What Would you Blow $1,600.70 on?

At the start of the year, I was clear about my intentions to make and save an extra $30,000 on the side this year for court. In January I made and saved $3,200.17 extra. February I forgot to publish an update, then in March, I made an extra $4,005. April I made less on the side (by choice) then also chose to spend it all! Actually, I spent way more than the $1,600.70 extra I earnt!

Disclosure, there are affiliate links in this post for products I personally use or recommend. You can find the full disclosure statement here.

Why Make Less and Spend More?

The extra income is from side stuff, not my main income. I didn’t earn less, I chose to focus less on the side income and actually made $1,000 extra from my main work while doing less work! Confusing? Hopefully, this post will explain it.

I love doing the side hustles, but I knew April was going to be a big month with limited time. I switched my focus a little, did some reviews and giveaways plus planned time out. April is my birthday month and it was school holidays. Trying to juggle career, side hustles, kids (my eldest has autism so it’s not a walk in the park here) and my needs weren’t going to work. I chose to spend in areas I needed/wanted to and simply relax more.

How did I Make Money in April?

Selling things on the side has been my main side hustle, which is where the $1,600.70 came in. However, we had a bit of travel in April plus issues at school so it wasn’t practical to sell things. When I focus on it, I have made over $10,000 a month.

My main income comes from public speaking, consulting and blogging. To find out more about setting up a blog and making money from it check out this post. For my blog income, it’s mostly affiliate links, ads on the site etc.

How did I Make More?

My aim is to make more money every month which is why I track it closely. Having the capacity to retire at 40 if I want to is my goal. Realistically, if I keep enjoying what I do, I’ll keep doing it. This month I chose to outsource more, zero in on the things which make the most money for the time I spend on them and experiment with the things I do.

Side hustles are things I do when I feel like it, including selling things as mentioned, Airbnb (more info in this post) and pretty much anything which comes up. I have rented out my garage, rented rooms to boarders, sold things online for others, flipped websites and more.

Check out 43 ways for single mums to make money, 18 ways to make money in 2018 and 51 ways to make money from home for some ideas.

What the Hell did I Spend all the Money on?

I rarely spend on myself, ask those close to me. It’s infuriating to shop with me for this reason. Dropping cash on our needs, spending whatever I have to for my kids etc is all fine. When it comes to me, I never did it. This month I turned 33 and decided enough is enough. This was a money block I wanted to clear and I did. So what did I spend on and why?

School Holiday Camp – $960

Due to reasons beyond my control, vacation care was out and I was not going to be able to do what I planned. My daughters begged to do a camp like in “The Parent Trap”. So I chatted with parents, did some research and booked them in for a week. $480 each!

My Birthday – $432

“That’s not a list. You need fun stuff, like shoes and perfume!” my youngest daughter said after she saw my wishlist. Completely unimpressed with my desire for pj’s and other practical items, she was determined to spend money elsewhere.

In the end, we compromised, she got some things I ‘needed’ such as sunnies, pj’s and we picked a new perfume. They also bought me a massage and a few other things which they were stoked about.

Teeth Whitening – $350

Veneers have been on my list for a while because I am self-conscious about my teeth. Yellowing, a front tooth with a really white section and slightly overlapping the tooth next to it, vampire fangs etc. You know, a normal English/Aussie smile instead of a celebrity veneer type smile. Usually, teeth whitening with a dentist is $700 in my area. I found a Groupon voucher for a dentist I trust near me and saved $350!

Getting them whitened has been life-changing. I smile bigger and more often than ever in my life. They aren’t perfect but I love them so much more! The confidence boost amazed me. I doubt anyone I know would see the difference but I can and that is all that matters to me.

Trip to Canberra – $600

$1,000 was allocated for our trip to Canberra but only $600 was spent on car hire, petrol and food. Often we eat more takeaway when travelling but this time we had food from Woolworths instead.

A Shopping Spree – $342.85

My home has not felt like mine at all. In fact, my little sister stayed at my house while I was in Canberra and said she wasn’t sure when she walked in if it was even mine until she saw the big photo of my daughters and me.

It felt clinical with no personality since we moved in because I didn’t plan to stay here long. It was an ‘in between home’, yet here I am a year later.

We bought clothes, shoes, a guitar, books, some home decor items, pieces to finish off my room, command hooks to finally hang images in our home (plus some frames for specific pictures) and we had lunch out.

Total Spent – $2,684.85

I spent $1,084.15 more than the extra side money I made this month. However, I originally planned to spend $1,000 on Canberra alone so I feel fine about it.

Spending this much money in one hit isn’t something I’d regularly do unless I was setting up the house again or travelling. I save in many areas of my life such as my electricity bill being around $60 a month (see my 17 tips for this here), or not owning a car so we walk everywhere. I am currently with Red Energy for electricity. They offer a $25 bonus when you join too.

This frees up money for things I actually want and enjoy. It doesn’t mean I am frivolous with spending. How you spend/budget your money is up to you!

What’s Next?

Health is one of the most important areas in my life at the moment. Outsourcing the business so I can scale back and focus on things I want to is a high priority, as is helping my daughter as much as I can with her autism.

We’ve had a few issues recently which meant I spent a lot of time in April up at the school or with her needing extra care. I can’t do everything so the side hustles are being scaled back and everything else stepped up to free up my time and energy. Can’t wait to share my May update with you!