the frugal millionaire

October income

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October incomeI took a look back at my October goals and was pleasantly surprised. I’m normally really good at setting goals, but actually meeting them is a whole different story. So, let’s recap our income from last month…

John’s September Income: $435

Sarah’s September Income: $1450

Keep in mind we had just moved and John was technically unemployed as he was getting his business underway. October was his first full month being self-employed. Here’s what happened…

Before we get into our income for the month, let’s take a look at my other goals…

October goals

Get more organized with couponing – fail

Didn’t happen. In fact, I did no couponing for the month. I’m kind of taking the mindset that other PF bloggers have that if your time is better spent elsewhere, it’s not always worth it to save a buck here and there. I’ll probably still coupon a little bit, but I don’t plan on getting crazy into it like I was before.

Set up IRAs – half-check

We both had IRAs from our previous jobs that needed to be rolled over. We got John’s completed, but not mine. I have to change my last name before I can do this, which requires sending in my marriage certificate and I just didn’t make that a priority this month.

Get Synchrony savings account finalized – check

You can read about our online savings account here.

Wake up earlier – fail

If I had a lot of work to do for the day, I woke up earlier. Ideally, I will wake up early regardless of how much work I have…so this is still a work in progress.

Research more on investing – check

We set up two mutual fund accounts and purchased two individual stocks…more to come on that!

Read one actual book – check

I read Get Rich Click, The Warren Buffetts Next Door, part of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and part of The Millionaire Next Door.

Go to Asheville, NC / Blue Ridge Parkway – check

We went up to Asheville for the day two weeks ago. It was a blast – beautiful weather, breathtaking scenery, incredible food and two well-behaved kids. What more could you ask for?!

October income

My goal was to make $1700 and John’s goal was to make $3000. Well, I am happy to say that John majorly surpassed his goal…

John’s October income: $4,473

Woo-hoo!! Super proud of my hubby! He beat his goal by $1,473 and keep in mind this is just his first month working for himself. We have big dreams for him in the future!! John owns and operates his own handyman and painting company. If you want to read more about how he got started, click here!

Sarah’s October income: $1,805

I surpassed my goal by $105 which I’m happy about. (I did actually make more but am waiting on a payment…please see my question below!) I do have bad news on the work front, though. My main editing job is no longer in existence and my last day will be in the middle of November. I made a good chunk of money each month from that so I am sad to see it go. The one upside is that I’ll have a LOT more time to work on my blog and pursue more personal finance writing opportunities. I’m going to take it slow, though, as I do want a little bit more downtime to hang out with my girls and enjoy the holidays.

Keep in mind that all of my income is from freelancing and not from my blog. One day, I do hope to make money off of my blog and when I do, I will separate the categories so you can see for yourself just how possible it is to make a living from home!

Total October income: $6,278

Overall, I would say we had a great month. We both exceeded our income goals, we had a lot of family time, we went to Asheville, we invested some of our money in mutual funds and stocks, and we saved money! Stay tuned for our November goals!

How did your month of October look? Did you meet accomplish any goals you set? And for those who blog about income, do you share what you made for the month or what you collected? I’m having trouble deciding what I should do. Thanks!!

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Comments

  1. May says

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    Looks like your husbands business has gotten off to a great start. Good luck with your investments. I hope November is a good month for you.

    • sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says

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      Thanks, May!! We are definitely hoping his income will go up or at least stay the same for November. That’s the one hard thing about working for yourself is you never really know 🙁 🙁 🙁

      Thanks for the comment! Hope you are having a good night!

      • Pftp says

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        Is that after tax $$?

        • sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says

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          This is before taxes. We put 25% of payments into a separate account for taxes 🙂

          • Pftp says

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            I can’t wait to hear what more you have to blog about!

  2. Dee @ Color Me Frugal says

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    Congrats on the awesome October income! I LOVE both Rich Dad Poor Dad and The Millionaire Next Door. I’ve read both multiple times. I consider The Millionaire Next Door to be my “bible” of frugality- whenever I am in need of frugal inspiration/motivation, that’s the book I turn to!! Hope your November is great!

    • sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says

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      Thanks Dee!! The Millionaire Next Door is full of motivation – you’re right!! I love that even though there is a wealth of information online, books are usually more informative than any website, haha 🙂 Reading is for sure one of my favorite hobbies. Hope you are having a good evening!

  3. Melissa @ Sunburnt Saver says

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    Wow, nice job you two! I hope John didn’t panic too much last month – looks like his business is taking off GREAT, no problems at all 🙂

    • sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says

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      Thanks, Melissa! Yes – so far so good! But holidays are always slower so we’ll see how the next two months go!

  4. Holly@ClubThrifty says

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    Great job on your income! That’s awesome that your husband is a painter/handyman. I always tell my husband I will start an interior painting business if I ever get sick of writing. I am so good at it and painters are expensive!

    • sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says

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      Haha that’s awesome!! I’ve “helped” my husband on jobs (before we had kids) and I am AWFUL at painting. It’s so much work!!! Luckily I married a painter or else I would be shelling out tons of money to have someone do it for me.

