June ‘26 Income Report
This month felt like a throwback to 2009 - when I first discovered making money online.
Like many people, I dipped in and out of surveys, music review sites, cashback sites and odd ways to earn a little extra money. I couldn’t drive due to my epilepsy at the time and was spending a small fortune in fuel for my stepdad to take me to work and back.
The side hustles (although they weren’t called that in those days) were useful, but I never took them seriously. I was working towards having a career where a salary would arrive every month. Side hustles were simply helping me pay for petrol.
Looking back, I think I was asking them to do the wrong job.
I judged every opportunity by one question:
“Could this replace my salary?”
If the answer was no, I quickly lost interest.
This time is different.
For the first time in my adult life, I’ve stepped away from the security of a monthly pay slip. June was my first month without a salary landing in my bank account. That changes how I think about money entirely.
I’m no longer trying to find one magical side hustle that replaces a full time income overnight.
I’m building something much more resilient.
Instead of relying on a single employer, I’m rebuilding my finances through four pillars:
Instant cash - money I can make quickly when I need it.
Skills - earning from my knowledge and experience I’ve spent years developing.
Assets - creating things that can continue working after I’ve finished making them.
Investments - gradually reaching the point where my money begins working alongside me.
This monthly report isn’t just an income report.
It’s really a way of tracking whether I’m becoming less dependant on any one source of income.
And I think I couldn’t have chosen a more challenging time to start this.
My stepdad was still in hospital during the first week of June, so several days disappeared into hospital visits and discharge planning. My mum then had two separate trips to hospital later in the month, wiping out more planned work days. I also had hours to make up from my employed job before I officially finished.
In previous years, months like this would have left me feeling exhausted and financially worse off. It’s been this way for several years now because I’ve found it so hard to keep working when my parents are unwell. It’s time for a change.
Instant Cash
This pillar is exactly what it sounds like.
Money that can be made relatively quickly without needing to build a business first.
It’s not the most glamorous but it gets the job done.
This month my instant cash came from:
Market Research (Askable): £60
Food Reviews (Brand Allies): £51.38
Cashback (Top Cashback, Rakuten, Jam Doughnut): £78.93
Referrals (Monzo, Rakuten, Sprive): £185
Surveys (Prolific, Amazon Shopper): £13.48
UGC (Social Tip): £28.06
Total = £416.85
What happened this month?
This was the first month I started taking side hustling seriously and my income went from £130 in May 2026, to £416.85 in June 2026.
What I learnt?
I realised that my time is highly unpredictable. I can go from trying to learn to moonwalk because I have nothing to do to standing in A&E for 4 hours.
In the first week of June, I was only able to manage £52 and realised I needed to start focusing on higher paying side hustles.
One statistic really stood out to me this month.
In May 2026, I completed 55 side hustle activities and earned £130.68
That worked out at an average of £2.38 per activity.
In June 2026, I completed 52 activities and earned £455.57 (including bank interest). That works out at an average of £8.76 per activity.
I don’t think that’s because I suddenly became more lucky. It’s because I became more intentional.
I’m learning which opportunities are genuinely worth my time, which platforms consistently pay, and where I should stop chasing pennies just because they’re available.
Skills
This pillar is about earning because of what I know, not just what I do.
It’s the part of my income that’s built on years of education, experience and professional knowledge.
Although it usually has the highest earning potential, it’s also the most dependent on my time and energy, and therefore is my most vulnerable income source.
This month my skills income was £0.
Whilst I have created my offer and published the website, I have not marketed my OT business as this month has been very difficult with supporting my parents and establishing side hustles. I use a lot of mental energy on my parents and I don’t want to do a disservice to anyone that I work with, so have held back on this.
Assets
This is where today’s work has the potential to become tomorrow’s income.
Unlike instant cash or skills, assets often require a lot of effort before they earn anything at all.
This month I worked on:
Creating The Side Hustle Fund website
Creating The Side Hustle Fund substack
Growing The Side Hustle Fund Instagram
Creating The Side Hustle Income Tracker spreadsheet
Market research for another project (name TBC)
Income generated from existed assets:
Digital Products: £2.68
Website: £0
Other: £0
Total: £2.68
What happened this month
For 8 years I have wanted to own and monetise something online. But I have always found it so difficult whilst working. It would drain me of any creativity and I would constantly doubt myself. The fact that someone took a chance on something I had created felt incredible.
What I learnt
Instagram makes minimal sense!
Instagram Followers:
May: 364
June: 1132
Change: +768 followers
Substack Subscribers:
May: (not launched)
June: 2 subscribers
Change: +2
Facebook Followers:
May: (not launched)
June: 4 followers
Change: +4
Threads Followers:
May: (not launched)
June: 4 followers
Change: +4
Tiktok Followers:
May: 34 followers
June: 34 followers
Change: 0
Investments
Interest: £23.61
Stocks and Shares ISA (1): £764.24
Stocks and Shares ISA (2): £8.78
Lifetime ISA: £1747.91
Total: £2544.54
This has not really ever been a focus of mine beyond making sure my savings earn interest at a decent rate, but will be once I can pay the bills…
Looking at the Bigger Picture
One thing I’ve noticed already is that the four pillars are unlikely to grow at the same speed.
Some months, instant cash will generate income. Other months I’ll spend more time building assets that earn very little today but could become far more worthwhile in the future.
That’s the point of this framework.
I’m no longer relying on one income stream to do everything.
Instead, each pillar has a different job.
Together, they’re gradually helping me build something I’ve never really had before.
Financial resilience.
