Income Report & More for February 2021

By Jill McDonough

It was a very busy February (as always) with Valentine’s Day, birthdays, and anniversaries.

It was a little harder to work my side hustles, but money was still made. The best side hustles are ones that can “run themselves” for a while when life gets busy.

It’s also great to have multiple side hustles so you can pivot easily from one to another depending on what life throws at you.

Of my various side hustles…here are the side hustles I worked during the month of February.

Side Hustles That Paid Out in February:

Freelancing Publishing Consultant Job

I work as a contractor for a major college textbook publisher. This was a busy month of full-time work filling in for a sales representative who is on maternity leave.

French Co-op Class

I started teaching this class in September 2020. Last month I shared with you that I cashed in part of my earnings on a new desk. Well, I love the desk so much that I used the rest of my teaching earnings (and some savings) to purchase the same desk for my husband!

My husband and I both work from home and have our desks side by side each other. Now they will match!

I promise (I think) that I won’t buy another one of these desks next month!

Fetch Rewards App

I had a TON of fun with this side hustle this month because I discovered a little secret to making lots of money on it.

The Fetch Rewards app allows you to scan receipts (grocery, restaurant, hardware, pharmacy, etc) and then earn points. Basically 1,000 points = $1. You can then turn in those points for rewards like Amazon, Target, or Starbucks gift cards (to name a few).

While it’s very easy to earn a $5 Amazon card each month, I wondered if I could earn even more. Since you can submit 14 receipts a week, I ramped up adding receipts…even from my friends who did not care if I used their receipts.

It literally takes seconds to take the picture of a receipt and upload it. This month I ended up making $10 in Amazon money. Woot woot! While this is a small side hustle, it adds up every month and I’m hardly doing any work for it.

You can start with several thousand points, by signing up on the Fetch Rewards App. This is easier than clipping coupons and it’s fun to pick out a which gift card reward I want.

Use my code 51VGC to start with 2,000 points ($2) after you scan your first receipt.

Online Newspaper Course, The Homegrown Newspaper

I lowered the price of this course and got some new sign ups for this online course in February! Woot woot.

Sometimes we need to play around with the price until we find the “sweet spot” that brings in the most sales.

Any skill can be monetized. What could you turn into an online course? See how my 10 year old son and I created this online course together.

Affiliate Marketing

Thanks to the various companies I represent as an affiliate, I earned some money. However, I will admit that I did not make much since I was not promoting much this month.

Side Hustles That Didn’t Bring In Any Money in February:

No egg selling

While we don’t have enough eggs to sell this winter, we purchased more chicks this month so that we can sell all throughout next winter (when egg production typically drops).

That’s it for side hustling in February.

Well, what about the other two-thirds of the homeschooling, side hustling mom life?

Homeschooling in February:

Still loving Sonlight Level C & Level F

As I’m writing, my voice is sore from so much read aloud time with the kids today. But, I wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world. The conversations and cuddles we have while reading are some of the best parts of my day.

The Bugle Blast

My 12 year old son’s newspaper, The Bugle Blast, is currently published every two months. He just finished the February/March edition. This involved editing and layout work on my end.

We’re happy with the final product which is then mailed and handed out to his faithful readers.

Mom Life in February:

Enjoying Bible Study

My Bible Study group is almost done with John Macarthur’s Stand Firm: Living in a Post-Christian Culture. I can’t wait to see what book we’ll pick next!

Systematic Theology Class at my Church

This class meets once a month. We also happen to be using a John Macarthur book that is a great reference to have for any Bible Study. It is called Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth. I highly recommend it.

Celebrated 15 years of marriage!

It was a nice month of celebrating with my best friend and hubby. I’m looking forward to the next 15 years!

Read/Listened to in February

There are not enough hours in each day for the books I want to read. However, I try to squeeze in a few hours here and there.

This month I enjoyed Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, William Carey: Obliged to Go, and Around the World in 80 Days. I read these since my boys will read them on their own soon.

For future posts I want to write, I’ve been reading books for kids that encourage side hustling. Besides a lot of picture books on the subject, I also read The Lemonade War.

Well, that’s how my February went. How was yours?

I want to encourage you to keep an income report for your side hustles. You will be encouraged by all that you accomplish. It will also push you to do more each month.

I look forward to hearing how all of your side hustles are going! I can’t wait to see what March brings!

Need help with your current side hustle? You won’t want to miss 10 Rules for Side Hustle Success for the Homeschool Mom.

Not sure you need a side hustle? You will definitely want to read 15 Reasons Why Homeschool Moms Need a Side Hustle in 2021.

Don’t have a side hustle yet? Let’s find your ideal side hustle today!

Find even more ideas and tips by following both the Facebook and Pinterest pages for Homeschool Mom Side Hustles.