I earn money online blogging by spending less than 5 hours per month. This post contains affiliate links/ads. See disclosure policy.

Welcome to my November and December income reports.

As you know, it’s already February and these reports should have been published last month. I’ve got a really great reason for not publishing this post in time.

Our family added another little munchkin. Our son was born mid-December and I haven’t had the time to keep my blog updated.

These past November and December, I was only updating my old posts to improve the contents. I did have a couple of posts that had been scheduled to come out in those months, which were good because I didn’t do a whole lot with my blog.

As you read in the first sentence, I only managed to blog 5 hours each month. That’s because of the sleepless nights and my inability to think clearly. Haha. But it has gotten better than.

Even with fewer hours, I still managed to pull it big dollars. To be more precise, I pulled in more Money than when I was Blogging 10 hours per month.

That’s a good thing about blogging. Once your blog is in good state, it’s a moneymaker that gives on giving.

I can literally stop publishing for a couple of months and still make money.

By the way, we just bought a Toyota Sienna van to fit our growing family. We’d love to stick with a car but 6 people won’t fit in our 5-seater car.

And who paid for our new minivan? It’s my blog.

I never thought I would earning so much from blogging. Now, we have a new car, a new house, and others, all because of blogging.

Why my reports look different from the rest?

If you’ve been reading other blog income reports, you’ll see similar formats.

I like to be different for good reasons than explaining why I report my income, what my blog goals are, etc.

I want to show you all what blogging has done for my family. I can tell you how much I made, why I blog, etc. but it doesn’t really provide you the full picture of what blogging does in a personal, family level.

That’s why I have decided to include more than just my blog income report. I also wanted to include things that directly and indirectly affected as a result of blogging.

Why change?

My blogger friends asked me why I needed to re-invent the wheel and not go with the normal way of reporting income, that is, sharing the reasons for blogging, how much a blogger made the past month, the challenges of blogging, etc.

The answer is simply because the income report format out there doesn’t really reflect who I am, what I need to convey, among others.

Blogging is my platform to be unique, to help out others even in the smallest ways, to earn full-time money on a part-time basis, and help other get their feet of the blogging ground.

I am able to do that. If you think you can’t succeed in blogging because your chosen niche is over saturated, please learn from my experience.

I thought personal finance niche was saturated, but I found my voice and am making over $20K. You can find your voice, too. For just $2.95/mo, you can start blogging, find  your voice, make a difference, and earn a living.

I’m a living proof of that. 

By the way, that price is 50% off of the regular price of $7.99/mo, something that only a few bloggers can offer.

Click here to start your blog with Bluehost. I never thought I could make money from blogging. But now, I am and have been. There’s money in blogging and you can get your fair share, too.

So, what have changed?

These are the things that have changed in my blog income report format.

• My income report details not only how my blog is performing but also where my blog money is going, that is, in terms of investments, mortgage, etc. This is to show you how blogging has really changed my family’s life for the best.
• I will include my investment results in this report. Why? Around 50% of my blog income money goes to investment (i.e. 401(k), IRA, and college education). These investments are direct result of blogging, to say the least.

Earn Money Blogging: What’s New?

In this income report, I will answer the following questions:

• How much I made?
• Where my blog money went?
• What’s new with my blog?
• What’s in it for you with blogging?
• Are you afraid of blogging?

How much I made?

These past two months (i.e. November and December) I made a total of $39,286.55. I made $18,884.35 in November and $20,402.20 in December. I am so proud of this accomplishment because I did not put a lot of time into blogging but was fortunate to have earned such a big amount.

In total, I only spent 10 hours (i.e. 5 hours per month) blogging these past two months, because of time constraints due to preparing for a newborn to come and lack of sleep when the baby came.

Here are the products that helped me improve my revenue numbers these past two months.

Note: There were a lot of products and services that came to my blog for sponsorship, advertisements, etc. but I declined them. I didn’t want to promote something that my wife and I have not personally used before. 

INCOME

AdThrive: $8,687.91

AdThrive is open to bloggers whose blogs have more than 100,000 page views each month. I am fortunate to get at least 160,000 page views each month. Thanks to Strategies That Skyrocketed My Blog Page Views from 0 to 170K/Mo a Month in 9 Months . If your blog has page views above the minimum requirement, I recommend you contact AdThrive.

Bluehost: $4,850.00

Bluehost all the way since day 1. That’s right. That’s me. I’ve been with Bluehost since I started and just recently renewed (see image below). It is definitely the best of the best in web hosting and one of the best investments I’ve ever had.

If you are looking for sustainable side hustle, one that keeps on giving, then, blogging is one of the best ways to make money. I’ve been blogging less but my income keeps on growing.

For a special price of $2.95/mo instead of the regular price of $7.99, you can create and start monetizing your blog. That’s 50% off of the regular price. That’s just a coffee fix.

Blog Page View Strategies: $2,254.87 (net, that is, gross amount minus taxes)

My new e-book entitled “Strategies To Skyrocket Your Blog’s Page Views” is a massive hit. It’s only been out for only a couple of weeks now and it has been purchased by more than 80 people.

