Saving Money Around the Home
Recently, on my television show, our friend, Jim Cramer, the host of CNBC’s Mad Money, paid a visit and shared some money-management and investing tips for 2012. After listening to his smart ways for managing money, I shared with Jim, a clever way to make an affordable, personalized coffee mug. Hosanna Houser, from our TV Craft Department, came up with this idea of applying decorative stenciling to a paper cup lookalike called “I Am Not a Paper Cup” ceramic thermal mug, a TV giveaway from Décor Craft. I really like these ceramic mugs with their silicone drinking lids and I asked the TV crafters to personalize mugs for my Bedford farm crew, thinking that this is a perfect way to cut down on use of disposable paper cups. I then started to think about other easy and common sense ways of saving. No one likes to throw money away, but so many of us do on a daily basis by not being cost and energy efficient. I’d love to hear about the simple ways that all of you save.
1 Here I am on set with Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money. I was teaching Jim how to stencil his name on a porcelain cup for drinking his green tea.
2 These clever porcelain cups are a product of Decor Craft Inc. (DCi). Designed by James Burgess, these cups are insulating double-walled ceramic and have silicone lids. Beverages stay either hot or cold for quite a while.
3 The matte finish of the ceramic makes stenciling names or designs a breeze. You just need adhesive stencils, a foam pouncer, and craft paint - all Martha Stewart Crafts products from Michaels!
4 To discourage the use of disposable paper cups, I decided to make personalized drinking cups for my entire Bedford staff. But, I really feel that DCi needs to change their packaging to something more eco-friendly.
5 Betsy riding Ramon was thrilled to see her cup.
6 Ryan striking a pose in the greenhouse
7 Gelbu and Dolma in the stable ready for their coffee break
8 Susie and Maureen enjoying an outdoor break
9 Wilmer, Pete, and Phurba take a break from mulching.
10 Gyurme likes his cup.
11 As do Chhiring and Mike!
12 Maria and Laura are very happy, as well.
13 Now the house staff can refill their personalized drinking cups with water, tea, or coffee. Instead of using bottled water, which gets costly, we use these large jugs of water, which are washed, sanitized and re-used many times over.
14 You can save money buying things in bulk, like these cotton bar towels, which we use over and over again in the kitchen. They're inexpensive, very absorbent, and wash well.
15 We just received a new shipment.
16 I also order the small washcloth size for drying hands. I discourage unnecessary use of paper towels.
17 Recycling is the law in many places and that good practice begins in the kitchen.
18 You can shave quite a bit off your electric bill by turning off lights when you leave a room. The most energy-saving bulb of all is one that's turned off.
19 Keep thermostats low when not at home. Programmable thermostats are a really good idea and can help save quite a bit with fuel costs.
20 If you have a fireplace, close the damper when you don't have a fire burning. An open damper is like having an open window, allowing heat to escape in winter and cool to escape in summer!
21 In cold weather, storm windows and storm doors really help to keep a home cozy.
22 In autumn, the screens are replaced with the storms and are stored in the basement in these compact units.
23 Every window on each building is numbered and every storage slot is labeled accordingly.
24 And every screen and storm window is also labeled and is stored in its corresponding slot. This way, there is no confusion when making the seasonal change.
25 Also, for places like the basement, where lighting is purely utilitarian, we have switched to energy saving bulbs. These are especially efficient in my laundry room, where the lights need to be on for long periods of time.
26 When the heat or air conditioning is on, I post reminders everywhere!
27 You can save quite a bit of money by making your own pet food. We package meatballs made of lean ground round. We steam brown rice and combine it with organic frozen vegetables. We also poach fish filets.
28 These healthy foods are combined at mealtime and Francesca, Sharkey, and G.K. love every morsel!
29 All vegetarian kitchen scraps are fed to the chickens. This cuts down on feed costs and provides lots of good nourishment.
30 My chickens love their varied diet and they lay amazing eggs.
31 We use a lot of composted mulch at the farm on all of the garden beds.
32 I used to buy mulch by the truckload, but now we make it ourselves, using all the organic matter from the farm. Making your own compost is fun and rewarding, even in the tiniest of backyards!
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
Great ideas! I love to see how you practice what you preach!
