Young House Love: Our Journey By The Numbers – A Blogiversary Special

As we celebrate another significant milestone, it’s a moment to pause, reflect, and truly appreciate how far Young House Love has come. Each year, we love to pull back the curtain and present our blog’s journey through the fascinating lens of numbers. While this morning’s delightful pie charts offered a visual feast, today, we’re diving deeper into the quantitative story that shapes our world. Some statistics reveal astonishing growth, others offer surprising insights, some highlight our unwavering commitment, and a few are simply here to share a laugh or a heartwarming moment. This annual tradition isn’t just about raw data; it’s about connecting with you, our incredible community, and sharing the tangible evolution of our creative passion.

For those interested in witnessing our journey unfold over time, we’ve included some comparisons to last year’s figures. Furthermore, you can revisit our previous “by the numbers” posts from earlier blogiversaries to trace the trajectory of Young House Love’s growth: 2010, 2009, and 2008. Join us as we explore the statistics that define another incredible year of home improvement, design, and family life.

The Unprecedented Growth of Young House Love

Our commitment to sharing DIY projects, design ideas, and personal stories has fostered an incredible community and fueled remarkable growth. These numbers speak volumes about the dedication involved and the amazing reception from our readers.

2,014 – The staggering number of published posts on Young House Love to date. This represents a significant leap from last year’s 1,527 posts, showcasing our consistent effort to bring fresh, engaging content to your screens. Each post is a testament to countless hours of planning, executing projects, photographing, writing, and editing.

16 – The current count of published posts on Young House Life. While our main blog remains the primary focus, this spin-off project allows us to explore different facets of our lives and creativity. We acknowledge there’s room for more stories over there, and we’re always brainstorming new ways to expand our content universe.

35 – Our average number of posts per month. Maintaining this pace requires meticulous planning and a deep well of inspiration. It reflects our continuous engagement with home projects and our desire to keep you updated with our latest endeavors and discoveries.

Our Thriving Community and Unrivaled Engagement

The heart of Young House Love beats strongest in its vibrant community. Your comments, questions, and shared experiences are what truly bring this blog to life. We are consistently amazed by the level of interaction and support we receive.

570,314 – The monumental number of total comments left by you, our incredible readers. This figure is more than DOUBLE our total from last year (258,904)! This exponential growth means that the last 12 months alone have seen more commenting activity than our first three years combined. It’s an overwhelming display of engagement and camaraderie, and we cherish every single one.

38,754 – The number of comment responses we’ve diligently posted. This figure has more than TRIPLEd last year’s total of 13,039. Responding to your comments is a priority for us; it’s how we connect, answer questions, and build a genuine dialogue within our community. It’s a significant time investment, but one we happily make to foster a welcoming and interactive space.

146 – The total number of weekly giveaways we’ve hosted since initiating them in November of ’08. These giveaways began after requests from you during our very first blogiversary, and they’ve become a cherished tradition. They’re our way of saying thank you and introducing you to products and brands we love, creating excitement and opportunity for our readers.

230,652 – An astounding number of Pinterest followers. This platform has proven to be an absolute game-changer for sharing visual inspiration and reaching a broader audience. The sheer scale of this number is truly “insane,” reflecting the power of visual content and the desire for home decor and DIY ideas in an easily digestible format.

Behind the Scenes: Content Creation and Productivity

Beyond the final polished posts, there’s a world of effort, creativity, and sheer volume of work that goes into running Young House Love. These figures offer a glimpse into the daily grind and the passion that drives us.

2,405 – The average number of words written per post. Yes, we are indeed quite chatty! This isn’t just about filling space; it’s about providing comprehensive tutorials, detailed explanations, and sharing the full story behind each project and design decision. We believe in thoroughness, ensuring you have all the information you need.

19,204 – The average number of words written per week. Admittedly, this figure truly highlights the intense writing schedule we maintain. It encompasses everything from blog posts and email newsletters to social media captions and project notes. It’s a continuous flow of creative output, demonstrating our commitment to regular, high-quality content.

648 – The total number of projects currently linked on our extensive Projects page. This gallery serves as a comprehensive resource, allowing you to easily navigate through years of our DIY adventures. We’re still working on adding about 50 more projects to the list, so please bear with us as we tick that off our always-growing to-do list!

