If you are a regular reader, you are probably aware that each month, I post my alternative income earnings. These are earnings that I make not by directly working for a a set salary or hourly wage. For instance, dividends or investment gains fit the bill of alternative income. Earnings from this website counts too… I never know exactly how much I make, but I know that I’ll make something even if I disappear to Australia and Thailand for a month (as I did last year). I’m a huge fan of alternative income. When paired with frugality, it allows me to live a relatively Lazy existence. The dollar numbers aren’t putting me on easy street yet, but I see a lot of growth ahead.

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, shall we? Last month, I made $1971 after taxes on my websites. December is always an odd month for Lazy Man and Money. Traffic is down because people are out shopping, attending holiday parties, or simply doing stuff that’s probably just a touch more fun than reading about personal finance. On the positive side, if I make good gift recommendations on my websites, I can earn a small percentage of the sale from the merchant as a commission.

For those keeping track at home (and I doubt you are), I made $9 more in alternative income in December 2008 as I did in January 2008. Maybe I should take back the previous comment of seeing growth ahead. It was a topsy-turvy year where most of ad sales started as direct sales, but ended as mostly AdSense or affiliate sales. Bloggers that are more popular than I say that’s healthier mix for long-term growth.

While on the topic of alternative income, I should mention that in the next few days/weeks, I’ll be profiling someone who is making more than 5 times as much as am I a month – chances are you never heard of him.