Smutlancer Monthly Income Report: December 2018

Yes, we’re in a new year, but finances don’t always follow calendars. Which is why we’re still talking about December 2018 in terms of income. December was the best financial month of my entire life, and I still haven’t wrapped my head around it yet. Will it continue through 2019? That’s the goal, of course, but let’s deal with the here and now.

December 2018 Income

My December income is primarily based on work completed in November. I bill clients on the last day of every month, and they have 10 days to pay. Affiliate sales tend to pay quarterly, but some pay monthly. I break down my freelance writing between vanilla and sex content because I want to show what’s possible in either category.

December wasn’t as busy as previous years, but it was busy enough. I took on new projects from existing clients, and doubled my work load right before Christmas in order to take 10 days off. I might have the freedom to create my own schedule, but I don’t get paid unless the work gets done. That’s the reality of the freelance life you never see on one of those Instagram inspirational memes.

I’ve decided to add in product sales going forward. While all of the funds go to John Brownstone so he can buy more supplies, I do benefit from these sales. The Kinky Fuckery Shop is a part of our brand and business, so it makes sense to include those sales here, even if the revenue isn’t used in our general budget.

• Freelance Writing
  • Vanilla Content: $2985.00
  • Sex/Adult Content: $5725.00
• Affiliate Sales: $11.48
• Podcast Sponsorship: —
• Sponsored Blog Posts: —
• Website Sponsorship: —
• Banner Ads: —
• Book Sales: $9.99
• Patreon: $189.00
• Consulting: —
• Donations: —
• Bonus (from client): $300.00
• Product Sales: $385.23

Total Income: $9,605.70 (up $1,074 from November)

December 2018 Expenses

Some expenses are monthly, some quarterly, and some annual. Taxes are something I save for monthly to be paid quarterly.

• Web Hosting: $42.98
• Domain Renewals: —
• Podcast Hosting: $32.00
• Canva —
• Buffer: $10.00
• InLinkz: $2.99 (linky tool for Masturbation Monday)
• Blog Contributors: $21.20
• Taxes: $1000.00
• Payment Fees (PayPal, Stripe): $285.56
• Shipping/Postage: $78.96
• Tech Support: —
• Patreon: $25.00 (creators I support)
• Copyscape (playgerism checker): —
• TinyPNG (image compression): —
• DepositPhotos (stock photo): — $29.00
• Spintax (a tool I use for a client): $35.25
• Wavve (a podcast promo tool): $10.00
• Website Theme: $69.00

Total Expenses: $1,641.94 (up $190.63 over November)

This month I added a new monthly expense (Wavve), a one-time purchase (the website theme), and an annual purchase (Spintax). As always, certain fees fluctate with my income, so none of these expenses is a surprise to me.

December 2018 Net Income: $7,963.76 (↑ $883.37 from October)

I thought it would be nice to see what the income change has looked like over the year. 

My plan for 2019 is, at the very least, to maintain my income but hopefully to grow the blogging side — ads, sponsorships, product sales, Patreon, etc. John Brownstone and I have so many personal goals to accomplish this year — paying off debt, fixing up our condo, selling our condo — that the professional goals may have to take a backseat, at least for a while. So the goal is to maintain and build slowly.

This year also marks my fifth year as a freelance and seventh as a sex blogger. If “success” (however you define it) takes 10 years to achieve, I’ve still got plenty of time to figure it out, and even more room for growth. I don’t know what the year has in store, but I promise to keep working hard and sharing what I know with you.