It’s been another great month in terms of income, with me coming away with approximately £1,733. If I consistently took home £1,733 a month, this would be the equivalent of a salary of roughly £25,000 a year.
Check out my April and May income reports to see how my income varies from month to month.
Supermarket work - £797
I took home £797 from supermarket work this month, after tax, national insurance, pension and trade union costs were deducted.
I went through a phase earlier this year of saying yes to as much overtime as I could get my hands on. I’m now trying to strike a balance between making the most the guaranteed income that comes from working a shift versus finding time to focus on writing & ‘side hustles’ that are more profitable.
I’m contracted to work Monday and Tuesday evenings along with Saturday mornings, but going in for such short shifts often doesn’t feel like the best use of my time. So, in June I tried to double as many of my contracted shifts as possible while protecting my days off. There were a few exceptions such as picking up overtime on Sundays to maximise time-and-a-half pay and give my lodger the flat to herself on one of her days off. I’ve gotta admit that I still have a hard time saying no when people ask me to cover their shifts because they’re desperate, even if I want to spend the day writing. I’ll often agree to cover it in the hope they’ll have my back when I need them to do the same for me.
Renting out spare room to a lodger - £550
June was my third month of having a lodger and it was mostly smooth sailing. My lodger and I work very different hours, meaning we’re often like passing ships in the night.
Would I recommend getting a lodger as a form of income? Yes.
Make sure you interview several lodgers before making a decision, take a deposit, and set some ground rules before they move in. Learn more about taking in a lodger here. I’d also be realistic with yourself about how much you need to charge to make it worthwhile for you. You want to charge an amount that won’t leave you resentful or out of pocket in the event of any issues, without overcharging for a room that’s not worth the price tag you’re putting on it.
Trading 212 - £88
Trading 212 was my favourite way of making money this month - especially given how little time I had to put into it.
When I first read about Trading 212 on another money blog, I was skeptical. The blog said if I created an account with Trading 212 and deposited just £1, I’d receive one stock and within just a few days I’d be able to sell that stock and withdraw a sum of money up to the value of £100.
Long story short… when I tried it for myself, it worked!
Learn more about my experience with Trading 212 here: How to make up to £100 by depositing £1 into a Trading 212 account.
Matched betting - £95
I didn’t devote too much time to matched betting this month but I’m pleased to have come away with £95 anyway. This was purely down to doing a number of small reward sign up offers along with reload offers with some of the larger bookies. I’ve gotten so much quicker at placing these bets than I was in previous months, meaning I can come away with a decent amount per hour, even though I’ve ran out of the most rewarding free bets.
New to matched betting? You can learn more about it from the 7 days of matched betting review I wrote back in 2017.
Blog affiliates - £203
In May I saw a huge fall in my affiliate income and only earned £60 from recommending products and services to others. So imagine my relief when my affiliate income improved again in June, reaching £203. This was largely due to my decision to track down more affiliate schemes and think more tactically about how to promote them. I’m hoping to improve this number even more by the end of July.
Writing - £0
I didn’t get any commissions this month, despite firing off a few pitches to magazine editors. I did, however, devote more time than usual to Can’t Swing a Cat and my social media accounts, and this effort will likely have contributed to the increase in affiliate income I talked about above. Making money from this website and freelance writing is a marathon, not a race, so while I’m not yet making much of a living from what I actually want to do, I’m willing to be patient.
Total: £1,733
Please note this post includes affiliate links. This means that if you create an account after clicking one of the links in this post, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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