This e-book details the in-depth strategies I  took to get from 0 to 170K in just 9 months. If you are stuck, don’t know how to increase your page views, and/or want to improve your page views, then, this e-book is made for you.

See the post here for a glimpse on what to expect from this e-book. There are more in the e-book than what you see in the post.

Budget Printables: $645.91

For the past two months, my budget printables have competed with my other affiliates when it comes to revenue.

Just FYI, these printables were what my wife and I used to pay off our $40K debt and save at least $70K in 2.5 years.

We still use it everyday. If you are looking for budgeting worksheets, I highly recommend you grab this binder kit.

It’s on sale for just for only $7.99, which is 65% off of its original price of $19.99.

Networks: $5,543.21

I’m currently an affiliate with IGain, Share-A-Sale, FlexOffers,and Panthera Network. If you’re looking for great affiliate networks, I recommend these networks.

IGain has finance-related products while Share-A-Sale and FlexOffers have products/services you can think of under the sun. Panthera Network, is my favorite one, because it always brings me great affiliates and payouts.

Smart Asset: $890.18

Coming from an average of $70 per month, my Smart Asset revenue has dramatically increased these past couple of months. Thanks to my affiliate manager who is always there to help me with optimizing my Smart Asset placement.

Sponsored Posts: $0.00

I did not entertain any sponsored posts in November and December.

Tailwind: $300.00

Tailwind is the reason for my massive blog traffic. I’ve only blogging for a little over a year but my page views are just fantastic. Now, my page views hover around 170K/month. I expect the views to pick up this holiday season.

If you sign up using my link, you will get $15. There is a Tailwind FREE Trial, and you can also subscribe for $9.99/mo when you sign up for a year. You can  contact me for FREE if you have Tailwind questions.

I do not charge for helping bloggers, but if you want to donate, you can do that as well.

Subtotal Income: $23,172.08

Additional Income

Investments: $16,114.50

While other bloggers invest in creating e-courses, books, etc. to supplement their blog income, I invest to let my money grow. I use half of my blogging income to invest in the stock market.

I made $16,114.50 over two months. That’s the return I got from the stock market and not the money invested. This is roughly 9.32% return over the past two months. You can’t get that this type of return in the bank.

So, why do I focus on investing than creating e-courses or selling something via my blog. There are couple reasons for that. Here they are:

• Creating a product takes a long time. I don’t have time on my hand with a new kid on the way, growing family, full time job, etc. I like to spend as much time as I can with my family. Thanks to blogging… I am able to do that as I am not forced to do something I don’t want to do. If I can’t publish a post today, then so be it.
• Growing my money is easier with investments. Your money will grow interest on top on interest on top of interest. Even if I hang my blogging cape, my money will still grow. My wife and I plan to retire where we don’t have to do anything, that is, no work, no blogging, etc. Stock market returns will allow us to live like that.
• Living a simple life. We don’t need a lot of money. As simple as that. While stock market can be complicated and nerve-wracking, it can be made simple, if you make a strategy for yourself.

I am no investment savvy but I have been able to beat the stock market indices because I devised my own strategy. I look into historical data and created simple analysis using Blooom (which is insanely one of the easiest platforms I’ve used so far and is also FREE to use).

If you want to grow your money, you might want to look into the stock market investing. Click here to start using Betterment for FREE.

If you are uncomfortable with investing a large sum of money, you can always start with a few dollars here and there. Remember the early you invest, the greater the chance your money will grow.

You can also do ‘cents’ investing with Acorns. Acorns will round your purchases and give you cash back (big cash back) on select purchases, which will be invested to over 7000 stocks and bonds to diversify investments and reduce risks.

With Acorns, you’ll feel like you’re not investing but you are. I call it ‘cents investing with a sense’. Click here to start with Acorns and get a $5 sign up BONUS.

Note: A fellow blogger friend asked me why I didn’t want to create an e-course or e-book detailing investment strategies. He said I would make a ton of money knowing how much lucky I have been in the stock market.

I didn’t want to do an e-course or e-book because I am not a licensed or certified financial planner, stock broker, or other licensed professional. I don’t want to give advice or recommendations that may not be the right actions for my readers.

Having said that, I do recommend readers to consult licensed professionals for investment purposes and/or use investment platforms like Betterment and  Acorns  to better gauge your investment needs. 

Total Income – $39,286.55

EXPENSES

Pinterest VA – $200.00

I started contracting my favorite Pinterest VA to do the scheduling and managing of my Pinterest account. I did that because I want to cut down more time so I can spend more time with my family.

Total Expenses: $200.00

Net Income: $39,086.55

Where did my blog money go?

I included this section because it allows me to provide a snapshot on how blogging really helps my family’s financial well-being and other aspects of my family’s life.

I honestly and seriously didn’t think I would make money from blogging.

I was happy when I saw $0.05 from Google Adsense on my second month blogging. Now, I earn way more than what I had hoped for. You’ll never know how a side hustle will work out for until you try it.

