What a year! Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run a multi-six-figure food blog, including a clear breakdown of income, expenses, traffic trends, and lessons learned.
The Big Picture
Below are the actual figures from my profit and loss report for 2025.
Income – $534,433
- Ad Revenue: $519,412
- Affiliate Revenue: $8,871
- Product/Consulting Revenue: $6,150
Expenses – $78,514
- Continuing Education: $599
- Contract Labor: $36,868
- Dues & Subscriptions: $4,866
- Job Supplies: $2,443
- Legal & Accounting Services: $3,078
- Payroll Tax Expenses: $12,606
- Employee Benefits (Insurance): $11,730
- Software & Apps: $5,992
- Taxes, Licenses, Permits: $332
Taxes – $83,255
- Federal Taxes: $56,767
- State Taxes: $26,488*
*This state tax amount may increase slightly after filing 2025 returns. I work with CPAs who handle the details for me, which takes a lot of stress off my plate.
Blog Snapshot
- 8.5 years blogging
- Comfort food / family dinner niche
- Raptive for display advertising
- 624 live posts
- Average 700,000+ pageviews per month in 2025
- Average 523,000+ sessions per month in 2025
- 18k email subscribers
- 65k Pinterest followers
- 12.7k Instagram followers
Traffic
Here’s a closer look at traffic trends in 2025 and what they meant for revenue.
- Overall traffic dropped about 20% in 2025, but RPMs were higher, so ad revenue increased slightly compared to the previous year.
- Despite lower traffic, the traffic pattern for 2025 paralleled 2024 closely: the same seasonal peaks and valleys appeared across both years.
- Traffic started to dip around February/March and stayed roughly 20–30% below the prior year through the rest of 2025, finishing about 20% down overall.
- When I broke traffic down by source, organic, social, and direct were down while referral traffic increased.
- That suggests some traffic that previously showed as organic or social may now be attributed differently, possibly as direct or referral.
- Any traffic loss is frustrating, but I didn’t spend the year obsessing over it. I noticed a decline but didn’t have the full picture until preparing this report.
- I suspect the March 2025 core update and increased AI impact played a role; considering that, I’m grateful the decline was around 20% rather than more.
- Raptive’s strong RPMs were a big help—higher ad earnings offset much of the traffic loss and kept revenue steady or slightly higher.
2025 By Month
The table below shows monthly RPM, ad revenue, sessions, and pageviews for 2025. These figures are ad revenue only and don’t include affiliate or product income. Note: ad platforms pay on different schedules; Raptive pays net 45, so monthly payouts reflect that timing and may include amounts earned in the prior month.
*This table is best viewed on a larger screen.
| Month | RPM | Ad Revenue | Sessions | Pageviews |
| January | $59.71 | $49,920 | 836,103 | 1,181,257 |
| February | $68.35 | $42,434 | 620,798 | 871,601 |
| March | $72.04 | $37,215 | 516,592 | 699,282 |
| April | $64.68 | $26,656 | 412,130 | 564,671 |
| May | $71.17 | $28,409 | 399,148 | 534,663 |
| June | $73.20 | $27,535 | 376,144 | 498,886 |
| July | $69.80 | $30,832 | 441,715 | 585,818 |
| August | $78.64 | $36,715 | 466,869 | 605,747 |
| September | $86.45 | $43,890 | 507,690 | 664,676 |
| October | $77.88 | $45,998 | 590,633 | 781,649 |
| November | $82.54 | $44,573 | 542,175 | 690,879 |
| December | $85.49 | $48,130 | 563,009 | 726,579 |
Things I Couldn’t Live Without in 2025
Here are the top eleven tools and resources that made a difference this year.
- NerdPress
- Deep Roots Hosting
- Tailwind
- Keysearch
- Kit
- Asana
- Canon 6D Mark II (camera)
- nifty fifty lens
- Marble pastry slab
- Large photography light
- Small rolling table
Many of these appeared on last year’s list as well. If you want deeper details about how I use these tools, my previous income report explains more.
Things I Did to Avoid Burnout in 2025
- Stayed organized. Asana became my central hub for projects and planning. I still use physical lists and a whiteboard, but Asana keeps everything in one place.
- Didn’t do all the things. I protected my time more intentionally, saying no when necessary so I could prioritize relationships and rest.
- Regular self-care. Monthly massages or sound baths gave me a consistent mental reset that felt worth the investment.
- Quarterly vacations. Taking at least one trip each quarter helped me recharge. We made many great family memories in 2025 and I plan more travel in 2026.
What I’ll Be Doing in 2026
- Setting clear goals. I’ll finalize targets for revenue, traffic, email growth, and vacation plans, and post them where I’ll see them daily.
- Exploring new email platforms. I’m evaluating Flodesk and Substack to replace an expensive provider and to explore new ways to connect with readers.
- Publishing two recipes per week. I experimented with a third outsourced post last year but found the ROI wasn’t there, so I’m returning to two quality posts per week.
- Prioritizing work-life balance. I’ll aim to complete focused work first, then enjoy downtime without guilt.
- Adopting a weekly routine. Time-blocking and assigning tasks to specific days should improve productivity and balance.
- Monitoring analytics monthly. Checking traffic and revenue more regularly will help me spot trends and act sooner.
- Using AI selectively. I’ll use AI for outlines and idea generation where it helps, while being mindful of ethical considerations.
These plans double as goal setting—expect updates on revenue, traffic, subscribers, and investments next year.
We Moved!
- In mid-2025 we began casually exploring a move and even used ChatGPT to help shortlist cities.
- At the end of June we toured Long Beach, and by July we signed a lease and moved in on August 1st.
- We’re loving Southern California—the weather and outdoor lifestyle have been a big adjustment in the best way, despite higher living costs.
- ChatGPT helped narrow neighborhoods based on our criteria—beach access, walkability, diversity, family-friendliness, schools, and nearby restaurants—which ultimately led us to the neighborhood we hoped for.
Let’s Wrap This Up, Shall We?
Pinterest E-Book
- My Pinterest e-book explains the exact strategies I use to drive traffic from Pinterest, and I still use that same approach today.
- If you struggle with Pinterest growth, the e-book covers the tactics that have worked for me.
Consulting for Other Bloggers
- I did less consulting in 2025 but plan to offer more this year. I enjoyed resuming a few sessions late in the year and plan to open consults again soon.
- Consultations are one-hour sessions where we can cover Pinterest, keyword strategy, workflow, or any blog topic you choose. The fee is $297/hour. If you’re interested, email me directly.
The Biggest Takeaway
- Consistency is the single most important factor in long-term success, and a hopeful outlook helps keep momentum going.
- I share these income reports to encourage other food bloggers and to give outsiders a realistic look at blogging as a business.
- I’m always happy to answer questions—leave a comment or email me with anything you’d like clarified.
Thanks for supporting Midwest Foodie, and happy cooking!