Fire up your laser pointers and bunsen burners. We’re back with our yearly numerical slash statistical goodness. Each year we like to break down what YHL looks like by the numbers. Some are crazy. Some are surprising. Some are serious. Some are, well, just for fun.
Oh and this year we thought we’d include a few fun blog facts that might blow your mind (no guarantees though, your mind might remain intact).
Fun Bloggy Fact #1: Each month the cost for us to host our site (so it loads well/doesn’t crash, etc) is more than our mortgage payment.
Fun Bloggy Fact #2: We have written over 2,311 posts in the past five years, and if they each took an average of 2.5 hours to write (that’s the usual with uploading & editing pics) that means we’ve spent 5,777.5 hours writing posts, which translates to over 240 straight days of post-writing (without any sleep).
Fun Bloggy Fact #3: There have actually been Internet rumors about us, which always strike us as extremely hilarious for some reason. They’re usually of the “Sherry is pregnant” variety (I joke that I would have ten kids already based on their frequency) but perhaps the most random one was something we learned about when John’s mom called to say that her sister’s friend told her we were Mormons (which apparently is a popular rumor about us). Who knew?! There’s nothing wrong with being a Mormon, it’s just not our religion – so it’s pretty funny when your relatives hear something like that through the Internet grapevine! Also, in case you’re wondering, I’m not prego. Haha.
Fun Bloggy Fact #4: The total value of all the giveaways that we have hosted on our site in the past five years is over $55,000! And we’ve given away more value in prizes over the last two months (over $15,000!) than we did over the entire first two years of hosting them on our site.
Fun Bloggy Fact #5: Blogging is the longest job either of us have ever held (if you count the full five years that we’ve done it, not just the more recent ones when it was our full-time profession).
Fun Bloggy Fact #6: Tori Spelling once called us (herself! For real!) to chat about producing a TV show with us. True story. She was really nice (and there was a goat and a chicken in the background, which was hilarious) but you guys know that we’re waaaay too awkward to pursue a TV show gig. I can barely survive almost touching hands with Nate Berkus. We’re just happy to hide safely behind our laptops. As for when the call took place, it was actually right after Hurricane Irene, so we were camped out at John’s parents house where they had power, and I took this picture to forever memorialize the event.
Fun Bloggy Fact #7: Last month our site got 5.5 million page views (crazytown) and our total number of page views for all time is over 143 million (which is funny because we pretend we’re writing to ten people to avoid blog stage fright).
OK, now on to a slew of straight-up-stats. We’ve included some of last year’s numbers just for comparison’s sake, but you can also look back at our past by-the-numbers posts for our last four blogiversaries to see how things have changed: 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008.
1,043,621 – The number of total comments left by you fine folks. Nearly double our number last year (570,314) meaning there has been nearly as much commenting action in the last 12 months as our first four years.
76,825 – The number of comment responses we’ve posted ourselves, which is nearly double last year’s total (38,754).
Pamen – Default name Clara gives anything if you ask her “hey, what’s that bear’s/doll’s/person’s name?” (Aemon is her second most popular choice). No idea where either of those came from…
4 – Our longest span (in days) of not blogging over the last 1,827 days, also known as the last five years (through having a baby, an earthquake, a hurricane – we’re like the postal service, haha).
3 – Average number of times a week we find ourselves at Home Depot.
143 – The number of published posts to date on Young House Life (clearly someone’s gotta pick up the slack over there, especially when compared to the 2,311 posts that we’ve written on YHL).
21 – Number of months we’ve lived in our new house.
27 – Clara’s weight. Up from 21 lbs last year. She’s tall and skinny like her daddy.
8 – My main man Burger’s weight. A smidge down from a whopping 8.5 lbs last year.
198 – Total number of weekly giveaways that we’ve held since starting them back in November of ’08 (after you guys requested them during our very first blogiversary).
35 – Our average number of posts per month.
4 – Number of soda-themed shirts that John owns (up one from last year’s total thanks to adding a Coke one to the Dr. Pepper, Sprite, and Pepsi collection).
303 – Number of Instagram photos posted to date.
1,800 – Average number of words written per post (we’re chatty, huh?).
