Food Blog Income Report – 4th Quarter 2021
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.
But before we dive in, I just want to give a huge thank you to all of you. Without my readers, this blog would not be what it is today and I am SO thankful for each and every one of you. Whether you’re a new reader or you’ve been along for the ride since 2017, I am so happy that you’re here and I appreciate you! Now let’s get to the details!
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 October, November, and December of 2021! These traffic totals do not include web story traffic.
Traffic
October 2021
| Pageviews | 609,672 |
| Sessions | 485,115 |
| Users | 362,440 |
November 2021
| Pageviews | 679,768 |
| Sessions | 544,940 |
| Users | 409,904 |
December 2021
| Pageviews | 783,261 |
| Sessions | 626,065 |
| Users | 459,576 |
Traffic Sources
October 2021
November 2021
December 2021
4th Quarter Income Total: $72,229
October 2021
| AdThrive | $17,207 |
| Amazon Associates | $333 |
| Pinterest E-Book | $291 |
| Total Income | $17,831 |
November 2021
| AdThrive | $22,789 |
| Amazon Associates | $463 |
| Total Income | $23,252 |
December 2021
| AdThrive | $26,369 |
| Amazon Associates | $501 |
| Affiliate Income | $3,279 |
| Pinterest E-Book | $97 |
| Sponsored Post | $900 |
| Total Income | $31,146 |
Monthly RPM/RPS
| Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| RPM | $28.22 | $33.52 | $33.67 |
| RPS | $35.47 | $41.82 | $42.12 |
Total Expenses $3,833
Monthly Recurring Expenses $1,901
Nerdpress: $366
Agathon: $260
ConvertKit: $297
Canva: $30
Gsuite: $36
Lightroom: $33
Tailwind: $30
Akismet: $30
KeySearch: $51
SendOwl: $27
Gusto: $135
Groceries: $600
Microsoft One Drive: $6
Other Expenses $1,932
Nutrifox: $89
Blog Fixer: $100
New 50mm Lens: $136
Microsoft One Drive: $74
Keywords Everywhere: $10
IG VA/Content Writer: $1,523
Donations $750
October
- Our October donation ($250) 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.”
November
- Our November donation ($250) went to Buy from a Black Woman. Here’s a description of their mission from their site: “Since 2016, Buy From A Black Woman has empowered, educated, and inspired Black Women business owners and the people who support them. A registered tax-exempt nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, Buy from a Black Woman ensures that Black Women have the tools and resources that will allow them to be successful. Through educational programs, an online directory, and funding, Buy from a Black Woman continues to grow as a trusted resource that helps Black Women in business.”
December
- Our December donation ($250) went to Girl Trek. Here’s a description of their mission from their site: “GirlTrek, the largest public health nonprofit for African-American women and girls in the United States. With 1 million members, GirlTrek encourages women to use walking as a practical first step to inspire healthy living, families, and communities. As women organize walking teams, they mobilize community members to support monthly advocacy efforts and lead a civil rights-inspired health movement.”
Profit $67,646
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!!
What’s New!
- I found a new content writer! Woohoo! After interviewing several writers, I’ve found one that really gets my writing style and does a great job! Writing blog posts is the thing that takes me the longest and the thing I enjoy the least so I love being able to outsource that task.
- I’ve hired a VA to work exclusively on getting sponsored content for Midwest Foodie! I’m hoping that 2022 brings more sponsored content and I’m looking forward to sharing some of my favorite brands with you!
- My partner is going to be taking over social media management and web story creation! My partner was laid off at the beginning of the pandemic and quickly became a stay at home parent, taking over as full time caregiver and home school teacher as well – basically the glue that holds our family together. So I am excited to let him flex his creative muscle and work on the blog in a different capacity other than being my official taste tester 😉
New Year, New Midwest Foodie?
Not so much. It’s a new year, but things around here will pretty much be the same!