  5. brian @ Debt Discipline says

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    Congrats on the great month! Looks like the business is getting off to a fast start. Continues success.

    • sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says

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      Thanks Brian!! Appreciate the comment 🙂 We are hoping he doesn’t slow down too too much over the holidays, but if so – we are prepared and will enjoy his time off!

  6. Allen @ The Daily Cent says

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    Fantastic work on the income part! Isn’t it awesome that you can just go out and kill it and the harder you work the more money you make?

    Don’t forget to put some extra cash into that emergency fund. I know when it comes to my experience in the construction field that it can slow down during the Holiday months. People are more interested in spending money on gifts than they are in remodeling!

    • sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says

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      Very true!! Holidays are almost always slower. Luckily, we do have money in savings just in case. I just lost a big portion of my freelance income, too, so it’s kind of a double-whammy. Hopefully I can pick up extra work and my husband will stay busy! We are happy for a good October, though!

  7. Ciel Belle says

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    Great job on surpassing his goal for his first month!

    • sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says

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      Thanks!! We’re hoping he can make that much in Nov and Dec – typically it slows down over the holidays so fingers crossed!!

  8. MMD says

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    I have read all of those books except The Warren Buffetts Next Door. They’ve all got some good information packed in there!

  9. Suburban Finance says

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    Congrats for the great month income wise! I’m actually really intrigued by your husband’s business. Does he have a professional experience before in the field? And does he have any employee? It’s really great that the business is going great for you guys!

    • sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says

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      Thanks!! He really likes what he does (for the most part, haha). He started painting in his early 20s and has kept learning more and more trades as he’s gotten older and more experienced. Now, he does painting and all sorts of general handyman work. The best way he’s learned is by doing it! He doesn’t have an official employee, but he does hire help every now and then. We’re hoping in 2015 to hire someone more permanently!

  10. MoneyMiniBlog says

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    Great job on your goals! You did great with your reading goal too! Those are great books (I’ve read all, except Get Rich Click). That’s a nice income, especially compared to what you start off with from last month. Keep up the good work, Sarah!

    • sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says

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      Thanks!! Yeah last month was awful, haha. We’re hoping we do just as well in November and December, but holidays are typically slower for John and I lost a big portion of my freelance income. I think I can make it up though 🙂

      Hope you’re having a good day!

  11. GaugeReckless says

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    Hey, sweet blog.

    I really like your reading choices and admire that you’ve taken investing on and bought some stocks.

    I noticed you are reading “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki and I wanted to commend you. That man has changed my life!

    If I could recommend anything, Read EVERY ONE OF HIS BOOKS! Before making any more investment decisions!

    However, if you want the best first, do yourself a favour and read or listen to “Who Took My Money” by Robert Kiyosaki.
    That book has helped me tremendously in choosing the right investments FOR ME.
    It is a fantastic book for personal mindset and general investment education.

    Btw, I don’t ear affiliately from the rich dad company, I just see another millennial with the right midset.

    Anyways, good luck with your investing future! I’m sure you’ll surpass the million dollars a lot faster than you think if you desire to keep learning.

    Your blogging friend, GAUGE
    http://www.recklessanddriven.com

    • sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says

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      Thanks for the book recommendation! I’m actually heading to the library this morning with my girls and I’m going to pick it up! Appreciate the comment and tips!!

  12. Toni @ Debt Free Divas says

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    You all are amazingly open!!! My husband would have my head if I shared his income. I don’t even have to ask. October (as with the last few months) has been a more clean up then progress. But I do love the tips on freelance work you share. I’m working on putting a few things in place now.

    • sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says

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      Yeah my husband surprisingly doesn’t care at all that I share his income! None of our friends or family know about this blog though, so that might be why!

  14. Irene says

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    I would love for you to write a post amount how much $$ you take home after taxes and bills being paid and how you make that money last. My husband just lost his job so I’m the only money maker for the family and it stresses me out to the MAX not to have extra money whenever I want it.

    • sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says

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      Hi! Thanks for the comment! Well, what we do for taxes is put 25% of the money in a separate account immediately. After bills, we spent a whopping $2100 which I was completely appalled by. We normally pay our taxes, then pay all of our bills immediately (we’ve always paid all bills about two weeks in advance), save some extra money and spend the rest. We’ve never followed a formal budget, but we actually are this month which I’m going to do a post about. We’re on track to spend $1000-$1300 for the month instead of $2100. It’s been easy to cut back – we’ve been eating at home more and I’ve really monitored my spending. It’s funny – but just by being aware you can save so much more. Today I had to go to the store for milk and soap, and normally I would have thrown in whatever else happened to look good. I didn’t though and spent way less than I would have. It feels good to be aware!!

      I’m sorry about your husband’s job loss. Hopefully he will find something soon, but in the meantime just try to watch your spending and don’t stress out too much!! It will all work out! 🙂

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