January 2024 | Recap

It’s been a big month for me, which you’ll already know if you’ve been staying up to date over on my Instagram or email list!

January is the month that I officially moved from Michigan to London, England (read this post if you missed the big news!).

Here’s what I got up to in January in the midst of immigration chaos, plus my monthly blogging income report as per usual!

Where was I in January?

• Countries: USA and UK
• Cities: Lansing, Michigan; London, England
• Flights: 2
• Days on the road: Only 1, technically!

January on the blog…

January was actually a big month for publishing posts on the blog. I published 7 new posts, did 2 significant updates, plus a lot of smaller updates.

The big news is that I finally finished my gluten free Japan series! You can read all of my gluten free Japan guides here.

Check out my newest posts:

• 2024 Travel Plans
• I’m Moving to England… Again!
• 2023 Travel Favorites (And Least Favorites)
• Gluten Free Singapore Guide
• The Best Mexico City Taco Tour for Celiacs
• Gluten Free Tours Japan: An Honest Review
• Gluten Free Japan Guide
• Borough Market Gluten Free Guide – 2024 update
• The Best Gluten Free Translation Cards – 2024 update

January adventured like…

I rang in the new year at home in Michigan. It was a simultaneously slow and chaotic start to the month as I came down with a cold, in between trying to do all of my pre-immigration tasks like booking my flight, final doctor’s appointments, packing, selling belongings I couldn’t take with me, and all that fun stuff.

I did a lot of my favorite “home things” for the last time. Having lived abroad a couple times before, I knew that I was going to really, really miss certain things about home. So, I tried to fill my last few weeks with the things I love most: Whole Foods runs, a massage, dinner at my favorite sushi restaurant, a day at the gym, etc. I spent a lot of quality time with my parents and dogs, but sadly didn’t get to do a final in-person goodbye to most of my friends as things got too busy toward the end.

Then… I moved to England! As of just over a week ago, I flew to London (with four suitcases in tow). The whole day of my flight, and the days/weeks leading up to it, was really bittersweet and devastating but exciting at the same time. I explain those emotions better in my moving to England post.

Settling in London has been overwhelming, yet cozy. Dan and I are living in Wimbledon, which so far I love as it’s quite residential, and much calmer than central London. We did a lot of cute stuff my first week here; mostly food markets, long walks, cooking, and board games. Honestly even just going to the grocery store with Dan is a dream come true, though, as we couldn’t do normal things like that for so long, being in a long distance relationship!

On the actual immigration front it’s been a bit more stressful. It took me 5 days to even get a working phone so I was somewhat housebound until then. I have a LOT on my to do list regarding this, so hopefully I get a bit more settled in February!

The best gluten free eats in January…

I thought I’d start a new section for 2024: the best gluten free eats of the month!

Maru Sushi in Michigan. This is always going to be up there for me. They do an excellent job for celiacs and it was one of my final meals in the USA!

Good Fing Pizza in London. This is a 100% gluten free pizza delivery service in London that I’ve followed on Instagram for a while, and was so excited to try it out that I actually requested Dan order it as my first meal in the UK! It did not disappoint and I can’t wait to try their Detroit style pizza next.

Tacos Padre in Borough Market. Dan and I went to Borough Market on my first Sunday in London, and I was quite excited to try this 100% gluten free taco stall that is owned by a former chef at Pujol (a Michelin-starred restaurant in Mexico City that we failed to get reservations for last year when we were there). The tacos were probably the best I’ve ever had in the UK.

Gluten free London photo dump series. I’ve also started a new series on Instagram where I’ll be sharing a photo dump of my favorite gluten free London eats each week. See the first post here.

January blogging income report and update…

It’s somewhat dire times for the blogging world, as I told you all about in my November/December update. Unfortunately, my blog has lost a lot of traffic since Christmas, which is due to getting hit in a search algorithm update.

So, my traffic is at about a 30% drop in sessions year-over-year, and…. that’s a bummer to say the least. Especially that it’s happening at the exact time that I decided to take this blog full-time and move to one of the most expensive cities in the world, LOL!

But I’m trying to stay positive, diversify my income with more freelance writing, and just keep working hard and pushing out as many high-quality posts as I can.

January 2024 blogging income

Sessions: 57,474
Pageviews: 65,209

Here’s how my income broke down in January:

• Advertising: $1,654.48
• Freelance Writing: $2,575
• Affiliates: $345.82

Total: $4,575.30

Note: This is my gross income, before expenses and taxes.

Remember that every post you read or share directly helps my small business, and I’m grateful to all of you who read my posts!

Upcoming in February…

Like I mentioned above, my big focus for February is just going to be getting settled in the UK and sorting out a lot of that mandatory immigration faff, like getting a bank account, national insurance number, transferring licenses, etc.! There is a LOT to do!

I’m also really trying to put myself out there and meet people, but also pace myself in that respect so I don’t get too overwhelmed. Saying that, if you’re in London and want to meet up, I’m all for it so just send me a message on my Instagram! It’s hard out here for adults who’ve forgotten how to make new friends LOL.

My other big February news is that I will be attending the Free From Festival in Bristol – I’ve wanted to go to one of these for YEARS but sadly my trips to the UK never coincided. Super excited.

Other than that, stay tuned here on the blog because I have lots of exciting posts planned. Let me know in the comments what your February plans are!!