I first wrote this post, The Cost of Running a Food Blog in 2020, and since then, I’ve found new tools and platforms. So I thought it was time for an update of what it costs for me to run my blogs in 2026. I now run four sites: I Heart Vegetables, VA Foodie, Pass Me a Spoon, and this one, Virginia Creators.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it gives you an idea of some of the expenses involved in running a business like mine. This doesn’t include a lot of the supplies, one-off expenses, contractor fees, and professional services like accountants, lawyers, insurance, etc. But I wanted to at least give you a sense of the cost of the tools and platforms out there!
Website Expenses
Web Hosting- $130/month I spend about $130 a month at WPopt to host all four sites. The rate depends on the amount of traffic and support. There are cheaper hosting options out there but now that my blog is my full-time job, I wanted premium hosting. Paying a little more for hosting means my site is faster, I get help when I need it, and I don’t have to worry about it crashing.
Email- $3,790/year- Yes, I spend almost $4K a year on an email service. Is it worth it? I thiiiiink so? I have the free plan for VA Foodie, Pass Me a Spoon, and Virginia Creators. But for I Heart Vegetables, I have a lot more subscribers, and it gets more expensive the more subscribers you have. I know it’s not cheap, but I’ve doubled my email list in the past year, and much of that is thanks to the features available with Kit.
Google Workspace – $16/month– I use Gmail, and Google Drive a lot, so this covers the premium features I need.
Storage-$12. I pay for extra storage on iCloud and Google, but it’s worth it because I always have backups of all my work and projects.
Tools & Software
Adobe- $10. I pay a monthly subscription fee for Lightroom. Now that I’m head over heels in love with Lightroom, I may decide to purchase it outright, so I don’t have to avoid paying the fee. But the subscription has been a nice option while I figured things out, and it’s nice to always have the latest software.
Canva- $119/year. I have the premium version of Canva because I use it all the time. This gives me access to more templates, design options, themes, and more. This tool has been a lifesaver since I’m terrible with graphic design work.
QuickBooks- $35/month– I use QuickBooks online for all my bookkeeping. It makes it easy to track and categorize everything.
BitWarden $10- This password manager is worth every penny. I have so many passwords and logins to keep track of, I love having a program to keep everything in one place.
WP Tasty $149– I use a recipe plug in to create an SEO friendly recipe card. This plug in works for both I Heart Vegetables, VA Foodie, and Pass Me a Spoon.
Nutrifox-$89. This service generates the nutritional information of my recipes in a streamlined way. Since my readers (and Google!) like having that information, it’s worth the investment.
WPRocket- $39– This is a service that helps speed up my site. I only use this on I Heart Vegetables.
Ahrefs- $129/month– This program helps with keyword research, optimizing and auditing old and new content, and finding new keyword opportunities for my site.
Tailwind $250– I use this for Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram scheduling.
WPZoom- $69/year- This is for premium theme support. I actually don’t think it’s worth it but until I have the time to invest in a custom theme for Pass Me a Spoon, I just have to keep paying this.
Gro.Co- $300/year- This is the service I use to send automated messages when someone comment’s on an Instagram or Facebook post. They have some other handy features and I think the platform is worth it.
Keywords Everywhere- $48/year- This is by far the most budget-friendly SEO tool. I mostly just use it to quickly check search volume for certain terms.
Jetpack $100/year- This is what I use for basic analytics on my site. Once Google switched to GA4, I found the dashboards really hard to use and I like the simplicity of Jetpack.
Meta Verified $12/month – I pay for Meta Verified for one of my Instagram accounts. I’m not totally sure it’s worth it but it gives me a little more peace of mind.
Other Blogging Expenses
Groceries- Since I’m a food blogger, I’m able to expense groceries that I’m specifically purchasing for a recipe. (This doesn’t mean I can expense all my food!) Depending on what recipes I’m working on for the month, this tends to be around $800 each month. This doesn’t account for the groceries we buy personally. (So yes, we spend a lot of money at the grocery store!)
Equipment– I recently splurged on a new iPhone and a new MacBook, which was about $6,000 total. I’ve also purchased camera lenses, photography backgrounds, computer equipment, a new cell phone, etc. These aren’t recurring expenses, but they add up quickly.
Education– I love learning and I’ve spent quite a bit of money on training and classes. A few years ago, I bought the Pretty Focused course which was a pretty big investment. Last year, I purchased a Pinterest course, a GA4 course, and went to a conference. Believe it or not, these investments cost thousands of dollars. You can read more about my favorite courses here.
So what does it cost to be a full-time food blogger?
A lot of money! There are so many tools and services that I need to do what I do. Add in contractors, groceries, equipment, education, occasional advertising costs, and travel, it can add up quickly.
I hope this gives you an idea of how to budget your income and ways you might be able to save!