14,400 – Average number of words written per week (admittedly, this is kind of insane).
629 – The total number of projects that we link to on our Projects page (we still have around 40 to add, but haven’t gotten to that part of our to-do list yet. Sorry!)
70 – Number of Clara photos that we’ve taken for her photo project (52 weekly pictures + 17 monthly pics + 1 for her birthday card).
933,962 – Number of Pinterest followers (this. is. insane.)
1 – Number of ears remaining on Clara’s Olivia doll for her dollhouse (don’t ask, it was a terrible tragedy and we try not to speak of it).
So there you have it. The stats of the year. Do you guys count things like average trips to Home Depot or how many soda shirts you own? Are we the only weirdos who document this stuff?
Psst- You can also look back at our past by-the-numbers posts for our last three blogiversaries here: 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008.
Update – Some of the most frequent requests that we get are for info about professionally blogging (how we made our site, how we grew our following, how we make money, etc) so we shared all of the details about how we started a blog, grew our traffic, and turned it into a full time job.
Angela says
That’s amazing. Can I just say how I love your organization and chart breakdowns? (Blog fact 1 is astounding. I had no idea.) Love me some figures and statistics.
Rachel Snipes says
I time myself when I clean rooms in my house – that’s sort of like counting, right? :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, totally! I count stairs when I’m on them all the time. That’s weird, right?
xo
s
Karen F says
OMG Sherry, I do that too! Usually I don’t even know that I’m (mentally) doing it!
Lauren Nicole says
Counting stairs is not weird. Definitely normal (says the woman who also counts stairs).
Alison says
Ahh I thought I was the only one!
Hannah says
Yay for numbers! As an actuary, they have a special place in my heart haha
As for one-eared toys, my brother had a bear that lost an ear when we were younger–forget how it happened, tho. My parents called him Bear van Gogh, which was lost on us having no clue who van Gogh was. But then we leared and it was funny. So now you have an Olivia van Gogh. Haha.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahah! Bear van Gogh = hilarious!
xo
s
Christi says
8 – as in 8:00 AM when I check your blog each weekday
15 – as in the 15 minutes I waste each morning reading your blog
12 – as in when I check to see an update or check YHL (life)
2 – PM when I spend another 15 minutes reading your blog
4 – years I have spent reading your blog
2 – months until your book
Thank you for always being there to keep my work life interesting!!!
:)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- I love it!
xo
s
Emily says
Me too Christi! I’m the same way. Except I have only been reading for a couple of years. Thanks Sherry and John for all the fabulous ‘me time’ I get from reading your blog(s)!!
Christi says
BTW – the high I feel when you respond to my post!!!
:)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw!
xo,
s
Anne says
OOOOH. Love me some blog stats. And yours are insane! Congrats, guys!
Farrah says
The Mormon thing really isn’t surprising since soooo many home/craft/family blogs are written by LDS moms. I just recently noticed just how many of the blogs I come across via Pinterest are based in Utah and whose writers are LDS. Definitely a crazy high concentration of bloggers out there. Anyway, congratulations on 5 years! You guys are an inspiration.
maggie says
I am so glad I’m not the only one who’s noticed that lately
Emily R says
Me too!
Maureen says
Oh my God Sherry, I do the same thing! LOL It started when I was little and watched a documentary or something in school about blind people counting steps for things. I tried it and then it developed into a total habit that I catch myself doing everyday. It isn’t limited to stairs. I do it room to room sometimes too. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, no way!
xo
s
Liz says
I just found your blog a few months ago when I was looking for the perfect color red paint for our front door (we have dark red brick). I LOVE your site, and you inspire me to tackle my own DIY projects. Congratulations on 5 years!!
Also, I have a 2-year old named Clara as well! I think if we ever met in ‘real life’ we could be BFF’s :)
Alison says
Does it scare you if you keep growing at this rate what your next years Day in the Life post will be? Crazy town.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha sometimes, but we just remind ourselves that we are two people and there’s only so much we can do. There’s a cap. Haha.
xo,
s
Kerstin says
Love the fun facts, never thougt of # 1!
