Welcome to my very first blog income report! I have decided to begin publishing a monthly blog income report for three main reasons:
- To be as transparent as possible with my blog’s growth and development;
- To allow me to track my blog’s progress; and
- To show others that it is possible to make money blogging.
Although I started my blog in August 2016, I didn’t actually begin trying to generate income from it until December 2017 for a few reasons:
-
I wasn’t confident enough in my writing!
I’m not a great writer and have always dreaded writing anything other than my name; hence why I studied finance and not English! It also led me to believe that I would never get one visitor to my site, let alone thousands.
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I didn’t know it was possible to generate income from blogging
I initially began blogging as a way to document my journey and teach others what I was learning along the way. I had no clue people actually made money blogging! Come to find out, there are plenty of awesome full-time personal finance bloggers out there sharing their stories as well. But in the beginning, I wasn’t aware of all the opportunities (monetary and non-monetary) that came along with running a blog, so the possibility of making a little extra money didn’t cross my mind.
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I wasn’t consistent with my content
Prior to December 2017, I didn’t take posting content or developing my blog seriously. I didn’t look at it as a viable business opportunity even though I was spending money to run it (hosting services, email accounts, etc.). I took notice of a few personal finance bloggers that were making thousands of dollars while helping a ton of people in the process, and it started to motivate me the more I read about their story. So, I created a plan to create consistency with posting content, and not only for the purpose of generating income, but more so to stick with something I created and see it through to success.
How much have I made so far?
I promised a few followers on twitter that once I hit my first $100 in income, I would finally post an income report. Going forward, as long as I am generating income and running this blog, I plan to post monthly reports. Since this is my first official report, I decided to give a snapshot of all the income my blog has generated since December 2017.
A few things have happened since I started trying to monetize:
- I created my first digital product, which serves as a tool to not only help people get out of debt, but to also save more money, and stick with a budget (Debt Attack Pack). It’s the same tool I used to pay off $38,000 of debt and is still the same tool I use to budget and save money.
- I created a user guide on how to start a blog using BlueHost, the same hosting provider I use to run Make Real Cents (How To Start A Blog).
- I incorporated Make Real Cents as a Limited Liability Company with the State of New York; which happens to cost a pretty penny in NYC!
I’m super excited for what this year has to bring for my blog, and I’m looking forward to sharing my story along the way. So, without further ado here is my first income report!
Dec 2017- Mar 2018 Income Report
- Affiliate Income
- Amazon Affiliate – $12.39
- Haven Life – $16.00
- BlueHost- $65.00
- Google AdSense – $23.83
- Digital Products
- Debt Attack Pack – $315.00
- Sponsorships/Partnerships– $0.00
- Miscellaneous – $0.00
TOTAL: $432.22
Some of the affiliate programs require that you reach a certain amount before the funds are released so not all the income listed above has been paid out yet. Hopefully, I’ll hit the minimums sooner rather than later because I don’t plan on stopping any time soon!
Social Media Stats
End of December 2017
- Twitter Followers: N/A
- Youtube: N/A
- Instagram Followers: 1,292
- Facebook Likes: 134
As of March 2018
Debt
When I started this journey in 2016, I had approximately $57,000 of debt. I don’t know an exact number because I wasn’t tracking as good as I am now. I didn’t keep it all in one place until I developed a method that worked for me (The Debt Attack Pack).
My debt consisted of:
- Student Loans
- Medical Bills
- Car
- Credit Cards
Debt Remaining: $11,758.37
Even though it’s not thousands of dollars, I’m still super excited and proud of the progress I’ve been able to make so far. I didn’t think I’d even have one reader and now hundreds of people visit this site each month to read the content I’m creating. It’s a pretty cool concept once you step back and realize you’ve created something out of nothing.
Celebrate your wins no matter how big or small.
Thanks for reading! Cheers!
Other post you may be interested in
- What I Used To Pay Off $38,000 Of Debt in Less than 18 Months
- How To Start A Blog
- Everyday I’m Hustlin’ – 5 Ways to Make Extra Income and Keep Your Day Job
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Kierra says
I am sooo very proud of you Carmen. I have watvhed you grow your brand and you are doing a fantastic job. I hope to rejoin you in the blogosphere one day. I have been brought my debt from $49,000.00 in January 2018 to $12,500.00 as of today March 30, 2018. There is truly no greater feeling. I can smell the freedom! Keep up the hard work love.
Carmen says
Thank you so much Kierra! I was actually a little nervous to put this out because of what people would think. Then I thought about it for a minute and said screw it haha. I can’t wait until we are both there! It’s so close that I can taste it for the both of us. Keep up it up, we both got this and thank you so much for your support!
Kelsey says
Thanks so much for posting this, Carmen. As a new blogger, it’s very encouraging to see the potential profitability of a blog and I really appreciate you keeping it real. Loved this!
Carmen says
Hi Kelsey! Thank you for reading. I figured it could help a lot of people out, especially new bloggers or people thinking that a blog just pops up and grows over night.
Shawn @TheSmartFi says
You are getting so close to paying off your debt! Nice work with creating and selling a digital product. I hope to create a digital product in the back half of this year. It’s inspiring to see you do so well.
Carmen says
Hey Shawn,
I feel so close that I can taste it now! Never in a million years did I imagine my debt getting down to this point let alone me paying it all off. Let me know when your product launches! Thank you for the kind words!
Mackenzie says
I love this post. It’s inspiring and makes me super excited for you and your future! You have a great gift for sharing your journey, and helping others along the way! My new favorite blog hands down. Thank you for inspiring me to make my financial health a priority! I found that once I prioritized my finances, everything else fell into place (stress went down, I’m eating better, exercising more, I feel more present throughout my day). Ignoring money stresses had a huge negative effect on my daily life and I didn’t even realize it. Your advice has made a huge difference for me.
Carmen says
Hey Mackenzie,
I’m so so happy that this blog is helping/inspiring your journey. The whole purpose is to help others and get them to act on their own finances to not only create a better life for themselves but for those around them. As you mentioned, stress can have resounding effects in our lives let alone money stress. I’m happy I’m helping, excited to see what’s next for you in this journey.
Thanks!
Sam @ GC says
Really inspiring post, I wish you all the best. I have not yet started sharing income reports, should start now probably.
Terri says
I just found your blog and I’m loving it already! I”m so happy to find an income report for a blogger just starting out with making money from it. I feel like I always find them when the blogger is already making $10,000 a month from it, which can be a bit discouraging for someone like me. I definitely plan on following your journey as you reach the big numbers! Congrats and good luck!
Alvin Jenkins Jr. says
Thanks for sharing this. I just recently started my own blog so this post is very encouraging!
Carmen says
Awesome! I hope you are already loving it. I will continue to post these as long as I am making money. Cheers!