150 – The total number of mood boards proudly featured in our popular Mood Board Gallery. These visual compilations are a favorite among our readers, offering curated inspiration and helping to visualize design concepts for various rooms and styles. They are an essential tool in our design process and a valuable resource for your own projects.

Life Beyond the Screen: Personal Milestones and Amusing Anecdotes

While Young House Love is about home, it’s also about our lives within that home. These personal touches offer a fun, relatable dimension to our blogging journey, blending the professional with the profoundly personal.

9 – The number of months we’ve happily lived in our new house. This move marked a significant chapter for our family and, consequently, for the blog. It’s been a whirlwind of unpacking, settling in, and, of course, tackling new projects that we’ve loved sharing with you.

4 – The number of times we’ve driven by our old house just to check on it. This includes a drive after Hurricane Irene, where we were relieved to find it perfectly fine! It’s a nostalgic habit, a quick peek back at where many of our early blogging memories were made.

1 – The number of times we accidentally turned down our old street when we were headed to our new house. Given that the two houses are only about a mile apart, we’re actually quite proud that it’s only happened once! It speaks to the ingrained routines we’d built over years.

21.5 – Clara’s current weight, up from 14 lbs last year. We wonder how long she’ll let us keep sharing this little detail! She’s growing into a tall, skinny little bean – a delightful string bean, to be precise. Her development is a constant source of joy and a gentle reminder of the passage of time.

8.5 – My main man Burger’s weight. He’s up slightly from a whopping 8 lbs last year. Our furry family member continues to be a source of comfort and amusement, a loyal companion through all our DIY adventures.

12 – Clara’s current impressive catalog of animal sounds! She can moo like a cow, neigh like a horse, baa like a sheep, maa like a goat, meow like a cat, woof like a dog, hoo like an owl, cheep like a chicken, roar like a lion, quack like a duck, say “ooh-ooh-ahh-ahh” like a monkey, and even imitate a sloth! According to one of her books, a sloth says “slowly slowly,” so she adorably slinks around saying just that. Her growing vocabulary brings endless laughter to our home.

58 – The number of photos of Clara we’ve taken for her ongoing photo project. This includes 52 weekly pictures, 5 monthly shots, and one special photo for her birthday card. Documenting her growth through photography is a precious endeavor, capturing fleeting moments we’ll treasure forever.

3 – The number of soda-themed shirts I (John) currently own. Despite what it might seem from blog pictures, I do own non-soda-related shirts! It’s a quirky detail that often sparks comments and adds a touch of my personality to the posts.

22 – The total number of steps from our bed to our desk in the new house. This is a considerable increase from the 7 steps in our previous home! It means we no longer risk posting in our sleep, ensuring a slightly more conscious start to our blogging day.

Connecting Offline: Reaching Beyond the Blog

Our journey with Young House Love has also opened doors to new experiences and opportunities to share our story in person.

6:30 – The time tonight when we’ll be participating in a local panel discussion titled “Hobby to Business: Making A Living Doing What You Love.” How incredibly fitting for blogiversary week, wouldn’t you agree? We’re excited to share insights from our journey with aspiring entrepreneurs and creatives. More details are available here. (Just a heads-up: we’re not getting paid for this; we simply thought it sounded like a fun and meaningful way to contribute!)

A Look Back and A Glimpse Forward

So there you have it – another year in the life of Young House Love, meticulously cataloged through numbers. It’s been a year of immense growth, heartwarming connections, and countless memorable moments, both big and small. These statistics are more than just figures; they represent the dedication, the creativity, and the incredible support we’ve received from each of you.

Do you find yourselves counting things like the steps from one room to another, or how often you intentionally or unintentionally drive past your old house? We’re curious about the little quirks and personal stats that make up your lives! And truly, can you picture how utterly cute Clara is when she slinks around the house, softly chanting “sloooowly, sloooowly”? It’s genuinely amazing, and we absolutely must get that on video pronto!

Thank you for being an integral part of our journey. Your engagement, encouragement, and enthusiasm inspire us every single day. Here’s to many more years of sharing, growing, and counting the wonderful memories we create together.

Psst- You can also look back at our past “by the numbers” posts for our last three blogiversaries to see how things have evolved: 2010, 2009 and 2008.