By the way, there is a typo in the first sentence. It is called bunsEn burner, named after a German chemist. Maybe that’s why I saw the typo at first glance ;-)
Greetings from Germany,
Kerstin
YoungHouseLove says
Haha thanks! Off to fix that!
xo,
s
Robin @ our semi organic life says
awesome numbers! Really. Who knew!?
Vonda says
I just love y’all! Happy Anniversary and here’s to many, many more! Counting down ’til I get my pre-order copy of your book!!!
Stephanie says
Wow. My mind is blown!
This is kinda not the same thing but I totally count stairs, especially the stairs in my house. When I was living at home I could get up/down the stairs without flipping a light switch on but since I moved I can’t anymore. So sometimes I purposely go up the stairs in the dark and try to count them as I go.
This girl is weirdddd. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo,
s
Brittany D says
WOW! Fact # 1 totally threw me for a loop! That is INSANE! I’m loving the posts this week. It is very interesting to hear about what happens “behind the scenes”.
Kristen L says
Wow! So awesome to see all your stats, and how they have changed over the years. I’m just starting my blog, so it is so interesting to see how five years can make a difference in traffic.
Kristen | Popcorn on the Stove says
Woah to blog fact # 1! That’s nuts!
Lindsay @ Me, Ed and Pea says
Wow Bloggy Fact #1 is crazy! And I can’t believe that Tori Spelling called you!! Pamen? What? hahahahah She is the cutest!!
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
I love looking at all of these numbers! I just forwarded it to the Mr because this kind of stuff is right up his alley. I have to believe there are days you just pinch yourselves and say “is this really our awesome life?!” I would! Congrats!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, I think we’re in constant denial. Haha!
xo,
s
Chelsea Eaton says
Anele,
Speaking of numbers, you have lost over 200 lbs?! That’s awesome! You go girl!
Joy says
Wow, the Tori Spelling call was cool! It would have been great to see y’all on a tv show. Maybe she’ll invite you on to her show sometime? Love the stats because it is a snapshot picture of where you guys have been and perhaps what’s to come in the future! Can’t wait for your book to come out!
Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says
Amazing – that is all I can think of to say…simply amazing. You guys are truely an inspiration….who knows maybe one day I’ll be blogging on my 5th year and have a post that says “Sherry and John from YHL called me (FOR REAL!)”…..till then, keep on keeping on. You guys are doing a wonderful job!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you’re so sweet Gabriella!
xo,
s
Amanda Salber says
Thanks for sharing…that was fun :)
Leigh says
Some of those numbers are insane!!! Now I’m curious though, how tall is Clara?
YoungHouseLove says
She’s tall… I don’t remember inches but she’s usually 80th percentile. They guessed she’ll be 5’8″ at full height. That’s crazy for a 5’2″ momma like me :)
xo,
s
Lauren@FilingJointly says
#1 is crazy! And the Tori Spelling thing is awesome. Once The Bloggess DM’d me on Twitter and I about died.
Fun fact about me. I am 5’8″ with a 5’9″ dad and a 5’1&3/4″ mom. (She tries to round up but we don’t let her.) My sisters are both 5’7″ and my brother is 6’4″. We’re not sure where all the height came from exactly, but it’s nice to be able to reach the top shelf in the grocery store.
I love your guys’ Blogiversary weeks!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny!!
xo,
s
Meredith says
My friend’s pediatrician told her that you can go Dad’s height minus 4 inches for a girl to get an idea of maximum height (no guarantees of reaching it, but if she’s tall already…). So if John’s 6’2″, that holds up! (Says the 5’8″ daughter of a 6’2″ man). :)
YoungHouseLove says
So interesting! John is 6′ even.
xo,
s
Nikki says
(I should probably have left this as a comment on this mornings post but) it sounds like you spend a lot of time with the comments/questions. If you put up a feature for people to distiguish between the two (like a check box where they choose which one it is) would that make your life easier? For what it’s worth I only read through comments to see what questions you end up answering…it’d be great to just look at them vs. all the comments. I already know tons of people are just dropping in to say how great you guys are…I’m right there with them!!!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s an interesting suggestion. We honestly like reading everything everyone writes, good or bad, question or not. It keeps us grounded and encouraged and all that. I think if folks take time to comment the least we can do is read it all and answer the questions :)
xo,
s
Casey says
What a great response Sherry. Sometimes it blows my mind just to think about the fact that you read every. single. comment and respond to so many of them. See, I actually think about weird things like that. :)
Ashley S. says
41 – days until your book comes out.
