Here’s the August 2025 breakdown of all the pennies I’ve collected from the internet. I’ve organized the income sources into bigger categories and then provided details from each source.
Affiliate Commissions: $2401,05
TikTok Shop Affiliate: $1098.37
I have been creating TikTok Shop Affiliate videos since Sept 2024 and seeing steady sales. The process involves quick reviews or demonstrations of products that are sold within TikTok shop and linking them within the TikTok video. Results vary wildly depending on the product, the day, the month, the season, and the algorithm. (link to my TikTok account)
- Read more about how I made over $19k in commission in the first year of doing TikTok Shop Affiliate.
Etsy Affiliate: $1123.07
The primary place where I promote Etsy affiliate links is through Pinterest. I’ve had a Pinterest account since forever, so my account is already full of craft tutorial links. I post my affiliate links to crochet and quilt patterns, and these have generated the most sales for me. (link to my Pinterest account)
Amazon Affiliate: $171.93
I’ve been an Amazon affiliate since the early days of my blog and have always recommended various supplies for art and lettering. This month was the first full month of on-site commissions, where product review videos get added directly to the product page by Amazon. If someone watches the video on the product page and makes a purchase, then I get the affiliate commission. (link to my Amazon Storefront)
Benable: $7.68
July. Benable a website that has its own audience and search functionality where you can link to various products and websites in collections. The affiliate income is baked into the platform when someone clicks on your featured product and makes a purchase. Probably the lowest friction income source since you don’t need an existing audience. (link to sign up for Benable)
Other Affiliate Programs: $0
Nothing here this month.
Products: $22.50
Paper Goods Etsy Shop: $1.81
I sell bookmarks here mostly, with the occasional digital download. (link to Etsy shop)
Fiber Goods Etsy Shop: $11.38
Once upon a time, I thought I was going to make scarves and blankets while my baby napped and I could sell them online. And that kind of worked, but not profitably. Listings expired, and then I switched to smaller objects like coasters and cozies, and now I’m mostly selling digital crochet patterns. (link to Etsy shop)
Used Books: $0
I list used books for sale using the PangoBooks app. Sales are very sporadic and sometimes I get into phases where I’m not really listing much. This must have been a slow month for new listings. (link to my PangoBooks shop)
Digital Downloads: $3
Too many shops, not enough marketing. This month I added printable coloring swatch sheets to the shop, with minimal promotion on Instagram. (link to coloring pages)
Print on Demand: $5.96
Once upon a time, I uploaded a ton of designs onto RedBubble. I do not nurture this revenue stream at all right now, and any sales are just a bonus surprise. (link to Redbubble shop)
Content Monetization: $7.21
Google AdSense: $5.88
Clearly, this is not a very lucrative income source, since the minimum payout to transfer to a bank account is $100. However, coins are coins, so I’m leaving the ads turned on at my blog. Is it enough to off-set the cost of the website hosting and domain registration? Probably not. But it hosts content that hopefully leads to other affiliate sales. (link to blog)
Instagram Bonus for Posts: $1.33
I have no idea how this was activated or why. I was previously enrolled in an Instagram Reels bonus program, but that has since been discontinued. At the time of this income report, I wasn’t paying much attention to creating content here, maybe posting one or two book reviews per day, which usually received less than 200 views and maybe earned $0.02 per post. (link to my Instagram)
Recurring Expenses
No income report is complete without factoring in expenses. I tend to pay annual subscriptions rates for things, so this will just be a recurring list of resources that I use.
Flodesk for email marketing $209/year (affiliate link for Flodesk)
USPS PO Box $210/year
Canva Pro $120/year
Bluehost for blog hosting and domain registration $350/year (check out the blog here)
