Today I’m reflecting on my posts from 2018 and sharing the top 10 most popular posts from the year. These posts have had the most page views according to Google Analytics. 

2018 was a big year for my family. We started the year with my daughter’s wedding in February. In July my husband started a new job, and at the end of the summer, my husband and I received the exciting news that we are going to be grandparents. I still can’t believe my baby is having a baby! 

2018 was also an exciting year here at SGM. I started this blog in the fall of 2017. I talked about doing it for several years, and did a ton of research, read how-to books, and took several online classes. My daughter finally told me to stop talking about it and JUST DO IT! 

I wrote a few posts in 2017 and sporadically posted at the beginning of 2018. I knew it was going to be hard work! But, I totally underestimated how long everything was going to take me, and how much I still had to learn. I thought I would be able to roll out 3 posts a week. Ha! It was taking me weeks to write one post. I am a huge perfectionist, and it is hard for me not to look at seasoned bloggers and compare my work to theirs. 

In June I  made the commitment to myself to start creating content for my readers on a more consistent basis and to stop comparing my beginning to others who have been at it for years. I’ve been a teacher for 30 years, you would think I would have started practicing what I preach a long time ago!

Looking back on how my posts ranked has given me the opportunity to see what my readers love and where to focus in the new year. There were definitely a few surprises!

Ok! Let’s start this countdown already! 🙂

10. Meal Kit Services: How Do They Compare And Who Are They For?

I had so much fun testing meal kit delivery services for my Back to School Meal Planning and Meal Prep Series. Trying a meal service kit had been on my to-do list for a long time. Thanks to a reader suggestion, I finally tested 3 popular services.

9. Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

I was not a fan of pancakes until I created this recipe for banana pancakes. They are so yummy! My favorite breakfast.

8. Clean Eating: 6 Tips To Get You Started

I’m excited that this post made it to the top 10. I had it in my head for a long time! I was working on another post and it was nowhere near ready to be published by my deadline, so I decided to write this post instead. Because I had composed it in my head for months, it came together quickly, and I was able to finish it in record time for me!

These 6 tips will give you a great start to living a healthier life this year. I promise you will not be overwhelmed, because it is not a list of things to cut out of your diet. 

7. Meal Planning And Meal Prep Tips And FAQs

I wrapped up my Back to School Meal Planning and Meal Prep Series with some awesome tips and questions from the members of the SGM community. I love #13!

 

6. My Blue Apron Review

The Blue Apron review was the first of my 3 meal kit service reviews. I was surprised that this review had quite a bit more page views than my Hello Fresh and Sun Basket reviews. 

5. Easy Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

Wow! This slow cooker chicken recipe gets views almost every week and has been one of my most popular on Pinterest. I almost didn’t post it because I thought my pics were horrible. I also thought people would think I was crazy for posting something so simple. I’m definitely learning to trust my gut and put it out there! I make this chicken at least 2-3 times per month because it’s so versatile.

 

4. Hot Cocoa Bar – Warm Up With These Ideas & Tips

I’m so excited this post made it towards the top of the list. It is one of my favorites!  It took me FOREVER to put together, but it was so much fun! I was disappointed the first week after I published it because it wasn’t getting any views. Since Christmas, it has been getting more and more views every day. It’s crazy that it made it this high on the list because it was one of my last posts of 2018. I’ll have to do a follow-up post to show how I have it set up since the holidays are over. I plan on keeping it up until mid-February.

3. My Journey To Clean Eating

This was the first post I published in 2018. I received more comments, private messages, and emails on this post than any other post to date. I was so touched that so many of you shared your words of encouragement, your own journeys, and your New Year’s goals with me. If you are new here, this will give you a good understanding of why I started this blog. 

2. Fall Tablescape For Under $20

I have created hundreds of tablescapes over the years, and this simple tablescape is probably my all-time favorite. Who knew that paper placemats from Hobby Lobby could have such an impact. This was the first time I have ever seen or used paper placemats and they did not disappoint! 

1. How To Get Your Guest Room Holiday Ready

Not only was this post #1, but it had double the views of my Fall Tablescape post. This was another surprise because like the hot cocoa post, it was published towards the end of the year. It also is my most pinned post ever and is still getting views almost every day.

Hosting is my favorite thing to do, so of course, I LOVED creating these printables with my graphic designer Kimberley and sharing my favorite guest room tips. 

What was your favorite post of 2018? Did it make the list? I’d also love to know what you would like to see in 2019! Please let me know in the comments below.