Andy Hough

August Income – $1111.99

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Here is a breakdown of my income for August.

Interest$11.48
Amazon FBA$99.13
AZ Merch$4.48
Job$790.09
Cashback$90.00
Dividends$13.03
Fidelity Bonus$5
Ebay/Other Selling$93.27
Stepbet$5.51
Total$1111.99

My income for was down quite a bit. I only had one week of work at my job and I didn’t get any unemployment due to procrastination on my part and the unemployment website being down when I went to make a last-minute claim.

My Amazon FBA side hustle continues to make a profit. I just need to get it higher.

Dividend income came in at $13.03. If you sign up using my Robinhood referral link we will both get one share of free stock. Thanks to anyone who signs up using my link. Every little bit helps.

I made $790.09 from my job. I was laid off after the first week of the month. I received two paychecks and one of them was only for one day.

I made $93.27 selling stuff on eBay and locally. I also got $90 in cashback and made $5 for signing up for the Fidelity app. .

I made $5.51 from Stepbet. The Stepbet app isn’t really a money-maker, but it does keep me motivated to get my steps.

I made $4.48 from Amazon Merch. I have one t-shirt design on there that sometimes sells once or twice a month. It isn’t much, but I’ll take it.

Although my income was low it did exceed my expenses so I can’t complain. This month should be at least a little better.

How was your month?

August Expenses – $858.14

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Here is a breakdown of my expenses for August.

Household$31.72
Rent$208.44
Entertainment$130.44
Transportation$144.18
Food$121.28
Travel$193.12
Phone$28.96
Health$0
Total$858.14

My August expenses were once again very low. I had low expenses in almost all of my expense categories.

I had an entertainment expense for the first time in a few months. I had a date with a woman here in the USA. I also bought an annual pass to Shenandoah National Park and bought a couple of other small hiking items.

My first mortgage payment wasn’t due until September, but I made an extra payment since I knew my August expenses were going to be so low.

Transportation was all for gas. This included a trip from Missouri to Virginia and back or the expense would have been much lower.

My food expense went up a bit. This was mainly due to going on a week long trip and eating a lot of meals out.

My phone bill was normal. It will usually be within a couple dollars of this total.

Household expense was for a new pair of shoes, gas for the lawnmower, and some deodorant.

Travel expense was $193.12. I took a week long trip to Shenandoah National park and did some hiking. The total includes 1 night hotel, 2 nights at a campground, tolls, and a coin-operated shower. I also spent $81.71 for taxes on a business class ticket from Chicago to Spain next February. It is a longshot that I’ll actually be able to visit Spain at that time. The ticket was so cheap I felt it was worth taking a chance.

This month will probably be a low expense month again. If I decide to travel or I decide to pay extra on the mortgage then I’ll spend a little bit more.

How was your month?

Rakuten Ebates $30 Refer a Friend Bonus

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The shopping portal Rakuten, formerly known as eBates, currently has a promotion offering a $30 refer a friend bonus. New members sign up through my referral link will receive a $30 bonus and I’ll get a $30 bonus too. To qualify for the $30 sign up bonus the new member needs to spend $30 through Rakuten. The promotional period is from August 12, 2020 to December 31, 2020 (“Offer Period”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Referral Program Terms, this offer is valid only if the referral signs up and completes their qualifying purchase within 90 days.

I’ve had pretty good luck with Rakuten properly tracking my shopping purchases. If you look at the little image at the beginning of this post you can see they’ve paid me over $400 in cash back. Rakuten usually doesn’t have the highest cash back rates, but several times a year they run promotions making them the highest-paying portal for some merchants. This is quite a bit higher than their usual sign up bonus and should be easy money for most people who haven’t previously signed up for Rakuten. Here again is my Rakuten referral link.

July Income – $4935.87

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Here is a breakdown of my income for July.

Interest$14.75
Amazon FBA$129.62
Unemployment$2760
Job$1588.84
Cashback$48.25
Dividends$15.86
Focus Group$125
Ebay/Other Selling$271.72
Online($18.17)
Total$4935.87

My income for July was great.

My Amazon FBA side hustle made a profit for the third month in a row. I think I’ve got it back on the right track.

Dividend income came in at $15.86. If you sign up using my Robinhood referral link we will both get one share of free stock. Thanks to anyone who signs up using my link. Every little bit helps.

I made $1588.84 from my job. I was hired back during the month and received two paychecks.

I made $271.72 selling stuff on eBay and locally. I also got $48.25 in cashback and made $125 from a focus group.

Online income was negative since I had to pay for a domain name renewal and didn’t have any income.

Unemployment was the biggest contributor to my income in July. This should be the last month that I collect unemployment for a while. I was hired back at my job in the second half of the month. If the job ends again, I’m going to try to make my income from selling things.

Income for this month will be a little lower since I won’t be getting unemployment. Income once again greatly exceed expenses so I can’t complain.

How was your month?

July Expenses – $876.26

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Here is a breakdown of my expenses for July.

Household$179.59
Rent$410
Entertainment$0
Transportation$74.16
Food$74.38
Student Loan$14
Phone$31.60
Health$92.53
Total$876.26

My June expenses were very low. I had low expenses in almost all of my expense categories.

I once again didn’t have any entertainment expense at all. They might open the movie theaters this month and I might attend a show. If not, this category will probably be $0 again

Transportation was all for gas. I made a trip to Kansas City and a couple trips to Springfield resulting in more gas use than normal. I’m starting this month with an almost full tank of gas so this month should be even cheaper.

I paid $14 towards my student loan.

My food expense went way down. I was busy most of the month and didn’t have time to go out to eat as often as I usually do. This expense will probably stay about the same unless I’m able to travel a little. Eating at home saved me a lot of money. I’m able to spend so little on food because my mom buys groceries. I just buy my meals out or any special groceries that I want.

My phone bill was normal. It will usually be within a couple dollars of this total.

My health expense was $92.53 for a dentist visit and a refill of my blood pressure meds.

Household expense was mainly the first month’s internet bill at the new house and a deposit for electric service in our new house. .

The rent expense was only $410. This consisted of paying for a repair on the old house and paying for three month’s trash service at the new house.

Travel expense was $0. I’m still hoping to do some domestic travel. If that works out, I’ll have some travel expense this month.

This month may be a low expense month again. If I’m able to travel or I decide to pay extra on the mortgage then I’ll spend a little bit more.

How was your month?