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For 2024 I'm publishing side income reports each month to maintain accountability.

My goal is to progress by keeping it transparent and real. Reporting on the good and the bad lets me reflect on lessons learned.

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

I'm not posting anonymously so my main job income, my part-time job income, and my main investments won't be reported. I'll report everything else, though!

Some income will be reported when I cash out, and others as I earn it. I'm moving toward

Also, for the moment I'm reporting income, not profit. I'm in the red overall and will be for some time.

With that, let's get going!

Google AdSense income: $12.18 (+$1.69)

September saw a modest uptick in Google AdSense income. This was after I reduced the number of ads showing on the page in June. I turned off Auto Ads on my main blog because the ads dominated the site and overran the content.

(This post was originally published on August 15, 2006, and has been updated, because a lot can change in eighteen years.)

Fifteen dollars wasn't that much in 2006, and it's even less now.

Regardless, we can get richer or poorer a few dollars at a time.

It's not that difficult to make a couple of minor adjustments in spending. If you apply just half of these tips each month, that's over $100/month that you can apply to whatever you value! Things like debt reduction, emergency savings, investing, retirement, or (gasp!) fun.

Go through the list and consider first trying those tips that won't be hard to change.

1. If you're a coffee drinker, consider brewing your own

Starbucks coffee is now north of $3/cup. One a day is $15 per workweek.

Now, before I get hate mail, I completely get that Starbucks or other coffee on the go is a non-negotiable for many people, but if it's not, then consider brewing your own.

(This post was published originally on August 26, 2005, and has been updated.)

Banks compete for your credit card business. Consumer debt is very lucrative for them.

As such, there are bonuses, perks, and rebates that they'll throw at you to get their card in your wallet or purse.

But first some words to the wise

Like all other financial information on this site, this is not to be construed as financial advice. That's what professionals are for.

Credit cards are tools, but like most tools, if used incorrectly they can harm you.

Any credit card rebates you get will be paltry compared to the default rate of interest if you miss a payment.

The techniques in this post will do you absolutely no good if you carry a balance on your card.

(This post was originally written January 3, 2010, and has been updated.)

I moved down to Virginia in 2000 for my job, and one of my first stops was at a credit union to get a local savings and checking account.

I'm still with the same credit union after nearly a quarter century, and though some things have changed, some haven't.

The credit union offered financial education

I've always been a bit of a sucker for freebies, especially information pamphlets.

One time when I was cleaning off my desk I found a little pamphlet entitled “Teach Children About Money.”  It really was little — a single tri-fold piece of paper that's smaller than a standard sheet of paper — but there was quite a bit of information in there. 

Then I found a “statement stuffer” with the title “Back in the Black: Tools to Keep Your Checkbook on Track.”