I share my income reports to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run Midwest Foodie as a full-time job that supports a family of three! It also gives me a chance to share with you what I'm working on and the new things I'm trying.
If you're new here, be sure to start at the beginning with my first income report to see how this blog got started!
Let’s take a look at the stats for July, August, and September of 2021!
Traffic
July 2021
| Pageviews | 535,305 |
| Sessions | 426,057 |
| Users | 335,946 |
August 2021
| Pageviews | 545,355 |
| Sessions | 434,448 |
| Users | 337,555 |
September 2021
| Pageviews | 525,750 |
| Sessions | 419,368 |
| Users | 322,118 |
Traffic Sources
July
August
September
3rd Quarter Income Total: $49,660
July 2021
| AdThrive | $14,647 |
| Amazon Associates | $188 |
| Pinterest E-Book | $582 |
| Total Income | $15,417 |
August 2021
| AdThrive | $14,932 |
| Amazon Associates | $205 |
| Pinterest E-Book | $291 |
| Sponsored Posts | $1,015 |
| Total Income | $16,443 |
September 2021
| AdThrive | $16,533 |
| Amazon Associates | $223 |
| Pinterest E-Book | $194 |
| Sponsored Posts | $850 |
| Total Income | $17,800 |
Monthly RPM/RPS
| Jul | Aug | Sep | |
| RPM | $29.14 | $29.01 | $32.27 |
| RPS | $36.73 | $36.35 | $40.45 |
Total Expenses $2,995
Monthly Recurring Expenses $1,805
Nerdpress: $366
Agathon: $260
ConvertKit: $297
Canva: $30
Gsuite: $36
Lightroom: $33
Tailwind: $30
Akismet: $30
KeySearch: $51
SendOwl: $27
Gusto: $45
Groceries: $600
Other Expenses $1,190
Peach Perfect Financials: $1,241
Cooking with Keywords: $200
IG VA/Content Writer: $180
Replica Surfaces Back Drop: $89
C-Stand: $147
Rapid Adapter Convert: $13
Rotating Panoramic Ball Head: $36
Tether Cord: $37
Shutter Release: $11
Lens Cleaning Spray: $7
Feast Plugin Quick Fix: $29
Donations $1,150
July
- Our July donation ($200) went to Equitable Giving Circle. Here's a description of their mission from their site: "Our aim is to empower BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities in Portland by leveraging economic deposits from communities of privilege to empower BIPOC communities and begin to move towards economic equity. Shifting economic power will create ripples of real change."
August
- One of our August donations ($250) went to Black Girls Smile. Here's a description of their mission from their site: "Black Girls Smile Inc. was founded with a mission to provide young black women with education, resources, and support to lead mentally healthy lives. BGS' mission is grounded in research, focus group findings, and personal experiences highlighting the under-served and underrepresented mental health needs of young black women."
- Another August donation ($250) went to the Go Fund Me Fundraiser Bring Ra Home. Syesha Mercado had her two children unjustly taken from their home by CPS. Here's a description of their mission from their fundraiser: "...we need your support to support our efforts in getting our babies back and also, to help raise awareness of something that has gone unnoticed for too long." This family was targeted because of their race and used this campaign to get their children back and bring awareness to this issue. I am so thankful that their babies are finally home with them again.
- Another August donation ($250) went to Global Giving to support their Hurricane Ida Relief Fund. Here's a description of their mission from their site: "...the Hurricane Ida Relief Fund will provide emergency aid like food, water, medicine, and shelter to impacted communities. Once immediate needs are met, this fund will provide long-term assistance, with a focus on locally led responses. All donations to this fund will exclusively support communities and first responders."
September
- Our September donation ($200) went to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in honor of a dear friend who lost their family member. Here's a description of their mission from their site: "The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We're committed to improving crisis services and advancing suicide prevention by empowering individuals, advancing professional best practices, and building awareness."
Profit $45,515
Taxes
Please note this “profit” does not take into account the taxes I will have to pay on it. It’s easy to look at these numbers and think the profits from blogging are great (which they are!) but it’s also important to remember that there are a lot of monthly expenses that go into blogging, and then taxes come along and take about 25%-30% of anything you have leftover!
My tax burden should be slightly lower this year as I'm filing as an s-corp but taxes still take up a big chunk of cash!!
Expenses Breakdown
Let's chat about some of my expenses this quarter!
CPA Services - Peach Perfect Financials
I met Ansley from Peach Perfect Financials several months ago when I did a Pinterest consult with her for her blog The Fit Peach. I'm so glad that our paths crossed because just before our move I hired her to help set up my LLC and file as an s-corp this year! She has been amazing to work with and has a unique perspective since she's a blogger herself. If you are struggling with juggling all the CPA-related tasks for your blog business, I cannot recommend Ansley enough! She got all the payroll stuff up for me in Gusto while we were moving and I literally just had to provide some basic info to get the process going. This investment has been worth every penny. I am pumped to see what kind of tax savings and I can get this year with filing as an s-corp!
Cooking with Keywords
I just started this course and I'm only about 25% of the way through, but so far I am really enjoying it. Aleka definitely knows her stuff when it comes to keyword research and I've already gleaned a few tips that I will definitely use next time I am doing keyword research. I have heard really good things about this course and so far, I can see why! I will update in my next income report once I've finished the course!
Content Writer
I was so sad to learn that my content writer got a large project offer from her day job and would no longer be doing content writing! I am considering searching for another, but it took me so long to find her that I'm a bit hesitant to start the search all over. Also, the break I've had from writing my posts has actually made me excited to write posts again, at least for now!
New C-Stand, Tether Cord, and Backdrops
I treated myself to some new equipment a few weeks ago and I am in LOOOOOOOOVE. The c-stand is super sturdy and although it takes up a bit of room I find it much easier to use and more stable than the old tripod that I was using. I would highly recommend investing in a c-stand if you're looking for a little upgrade!
I also love Replica backdrops! They are so lightweight and easy to clean. I purchased a new one because my old one had little dimples in the corners from when I used it with my tripod. The c-stand eliminates this problem which is nice.
Pinterest Updates
Not much to update here! I'm still plugging away with the strategy outlined in my e-book. I'm still not doing idea pins and I'm kind of just on autopilot as far as Pinterest is concerned. It feels like they are undergoing a huge transformation and I'm not sure that Pinterest will ever be what it was for content creators.
I've heard some rumblings about it becoming a "pay to play" space where if you want impressions, content creators will have to pay. Who knows if there's any truth to that though. Either way, it's still bringing me a decent amount of traffic so I'm staying consistent and following my strategy. Here's a look at my traffic from May until the beginning of October. I thought it had been steadily declining (based on the random peeks I do at my analytics in Pinterest), but I actually see that it's been holding pretty steady and is starting to trend slightly upwards - no doubt because we are heading into the holiday season.
My Pinterest E-Book
- This e-book will help you develop a quick, easy, and simple Pinterest strategy that will drive consistent traffic to your site in JUST 20 MINUTES A WEEK!
- This e-book is ideal for those who prefer to work at their own pace. This is not a Pinterest course. It's not going to take you days or weeks to work through.
- It's loaded with screenshots and images to help clarify the concepts that you're learning and is geared towards those who already have a basic understanding of Pinterest, Tailwind, and Canva.
As always, thank you for reading! None of this would be possible without you 🙂 And don't forget to check out my previous income reports for more behind-the-scenes info!
Luke
After following your recipes and content for these years, it is very easy to understand why you have become so successful! I love it!! Keep up the great work, I couldn't be happier!!