1 – the position your blog is in on my favorites folder.
YoungHouseLove says
Ahhhhh! You’re so sweet.
xo,
s
carrie says
Ohhhhh, our Olivia only retains one ear as well! I tried everything to repair her, but the contact point for that ear is sooooooooo small, isn’t it? My daughter wouldn’t allow her in her sight for a while, but has come to accept the disfigurement to a degree. But poor one-eared Olivia is still a second-class citizen.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Clara likes to say “oh no, baby. You hurt your ear? I take you to the doctor!” – she acts like she’s freshly discovering it every time. Haha.
xo,
s
Jessica says
I still remember clearly the day I found your blog. It was within your first year I think. I googled something generic like “home decor DIY” or something And it led me straight to you. Been hooked ever since. My husband came home from work that day and I bombarded him with every idea I had seen on your blog. “omg we can totally do this, look it only cost them $X and it looks so nice” My mind was blown and the way you guy can make such an impact on a normal budget. And making it look easy! I’ve been hooked ever since.
Maria says
I adore Tori Spelling even more now that she’s fans of you guys. She clearly has excellent taste.
My husband and I only count the number of visits to Chick Fil A each month. It’s not a number we are proud of. It’s also related to the number on our bathroom scale.
GingerMae says
I like that you picture yourself talking to ten people when you write your posts. In my blog world I only talk to one friend from back home. She is a teacher. I don’t know what that has to do with anything but it always comes to mind. I am sure I have a lot, lot, less readers than you – but it really does help to scale it down to a few. Congratulations on all you have accomplished!
Corie says
I am SHOCKED at the number of ears Olivia has. FLOORED, even.
Oh, I make myself giggle. :)
This was a fun post!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahahaha!
xo,
s
Petra says
I love your blog, and you all! You all are being real, and it’s part of your success! I would be the same way with thinking about writing for ten people instead of in thousands!
sudhaa says
Sherry,
I am curious to know how you gather these stats for examples, Average number of words written per post, Average number of words written per week. Would you share the details of how you gather stats in true YHL style..I mean totally bearing it down!
Thanks for being there every day!
ps: I read the blog on my google reader and YHL shows as SUSPENDED in my reading list. Something to check out!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a guesstimate since we can see word counts on every post. We didn’t add them all up but we glance at it every time we publish something so we have a pretty good ballpark guess (and then just multiplied that by eight for each week since we share eight posts per week). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Rebecca says
Mine does the same thing. Calls it SUSPENDED. Thought it was just an error I was having, as I’m not very tech savy.
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry about the suspended thing guys. We hear that from time to time and usually suggest just unsubscribing and resubscribing. Such a pain, but it seems to solve it. No idea why it’s randomly quirky like that!
xo
s
Amy-drivethirtythree says
Did you purposely say “over 143 million” 143=I love you..just made me laugh considering you guys are Young House Love.
also..umm Tori Spelling? TV Show? You guys would have rocked that..just sayin ;)
Happy 5 year anniversary!!! Thank you guys for inspiring so many, making us laugh, and making us feel part of this crazy fun ride you are on!
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t the 143 thing funny? Total coincidence but it made me smile.
xo,
s
Rachel says
One of my favorite things is getting to read the Young House LIFE page! I agree ya’ll should write more often about that stuff :) And now I am oober curious to know of the tragic events of Olivia!!
Chelsea @ Chelsea Eats Treats says
Poor Olivia!!! I know it’s a tragedy but for some reason it made me giggle out loud at work. Woopsiee!!
Elise says
Wow, you guys are growing in leaps and bounds! And it totally blew my mind that you talked to Tori Spelling on the phone! I would have ended the phone coversation with “Donna Martin graduates!” effectively killing any possibility of a future working relationship with her… I just yell that once in a while. It’s like 90210 tourettes. But seriously – congrats on all the progress you’ve made, it’s been amazing to watch!