- As always, I’m still working on creating boundaries and finding a better work/life balance. Which I say as I sit on my couch at 9:30pm writing this post… I have definitely made some good steps towards working less and enjoying life more though. I’m getting better at taking the day off to go hiking and watch reality TV without feeling guilty about it!
- I have been feeling called towards niching down and focusing on vegetarian and vegan dishes only for the last year or so and I’m considering leaning into that as we enter the new year. Although I’ve already got my content tested and shot through first quarter, which includes a delicious mix of vegetarian dishes and meat dishes, but after that you might be seeing more plant-based recipes on my site!
- As usual, I like to spend first quarter reviewing all my posts and updating old content. AdThrive has made it even easier this year with their Content Optimization tool and I am looooving it! I’m not sure why the beginning of the year always feel like the best time to update old content but it feels great to get those oldies but goodies freshened up.
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 still feels like Pinterest is in flux and figuring out their new direction. There’s always lots of talk in the food blogger FB groups about the latest tips and tricks, but for me, the best tried and true strategy is the same that I outline in my book. I see some Pinterest “gurus” out there saying “what you were doing 2 years ago isn’t going to work now” but the proof is in the pudding for me! I am doing the same thing I’ve been doing and I’m still getting a moderate amount of consistent traffic from Pinterest and I’m really happy with where things are at.
- Many folks discuss their declines in Pinterest traffic in those FB groups but it’s important to remember that a decline in Pinterest traffic this year was inevitable. In 2020, the entire world was holed up in their houses cooking for their families. And in 2021, thanks to science and the people who believe in it, we started to get a small taste of the outside world again. It’s not surprising that folks aren’t clamoring to spend an evening cooking over a hot stove – I certainly am not either!
If you’re looking for the tried and true strategy that has gotten me where I am today, be sure to check out my Pinterest e-book! More details below!
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!
Your sharing has been truly inspiring for me, and I greatly appreciate your willingness to be transparent and share all the details. As someone new to blogging, your insights are incredibly helpful and motivating. Thank you so much for sharing this.
I love these reports as we’re entering into our first full year of blogging. I’m curious how effective has Google Web Stories been as a traffic driver for you? We’ve yet to dive into them 😅
I currently get next to nothing for traffic from Google web stories. I got some pretty decent traffic a year ago (800k pageviews in February 2021) but since May 2021 my traffic from web stories has basically fallen off a cliff. I make them here and there and republish some old ones but I don’t prioritize them because they don’t bring my traffic.
Congratulations to you!! I always look forward to your posts 😃 I am wondering where the affiliate income came from in December but none in October and November?
Best wishes for your continued success and keep up the great work!!!
Thanks so much, Anne! The majority of this affiliate income in December came from Ooni! I have an Ooni review post that must have gotten picked up somewhere because it is getting tons of traffic and thusly more affiliate income. I think the fact that it’s popularly coincided with the holidays caused the influx of affiliate income.
How exciting! I’m happy for you 😊 Take care 😊
Love reading your reports, another question though – I’m curious as to why you’re paying for both Lightroom and Canva?
So glad you enjoy this reports, Deirdre! Lightroom is for editing photos and Canva is for creating pins. They each do very different things. Feel free to click on each of the links and you can find out some more details about them!
Ah okay! Was just confused as I have Lightroom as part of creative cloud for 9.99 a month, and I use Photoshop for pins and Lightroom for editing.
Ohhhh yes that makes sense! I’ve never been brave enough to try Photoshop!! 🙂
Congrats on a successful 2021! I love these reports, I always look forward to them 🙂
Thanks so much, Kimberly! I am glad to hear that you find value in reading these!! 🙂 Happy new year!
I love reading these! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to give us a glimpse of food blogging. They are so helpful!
I am so glad to hear that you enjoy these, Courtney! My hope is that it’s fun for food bloggers and non-food bloggers alike to see just what goes into blogging!