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For 2024 I published my side hustle income report each month to maintain accountability.

This year, my main goal is to be profitable.

To maintain transparency, I've been reporting both on my income and my expenses this year.

My day job has been subsidizing my side hustles, which kind of play out as a time-consuming hobby.

My goal this year is to turn this around. Working at my business regularly helps me to sleep better at night, but without profit it eventually will just be added stress.

I'm still kind of in the course-buying mode, looking for insights that will pay off or techniques that will help me to develop and sell products and services. With this in mind, I'm going to need to turn things around in a big way to be profitable for the year.

Which sources I'm reporting and which I'm not

Since I'm not posting anonymously, my W-2 income and my main investments won't be reported.

Two ways to fix a pinchy bank balance (I do both)

“I can't be out of money! I still have checks!”

~Some old person who knows what checks are

Everywhere, prices are creeping up.

It's rare that I can shop at Walmart for under $50 anymore, and I don't buy crap.

What's worse, our pay stubs are just barely keeping up with rising prices over the past couple of years, so no help there. And tariffs haven't even hit badly in the US as of now (June 2025).

Being around break-even isn't much fun, is it?

I bet you've seen this equation before

Income minus expenses equals surplus (or deficit)

Income is the money that comes in. Expenses go out.

If income is more than expenses, there's a surplus. Otherwise, there's a deficit.

Easy peasy.

If the surplus is small, or if there's a deficit, we want to fix that.

Customer loyalty programs are everywhere these days.

Fast food restaurants, gas stations, and even state lotteries.

On the surface, they offer something we all love: free stuff. But what’s the real cost of those rewards?

Why Customers Love Them

For customers, it feels like a win: spend money like you normally would, and eventually get something for free.

• A free burrito after a few Chipotle runs
• A free coffee from Starbucks after racking up stars
• A free sub from Jersey Mike’s with Shore Points

You’re spending money, but at least there’s a little something on the back end. Occasionally, that feels like a treat, even though it’s just a planned reward.

For 2024 I published my side hustle income report each month to maintain accountability.

This year, my main goal is to be profitable.

To maintain transparency and accountability, I'll be reporting both on my income and my expenses this year.

I haven't been profitable for a while now. My day job has been subsidizing my side hustles, which kind of play out as a time-consuming hobby.

My goal this year is to turn this around. Working at my business regularly helps me to sleep better at night, but without profit it eventually will just be added stress.

Which sources I'm reporting and which I'm not

Since I'm not posting anonymously, my W-2 income and my main investments won't be reported. I'll report everything else, though!

I'll report on income as I receive it, not when I earn it. In other words, I report on it when it hits my bank account.