely money to be made blogging and working online. Have a great day!