October 22nd, 2012 
Jessica 
Me (22 wks pregnant) and my finished painting
In September I made $221! And we increased our income by $224 monthly!
Yes, I’m excited that I’m on a roll here, and yes, I’m very pleased with myself. You can shake your head at me now. In order to stay optimistic, I have learned to rejoice in my accomplishments, no matter how big or small. So before I pat myself on the back too much, let me tell you how I made $221 in August:
- Starbucks Gift Card: I volunteered to be an assistant in our Sunday School at church, and was rewarded with a gift card!
- Amazon Books: I sold two books on Amazon last month.
- English Curriculum: I wrote English Curriculum for our friends in China for the third time.
- Painting for Church: I was commissioned to do a painting for our church, my first commission in 6 years!
As I said above, I also realized that we have now increased our monthly income by $224.
- We paid off our second mortgage to Citimortgage in May, which not only eliminated the debt (monthly payments and interest) but increased our income by $20.
- We refinanced our house at the end of September, which increased our income by $204.
So September was a great month for earning money! Although I like to poke fun at myself for rejoicing in so many small accomplishments, it’s been almost 3 years since we first dreamed of being debt-free. It has been an uphill climb, but it is very satisfying for me to see how much we have learned, and are still learning in this journey.
What creative or new ways have you found to earn money recently?
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I think what you are doing is so inspiring. I had no idea you could paint. Have you ever considered painting and placing items on etsy?
Thanks! I taught middle school art for 4 years and have my master’s degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art. I’ve found it really hard to do art since having kids the last 3 years, but I’ve just started doing it again in the last month or so. 🙂
Way to stay optimistic! It’s a whole lot more refreshing than people who just complain or who are so busy looking toward their goals that they never sto to rejoice over the blessings of the moment. Goals are awesome, but I love your cheerful contentment with your extra couple hundred dollars in a month. You’re a great role model! 🙂
Thanks! I hope you had a great time visiting with Mom & Dad this week! We can’t wait for them to get here! 🙂
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