Oct 20 2007
Gimmie $ Gimme $ Gimmie
So I earned nearly $1300 in September, more than I could have ever imagined and it all feels a bit, I dunno, like I should be happier than I am. If you were to tell me a year ago that I would be earning over $1000 doing this first I would have said “Shut UP! No way!” and then I would have been giddy with excitement.
But now that I’m at this point, I just want to keep pushing for more. It seems like the more I earn, the more I want to earn which is a bit of a worry because I’ve never really been the money hungry type. While I’m still working a regular a job I consider the money earned from the web as extra cash. Now that I’m packing it in, my thoughts are less about what I’ll do with the money and more about how much I’ll need to survive and suddenly $1300 doesn’t seem like as much as it used to.
I wonder what my reaction will be if I ever start making the really big bucks. Earning $2000 is within reach and more than enough to live in the places I’ll be going but I wonder if I’ll still be left unsatisfied because I won’t be able to stash enough away into my savings. Figures like $5000 a month seem out of reach and that would be nearly twice as much as I’ve ever earned in the rat race but I wonder if, once (if) I ever reach that point I’ll still come away wanting more more more.
I think this feeling might be less about greed and more about wanting security. Being my own boss is great but if the business fails, that’s it, there’s nobody to give me a severance package. Plus I think it might have something to do with the unsteadiness of the internet world. If Google decides they don’t like my sites anymore then things will come crashing down pretty quickly. Or the internet could just all implode one day, who knows! Then there’s always the drive to succeed and do well in business. I’m pretty competitive and hearing how much others are earning drives me to try and get to that point as well.
I’m not sure how much I’ll need to be earning to feel secure. I think it has less to do with monthly earnings and more to do with how much I have in the bank though. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still utterly amazed, grateful and excited to be earning this much but if you would have told me this a year ago I would be dancing in the streets. As yet, there has been no street dancing. Talk to me when I’m raking in $5000 a month though and if I’m not dancing jigs in streets all around the world then someone track me down and give me a massive kick in the arse!
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I've been travelling since January 2008 living off earnings from the web. Follow me as I bum around Asia and beyond, getting up to mischief and working online as I go. 
Kirsty - who knows, you might be making big bucks next year or barely scraping by, but my guess is that you have the determination and drive to keep pushing so you’ll be likely to earning more and more, baring any catastrophic events.
That being said, as long as you strive to live “below your means” and always put something in savings, it will help with feeling more secure about your finances. When you are relying on your own means to earn a living, as opposed to working for someone else, it is amazing how “cheap” (better word would be frugal
) you become. Check out www.spendingwisely.com for some good ideas on living on less.
It is funny how the stages progress from being excited about earning 1$ a day/ month to $1000 a month to the big bucks.
I wouldn’t say I’m cheap or even frugal… I definately don’t mind spending money to have a good time. But I’m not at all materialistic which will help me keep expenses down. Plus I’m good at budgeting when I really need to.
It’s funny you mention the $1 a day milestone. When I started earning that with Adsense I was so happy and told all sorts of people… they didn’t seem to share my enthusiasm. I think there were several scoffs, actually. Sure, it’s only a buck a day but I think was made me so excited was that it was passive income and it also sparked that motivation in me to keep at it and push for $2 then $5 and now I’m aiming for $10 a day.
But are you starting to take into consideration the different buying power of those dollars?
In the U.K. $100 gets you 26 Big Macs, 46 in S-Africa, 56 in Thailand and 71 in China!
http://www.economist.com/markets/indicators/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8649005
I wouldn’t worry too much about security at this stage - once you get out on the road $1300/month is a lot more than most backpackers are earning. In fact $40/day will keep you very nicely in Thailand - and that’s not even spending your savings !
To me $1300 a month seems an absolute fortune on the road! I had a total of $11,000 to my name when I went RTW, and I was gone three years. I worked along the way and managed to keep some of that cash intact but I can’t imagine what it’s like to live on $40 a day, unless it’s in Europe or Japan.
But I do understand the issue of security, which plagued me as I set out to travel. I got used to having no fallback, and to living in the moment. My need for security dwindled as I traveled, until it nearly disappeared altogether. I felt empowered and self-confident, and as long as I had medical and accident insurance premiums paid up I felt safe.
It’s amazing how spending can expand to fit income. I’m earning far more today than I was ten years ago yet I don’t live as well… my needs have expanded and maybe money isn’t the issue - it’s my attitude to it.
Congratulations on the AdSense income. I felt the same way when I made my first $1 on my site - just happy that the system actually worked!
Always knew you would get there Kirsty and do you know why? You are talented and most importantly you are no quitter!
Getting to where you are now is the hardest part done in my opinion.
Wow! Congratulations, it gives Jim and I hope that our blog will help us stay on the road longer than we first thought. Keep up the fantastic work!
Seeing in print what seems to be foremost in my daily thoughts, the terrifying reality of giving up both our jobs, scares me more than the novelty of starting another facet of our lives…even if somewhat carefully planned. An ounce of uncertainty is a pound of discouragement.
It’s overwhelming to have all the ideas still floating in the air. My husband and I finally made our first baby step 2 days ago, www.drumblogger.wordpress.com (frustrating…can’t even do the link on my own).
Enough is enough…I guess! At least you’re already so much ahead, and you know what you’re capable of doing. Me? Many times I feel life would be a lot easier if I could just grab my pencil and paper. Patience, patience, patience…it’s the age of the amazing web…a tangled web!
Interesting article WJM but if the US buck keeps tanking the way it is it might not look so good.
Ya $40 a day is loads, I agree! If you would have told me a year ago that’s what I’d be making I would have jumped for job but now that I’m on the verge of taking the leap it doesn’t seem quite so good. But I know it is… I think I’ll make it my goal to only spend as much as I earn the previous month just as a little challenge and so I don’t have to touch my savings. I’m looking forward to putting myself to the test… I’m really good at saving and budgeting at home but once I start travelling I usually spend like a maniac for the first while and only start budgeting when money is tighter. Will be interesting!
Scribetrotter I plan on being away for several years as well and I know what you mean about the more we earn, the more we usually spend.
Thanks WN, things have gone a bit crazy for my over the past 10 months but before that it was an endless struggle to $100/month.
Rene it takes a lot of time but stick with it and maybe branch out a bit from only the one blog and things will keep improving.
Cecilia I like the new site but have you thought about just adding it to your other drum site as a blog section keeping the same domain as the other one? Having your own domain is always better than a Wordpress one. I think your idea is really great though and it seems like you’ve got a lot of experience in the area that people will want to read about. Stick to it! Patience is definately a key trait you need.
Thanks Kirsty…never thought of adding the blog in our site. I thought there will be more potential exposure with drumblogger.word press.com than with xzyllardrums.com –don’t you think so? If you ask me about blogging before last summer we went back to the Phillipines, you won’t get anything more than a blank stare from me. Imagine the cramming that I have to do? If there is some kind of vocabulary test, I’d surely fail it. I had to do a lot of contextual reading. LOL! (It doesn’t feel like ‘me’ using this.)
As for the buying power of the mighty $ based on webjourneyman’s calculation, you’ll probably have as many burgers in the Philippines as you would have in China if not more…although I can’t assure you about the size (bite-size or snack size?). Besides, the exchange really came down from P56=$1 almost 3 years ago to only P54 or less now. You really have to time the exchange since it fluctuates almost daily, sometimes even from am to pm…or worse, you’re standing in line and when you get to the teller it’s 10C less. It’s even less if you convert it here from the U.S….$1 = P53.40 only. Approach Philippines with a grain of salt, you could still enjoy it.