press
Entrepreneur logo HuffPost logo Gizmodo logo LifeHacker logo NBC Today Show logo
eBiz Facts is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn More

Published: October 6, 2016

9 Comments Finance Reports

September 2016 Finance Report

Here be all my finances for September. I spent the month living in Berlin, with a quick trip to Kiev via Belgrade. Because, well, why not?

First time seeing one of these finance reports? Click here for a quick intro.

I’ve been tracking everything I earn and spend since January 2011, just a few weeks after quitting my day job. Every month since, I’ve published one of these finance reports.

Sharing this info publicly keeps me accountable and hopefully gives you some insight into how I earn a living online.

Patrons get to see each new report before anyone else.

Summary

Total Income € 3,788
$ 4,258
Total Expenses € 3,376
$ 3,795
Profit/Loss € 412
$ 463

Income

September 2016 income

Freelance web development 1 € 2,218 $ 2,493
3M1K 2 € 1,409 $ 1,584
Affiliate payment: Secrets Of A Six-Figure Upworker 3 € 129 $ 145
Chase Amazon rewards credit 4 € 19 $ 21
Book sales (via Amazon) € 13 $ 15
Total Income € 3,788
$ 4,258
Last Month € 3,760 $ 4,190

Almost exactly the same as last month. I was aiming for at least €3k, with a stretch goal of €5k.

Expenses

September 2016 expenses

Food & Drink

Eating out € 225 $ 253
Groceries € 109 $ 123
5 Total
€ 334
$ 375
Last Month € 333 $ 371

Housing & Utilities

1 month at Berlin apartment 6 € 585 $ 658
2 nights at hostels in Belgrade € 35 $ 40
2 nights at hostel in Kiev € 31 $ 35
Total € 651
$ 732
Last Month € 585 $ 652

Health Care

Health insurance (monthly payment) € 101 $ 114
Total € 101
$ 114
Last Month € 101 $ 113

Travel & Transport

Bicycle repair 7 € 40 $ 45
Taxis in Kiev € 23 $ 26
Berlin metro € 17 $ 19
Taxi in Belgrade € 16 $ 18
Local buses in Belgrade € 5 $ 6
Kiev hill tram € 1 $ 1
Kiev metro € 1 $ 1
Total € 103
$ 116
Last Month € 406 $ 452

Business Expenses

iPhone 6s 8 € 645 $ 725
Chase Sapphire Reserve annual fee 9 € 400 $ 450
Accountant: AGC Associates 10 € 328 $ 369
Outsourcing 11 € 186 $ 209
PayPal fees € 71 $ 80
ActiveCampaign mailing list software € 40 $ 45
Gleam competition software 12 € 35 $ 39
Phone credit € 30 $ 34
Virtual Post Mail 13 € 27 $ 30
Domain renewals (via Dreamhost) € 25 $ 28
Stripe fees (for 3M1K payments) € 24 $ 27
Teamwork project management software 14 € 22 $ 25
Facebook ads 15 € 22 $ 25
MemberMouse 16 € 18 $ 20
TransferWise fees 17 € 6 $ 7
Google Drive storage (100GB) € 2 $ 2
Amazon Web Services (more storage) € 1 $ 1
Total € 1,882
$ 2,116
Last Month € 1,300 $ 1,449

Gifts & Donations

Pablove Across America 18 € 27 $ 30
Super Mario fundraiser 19 € 25 $ 28
Kiev gymnast kids 20 € 2 $ 2
Total € 54
$ 61
Last Month € 17 $ 19

Books 21

Stop Thinking Like A Freelancer **** 22 € 8 $ 9
Iacocca: An Autobiography **** € 7 $ 8
Winning Through Intimidation ***** € 6 $ 7
Total € 21
$ 24
Last Month € 314 $ 350

Clothing

Total € 0
$ 0
Last Month € 30 $ 33

Miscellaneous Expenses

Laser skin treatment 23 € 120 $ 135
iPhone case and screen protector € 20 $ 22
Toiletries € 14 $ 16
Kiev zip line 24 € 12 $ 13
Berlin walking tour € 10 $ 11
Kiev walking tour € 10 $ 11
Netflix subscription € 10 $ 11
Yoga class in Berlin € 10 $ 11
Belgrade walking tour € 8 $ 9
Quarterly banking fee (Irish bank) € 7 $ 8
Postage € 5 $ 6
Locker rental at Kiev hostel € 1 $ 1
Postcard € 1 $ 1
Monthly banking fee (Dutch bank) € 1 $ 1
Public toilets € 1 $ 1
Total € 230
$ 259
Last Month € 53 $ 59

Expense Summary

Business Expenses € 1,882 $ 2,116
Housing & Utilities € 651 $ 732
Food & Drink € 334 $ 375
Miscellaneous Expenses € 230 $ 259
Travel & Transport € 103 $ 116
Health Care € 101 $ 114
Gifts & Donations € 54 $ 61
Books € 21 $ 24
Clothing € 0 $ 0
Total Expenses € 3,376
$ 3,795
Last Month € 3,139 $ 3,498

I thought I might spend as much as €5k in September, so I did quite well here. Though really I just postponed a couple of big expenses that are looming.

Biggest Regret?

The Facebook ads didn’t do much. And I threw away €10 on phone credit by not buying the right package.

Where That Leaves Me

I had €8,546/$9,524 to my name at the end of August.

Taking into account all my September income and expenditure, and the most recent exchange rates – I have accounts in EUR, HKD and USD – my total bank and cash balances now work out to €8,666/$9,742. 25

Outlook For October

I have very little freelance work lined up, so I expect that to be way down. I might hit the €1k mark again with 3M1K but that’s hard to predict. €2k income for the month would actually be decent.

As for expenses, I’m planning to put down a $750 deposit on a travel adventure for next year, and there’s my final rent payment in Berlin. I have my flight to Tenerife already paid for, and possibly two weeks free accommodation lined up there, so that makes it easier. I’ll aim to keep everything under €2.5k.

Feedback Welcome

Thoughts? Questions? Speak up in the comments below.

Archived Finance Reports

I’ve been posting these monthly finance reports since January, 2011. You can view all my old reports via this page.

Curious as to how I track everything I earn and spend? Check this video…

About The Author
Niall Doherty – Founder and Lead Editor of eBiz Facts Born and raised in Ireland, Niall has been making a living from his laptop since quitting his office job in 2010. He's fond of basketball, once spent 44 months traveling around the world without flying, and has been featured in such publications as The Irish Times and Huffington Post. Read more...

9 thoughts on “September 2016 Finance Report”

  1. Hey Niall,

    I’m wondering why do you pay $30 for virtualpostmail? Do you really have that much mail that you need a bigger plan?

    Reply
  2. You mentioned the facebook ads as your biggest regret. Haven’t had a chance to check out your facebook but have you tried running ads against a video usually gets much better reach and engagement

    Reply
  3. Niall! Great blog post. What are the software tools you’re using to make this page? I love the embedded-hover over- info links. What’s going on here? WordPress Plugin? Are you just JavaScripting like a hero?

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Nancy Cancel reply