Day 23: My $10k/Month Income Breakdown (Spoiler: AdSense Was 20%)

The Spreadsheet That Exposed My Money Leaks

Three months ago, I celebrated my first $10k month. Milestone achieved, excitement shared… then reality hit. “Where the hell is this money even coming from?” I mumbled, staring at 12 income streams bleeding into a chaotic mess of spreadsheets.

Turns out, I was losing $3k/month on autopilot—promoting low-commission affiliates, ignoring high-RPM pages, and letting sponsorships slip through cracks.

If your income feels like a tangled headphone wire, this guide will show you:

• The exact template that uncovered my leaks.
• How AdSense became my smallest earner (and what tripled my revenue).
• Real numbers: Affiliates vs. digital products vs. sponsorships.

My $10k Breakdown: Where the Money Really Comes From

Let’s cut through the “hustle porn” and get raw:

1. AdSense (20% – $2k):
   • Traffic Source: 70% from 3 evergreen posts (e.g., “Best Budget Laptops 2024”).
   • RPM: $vs.$4 (lifestyle).
   • Why It’s Shrinking: Over-reliance on Google updates → Pivoted to affiliates.
2. Affiliate Marketing (35% – $3.5k):
   • Top 3 Programs:
     • ShareASale (50%): $1.7k from hosting reviews.
     • Amazon (30%): 1K from “Best X Under 100” roundups.
     • PartnerStack (20%): $800 from SaaS tool promos.
   • Leak Fixed: Dropped 7 programs paying <$50/month.
3. Digital Products (30% – $3k):
   • Surprise Winner: A $27 Canva template pack outsold my $197 course by 3:1.
   • Profit Margin: 85% (vs. 60% for courses).
4. Sponsorships (15% – $1.5k):
   • One Email Script landed a $1k/blog post deal.

How Tracking Tripled My Revenue in 90 Days

Step 1: Audit Everything (Yes, Even the Pennies)

• Tool: Google Sheets template auto-calculates hourly rates per task.
• Example: Found I spent 10 hours/month managing a $50 affiliate program → Dropped it.

Step 2: Kill the Zombie Income Streams

• Red Flags:
  • Under $100/month.
  • Time-to-payout ratio >5:1 (e.g., 5 hours work for $50).
• Result: Freed up 15 hours/month → Poured into printables.

Step 3: Double Down on the 80/20 Winners

• Case Study: A food blogger tracking her income discovered:
  • Sponsored recipe posts: $200/post (5 posts/month).
  • AdSense: $0.80 RPM (1K views = $8).
  • Pivot: Ditched ads → Pitched 10 brands → Now earns $3k/month.

FAQs: Your Tracking Roadblocks, Solved

Q: “How often should I update my tracker?”
A: Weekly (15 mins). Use Zapier to auto-import AdSense data → Saves hours.

Q: “What if my income is too small to track?”
A: My first report showed $200/month, which grew to $10K/month by fixing leaks.

Q: “Can I track without spreadsheets?”
A: Try QuickBooks Self-Employed (free 30-day trial).

Tomorrow’s Teaser:
“Day 24: How I Hired a Virtual Assistant for $3/Hour (Sites I Use)”

• Sneak Peek: Delegate writing/editing to VAs in the Philippines for less than coffee costs.
• Freebie: “VA Hiring Checklist” (interview scripts + task templates).

CTA: “Want to free up 10+ hours/week? Save this post—tomorrow’s guide is your shortcut. If you are new here then must read this blog.”