It’s an affordable and viable hobby that could take your life around for good.

If you consider blogging to make additional money on the side or to replace your day job income, you can start your blog with my special, negotiated price of $2.95/mo versus the regular price of $7.99/mo.

Anyhow, here’s where my blog money went these past couple of months:

House: $3,200.00 (That’s the house you see above)

• Our mortgage payment every month is $1,600. So, that’s $3,200 for two months. It already includes all the taxes, PMI, principal, interest, and even additional payment to the principal. Click here to find how blogging pays our mortgage and some more.

Car: $618.00

• We recently bought our minivan because our cash won’t fit 6 people. We would have loved to stick with a car but with a new addition to the family, we just couldn’t fit 6 people in a 5-seater car.

College education: $600.00

• We put money into our daughter’s college savings 529 plan. We put $300.00 per month using my blog money and also $300/mo using our day job money.

Grocery: $600.00

• Our monthly food budget for a family of 5 is just $300.00.  We spent $600.00 for these past two months. We eat good food and do not buy pre-processed, prepacked foods. Each meal is made from scratch. Click here to find out how we are able to eat great on a budget.

Repair and Maintenance: $1,000.00

• We save $500.00/mo for repair and maintenance. We haven’t used it but we continue saving just in case something needs to be repaired/maintained. We don’t want to get money out from our checking/savings in case we need something done in our house.

Other monthly expenses: $2,200.00

• Our total other monthly expenses are around $3,800.00. The ones noted above are the major ones and are included in our monthly targeted budget. Things that are not noted above are internet, water and sewer, trash, and some other things. These expenses total to $1,100.00/mo, which is what my blog pays for.

Retirement: $8,000.00

• We put in a ton of money towards our retirement accounts. We don’t usually include funds allotted towards retirement as expenses. That’s why I didn’t include retirement under “Other Monthly Expenses.”

Rest of the income: The rest of the money

• The rest of my blog money goes to savings and checking accounts. I’ll park it there until my wife and I can figure out what we need to do with that money.

What’s new with my blog?

There’s nothing new with my blog except for the blog posts that I updated. I spent so little time with my blog that I barely touch it.

Having said that, I made so much more money in November and December. That’s what blogging can do for you.

It will keep making you money month after month once you have your blog up and running and in a good state.

I can literally stop publishing for a couple of months and still make money.

What’s in it for you with blogging?

I realized that a lot of the readers of my income reports are those who consider blogging and making money from it. I’ve been asked by a lot of people why I blog. Now, I am returning the question to you. What would blogging do for you?

Blogging is more than just a hobby. You could benefit well from it, seriously.

If you consider creating your own blog and monetizing it, here are some of the benefits:

• Help. As  a blogger, you have the opportunity to help other people with your knowledge and expertise. For example, I was in deep debt before but was able to get out of it quickly. Because I’ve experienced that and some other finance-related experiences, I have been able to share my thoughts and experiences and help others even in the smallest possible ways.
• Authority. When you become a well-known blogger and your blog is the go-to site for a lot of people, you are becoming or become the authority in whatever niche your blog is in.
• Money. You can make full-time money by working part time. I do this now. I only put in roughly 10 hours a month on my blog and still make full-time money. You can even retire, travel the world, and not worry about money because blogging makes money for you. Our blogging pays for everything and we get to keep our day job income. Click here to read the post.
• Network. I can’t tell you enough how blogging is a great way to expand your network. This network will be there for you from personal and professional stand points. I don’t think I’d survive my first year without my fellow bloggers.
• Personal relationship. My relationship with my wife has gone to another level because of blogging. My wife and I work closely with my blog. She’s the brain and I am the writer. We communicate and exchange ideas; we help out each other to make sure I write the best post I could possibly write, and others. Blogging helps us become closer and have better marriage than ever before.
• So many more. There are a ton of other benefits you can gain from blogging.

Are you thinking of starting your own blog but afraid to do it?

I was a new blogger and I felt the same exact feeling that you might be feeling right now. You are not alone in the boat. There are a lot of new bloggers who feel they don’t know where to start, how to start, how to build audience, etc.

I recently created an e-book entitled “15+ Strategies I Applied To Skyrocket My Blog’s Page Views from 0 to 170K/mo in 9 Months“. In this e-book, I detailed the exact strategies I adopted to drastically improve my blog’s page views from 0 to 170K/mo in just 9 months.

If you ask new bloggers, getting 30K page views per month is hard while getting 170K/mo in such a short time is close to impossible but doable. I discuss the strategies that you can apply right now. Yes, you can apply these strategies without any blogging experience.

Is it only designed for new bloggers? Absolutely not. If you want to increase your blog page views, this is also for you.

This e-book is your guide to getting the page view your blog deserves.

Final thoughts:

That’s about it for now. I can’t believe November and December are done. I can’ wait to post another income report because there have been big changes this January.

See you, then.

The post Earn Money Blogging: How I Earned Over $39,000 In 2 Months appeared first on The Practical Saver.