Wendy says
Being a Mormon myself I’ll admit to having a thought once about the possibility of John being raised in an LDS family. In a past blogiversary video he said he is Christian and was raised in a home with no coffee and alcohol. Add to that how family oriented you are and I can see where the rumor started.
Love your blog and genuinely congratulate you for your success. You are good people and it shows in everything you do/post :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s so sweet!
xo,
s
Jules says
I think that is it. If you don’t drink coffee or alcohol people assume you are a Mormon. John, making jokes about 10 kids might fuel that rumors fire ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah!
xo
s
Callie says
My husband (who always hears about you two from me updating him on what ‘my virtual friends John and Sherry did today’) also suggested to me that you were Mormon and I was curious because of the not drinking coffee or alcohol! So we make up covert theories about whether you are and just don’t talk about it or what. So I had to laugh to find out you are not! I shall have fun relaying that to him tonight :)
Melissa says
I am just dearly in love with your blog. I became a follower one day after searching for simple dollhouses on Pinterest, and yours was one of the first to come up and immediately caught my eye. I hope to make one someday for my niece or maybe my little girl!!
Continued luck on your blogging adventure!!
Darnetha says
You crack me up!
“1 – Number of ears remaining on Clara’s Olivia doll for her dollhouse (don’t ask, it was a terrible tragedy and we try not to speak of it).”
Sarah says
Wow, that was fun to read. I had no idea it cost so much to maintain a good blog. Yours really is fantastic, just so you know.
I had to chuckle at the rumors. I think I initially wondered if you were Mormon- I am. I’d take it as a compliment, as most I know are great. Not that I’m biased or anything. :)
Erica says
How inspiring that you guys have created this life for yourselves doing what you love and just being you. Congrats!
Emily says
I am making a Halloween craft that involves brass thumb tacks. I have guesstimated each one takes 1,110 and this motivates me to count on the next one I make.
Amy @ PaintWineRepeat says
I am shocked about the cost of your blog hosting… but then again, I don’t know how much your mortgage payment is! LOL. Still, I appreciate you guys making both payments each month :)
Erika says
Mind is half blown because the numbers are tremendous but you guys deserve it!
When Tori called did you guys chant “Donna Martin Graduates!”? I wonder how many celebrities read your blog!!?
If you won’t do a tv show maybe Clara should get offered one!
Mandy says
Please tell me that instagram is one of you ‘borrowing’ the tabasco from a certain Mexican-food chain?? I LOL’ed b/c my father has a thing with that variety as well, and always makes my mom bring that home with burritos, or it’s just “not the same.”
Congrats on your impressive stats!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s actually showing that I keep it in my purse to use at restaurants like a crazy person. Haha.
xo,
s
Jill says
People think you are mormon because you don’t drink coffee. My husband doesn’t drink coffee either and he gets that all the time.
Personally, I don’t know how you non-coffee drinkers do it!
Melanie @ Mailbox Journey says
My mind was blown way in the beginning when you say you pay more for the blog than your mortgage payment. I feel like you need a donate button on here, because that is insane!
Shannon says
Fun Bloggy Fact #1 does blow my mind. Granted, I live north of Chicago where the cost of housing is kinda crazy. I’m trying to convince my husband we need to move to RVA and buy a brick ranch style home and start a blog. Can’t get a dog though. He’s allergic to them.
Thank you for the all the inspiration over the years. And many more to come!
I totally count stairs, too!
Krista says
Amazing! I’ve been reading for 4 yrs now and it’s shocking to see the growth.. it’s one of those things that you don’t notice when you see it every day. It sneaks up on you and then…. BAM!
When you put all the numbers out there, it must make it seem more real!
Ellen says
Would adding in an “I agree” button on the comments (sort of like the “THIS!” button on the Offbeat Empire blogs) help with the insane amount of comments you guys get and have to deal with each day? I’m not saying that we don’t all appreciate the time you guys spend in interacting with the community here – it’s awesome, seriously. But I can’t imagine if the growth keeps happening, how it will be sustainable.
Callie says
Such a good point Ellen! I mean, I agree! ;)
Bree says
I admit it. I wondered for a bit if you we’re Mormon. Don’t worry, it’s a huge compliment. :)