As a reminder – I publish my income reports to share that it is possible to become location independent. It’ll require hard work and making some sacrifices – so be prepared for that – but it’s possible. I finally reached the point a few months ago that everything started coming together and I realized I could truly make this lifestyle a long-term thing. Before that, there were many months spent floundering.
Remember that income is listed in the month received, not necessarily the month earned.
September 2016 Income Report
Affiliate Revenue – $56.14 (-$81.26)
Airbnb – $314.63 (+$54.38)
Award Bookings – $128.23 (+$20.08)
Cash Back Promotions – $650.00 (-$1,739.04)
Freelance Writing – $5,611.69 (+$886.69)
Total: $6,760.69 (-$858.43)
September 2016 Reflections
September has been another really solid month. My freelance writing business really has become my main source of income at this point, which is really great. I have a lot of things that I have put on the back burner because I simply don’t have time for them right now – that is, unless I want to go back to working 50+ hour weeks. Which I don’t.
I have decided that at the end of 2016 I will no longer be publishing monthly income reports. Rather, I will be publishing quarterly income reports in 2017 and will make a really solid attempt to include my expenses as well so I can give a more full picture of what being a freelancer, and a location independent on at that, is like. Since I only post 1-2 times a week on here, it will give me an opportunity to provide more content about the places I travel and how it is possible to travel on a budget-friendly basis. Which, for me, is the main purpose of being able to work remotely anyway.
If/when I have any major developments in my freelance business, I’ll try to address those in individual articles.
For the rest of 2016, this post is going to stay the same as it has for the rest of the year! It’s been really valuable to me to see things change from month to month and I wish I had started doing this sooner when my income was much lower than it is now.
What do you think about me publishing quarterly income reports including expenses instead of monthly?
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Monthly is easier for me to understand, because I think on a monthly budget. But do what you have time for! I’ll appreciate it either way. Congrats on doing so well with your freelancing! Mine is picking up a bit too which is soooo welcome.
That’s a great point, Lindsay — I’ll have to think about it a little more. I definitely want to start including my costs because that’s a huge part of it… but it seems like such a daunting task to add that in! Truth be told, if I were a touch more organized, it probably wouldn’t be so bad.
Happy to hear that your freelancing is picking up to!
Nice work, Caroline! I would be interested in your thoughts on getting into the freelance writing, as I am semi-retired (and looking to remove the “semi” soon). I will have some investment income as well as some consulting income, but am looking to supplement these with “location independent” revenue. Thanks, and I look forward to your next post.
Hi Cecil! Thanks for the comment 🙂 Getting into freelance writing is kinda tough, but I would recommend that you start a blog and write about the things that interest you most! It took about 2.5 years of blogging for me before I made anything doing it. Another idea, if you’re willing, is to look into online tutoring. Chegg.com pays $20 an hour (and up to $40 during finals) and as long as you have a college degree you are eligible to tutor! They have students needing help in nearly every subject.
Thank you for your ideas/suggestions. I have been considering blogging for quite a while now, but have not yet gotten serious about it. I was not aware of the online tutoring, but I think that is something I could get into (I had considered substitute teaching at the local high schools, but it does tend to tie one down). I have about six months more before I take the plunge into retirement, so I will be transitioning into this gradually. I really appreciate your help, and will keep you posted on new developments.
Hi Caroline! Congrats on your booming freelance business! I definitely think it’s easier and less confusing (from the point of view of a reader) to follow monthly income reports. But then again, it’s all about what works for you. I’ve been meaning to add my expenses to my income reports as well for a while, and I finally did last month. Much better! 🙂