July Income Report - £1,556. Are You Still A Writer If It Doesn’t Pay Your Bills?

It’s that time again for my monthly income report. I’m delighted to have made £1,556 this month and given the state of the job market and economy right now, I feel lucky to not be worrying about whether I can pay my rent and bills or not.

However, although I’m grateful to have multiple sources of income that ensure I can keep a roof over my head and food on the table, I still have the occasional wobble where I freak out over how little money I make from writing itself.

I had a little meltdown in July because my inability to make a living from my writing made me feel like a failure. Can I even call myself a writer if it doesn’t pay my bills? I eventually came to the conclusion that yes, I can.

Think of it this way: My personal trainer has a part time job at Argos but that doesn’t make him any less of a personal trainer. He was unable to train clients during lockdown and therefore spent any time he wasn’t working at Argos quietly getting ripped in his garage and looking at himself in the mirror. He might not have made money from being a PT during that period but he still was one!

I need to give myself the same respect and accept that writing might not be profitable right now but as long as I’m putting fingers to keyboard and bashing away, I’m making progress. The fact I make money from doing things other than writing is a blessing because they give me time and space to focus on my passions.

Supermarket work - £720

I took home £720 from the shop this month, once tax, national insurance, union membership and my workplace pension had been deducted. I was pleasantly surprised to take home this amount because I didn’t think I’d signed up for as much overtime as usual.

Renting out spare room to a lodger - £550

I still can’t quite believe I get paid £550 to have a flatmate when most people pay to be a flatmate. I’m really lucky this is an option right now and I wish I’d gotten a lodger back when I worked full time, even though living with other people isn’t always smooth sailing.

Blogging income - £221

It’s been another alright month for blogging income, though I am eager to increase this figure so that this website becomes more sustainable and a reliable source of income in itself.

I think people assume that having a blog is an easy way to get rich quick but in reality, monetising your website can be a real slog! For every influencer who’s making a few grand a month from their social media accounts are dozens - if not hundreds - of others who have to rely on other income sources to get by.

Matched betting - £65

I spent a bit of time each week working my way through the reload offers on Profit Accumulator. I’m disappointed to have already worked my way through most of the sign-up offers, as these are easily the most effective way of making money by matched betting.

The reloads aren’t quite as profitable, but if you’re eager to make money from home without leaving the comfort of your sofa, matched betting can be a smart way to make a bit of extra cash online.

Writing - £0

I didn’t send any pitches this month, so this isn’t too much of a surprise. I did, however, devote more time than normal to my book! This month I planned out the plot and created a life timeline for my main character. I’ve written 20,200 words of the actual book in total, though some of those words were written many months ago.

I’ve also devoted a lot of time to my blog and Instagram account this month and have seen huge improvements on both these platforms. I’ve ticked off some little blogging milestones I’d set for myself and I’m confident I can do the same in August.

So all in all, it’s been a good month and the less glamorous sources of income have allowed me to focus on doing my own thing without having to worry about how I’ll pay my bills.