Posted by: Simple Girl | January 25th, 2012 at 12:27 am
Great ideas! I love your posts. For the pet food, do you cook the meatballs? It looks very pink and raw in the picture. I'd like to try this for my pup. Thank you!
Posted by: Cindy in Austin | January 25th, 2012 at 12:43 am
My personal favorite: I print on BOTH sides of my printer paper before recycling the unwanted pages. This reduces cost and waste. Rock on Martha!
Posted by: Mario | January 25th, 2012 at 1:43 am
Depends on meaning of saving money and Jim Kramer is so fun..Wage earners continue making America great. Your attention to the efforts of many making the few look good is admirable and love to see photos of staff and others who do the hands on presentation of LIVING life well. The security of managing resources and your ambition teaching many here on this blog is a great way to learn much at no cost..Doesn't hurt to raise a few chickens either.
Posted by: ann | January 25th, 2012 at 7:19 am
For Cindy in Austin - The meatballs are served raw. We freeze them in batches and remove packages from the freezer as needed.
Posted by: Martha Stewart | January 25th, 2012 at 7:38 am
All great money and energy saving tips Martha! I also have a programmable thermastat. It really does make a difference, as do the energy saving light bulbs. A money saving tip that has saved me tons of money is to bring my lunch to work and I rarely frequent coffee shops. Just those two practices have made a difference for me.
Posted by: Cindy F | January 25th, 2012 at 9:01 am
I actually make the same dog food - brown rice mixed with organic frozen vegetables - but I add sauteed ground turkey and a handful of blueberries. Also I started composting in my very little backyard months ago - inspired by you!!! I am in north florida and just planted lettuce and brocolli and all are doing very well!!!!!!
Posted by: maria | January 25th, 2012 at 9:29 am
I'm so so so happy to see you post this kind of stuff! I'm such an eco freak and it's nice to know that someone as rich as you is still trying to do good for the environment and save a few bucks at the same time!
Posted by: Michelle | January 25th, 2012 at 9:39 am
Great tips and pictures Martha! I like the bins you use for chicken scraps. I use a less attractive 5 gallon bucket which is stored on my back porch, so I can grab it and take with me at feeding time.
Posted by: Mary | January 25th, 2012 at 10:16 am
Hi Martha, Thanks for such a bright, inspiring new blog post today! I love seeing all of your ideas about how to save money around your home and I try to do all I can to save, also! I use my Brita to produce cleaner drinking water instead of buying bottled water. I make my own compost in a large container in my back yard. I use those bulbs in photo #24 all over my home. We have double windows and extra covers for the ceilings applied for no cost by the SeaTac Airport to protect us from the loud sounds when the airplanes fly right over our home everyday. We collect clean, non pitchy wood pallets from companies that want to get rid of them and I cut them up almost daily all winter long to burn in my great Yukon Wood Stove and that helps with the electricity bill. I love working hard and saving money! Loved all the photos of your Bedford crew, Jim Crammer, parts inside and out of your beautiful farm! Love that video from your TV Show, too! We had 50 mile an hour winds last night and almost had power outage again. Many are still without power for about a week. Hope you have another great day! Off to see what Ghenghis Khan has to say about his last Dog Show in Maryland last weekend-he's so handsome! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | January 25th, 2012 at 10:44 am
Great tips! I too use almost no paper towels, napkins or cups and use cloth kitchen towels for everyday napkins, dishes and hand towels.I unplug appliances when not in use (toaster, coffee maker, computer, etc) and turn off the hot water heater at night. All these little steps add up to savings.
Thanks for your daily inspiration, Martha and team!
Posted by: Bev | January 25th, 2012 at 11:24 am
Martha,
I have no money saving tips for you - sorry! Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | January 25th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
My favorite ways to save money are:
- Line drying clothes in the summer (and it smells so great!)
- Making large batches of food (chili, soup, refried beans, etc.) and freezing them in small portions, like muffin tins, a previous 'Good Thing'! They make cheap and easy lunches and cut back on a ton of packaging material.
- Composting: besides helping in the garden, I produce hardly any trash, and switched to a smaller can size, saving me about 40% on my trash bill.
- Buying dried goods and spices from the bulk section at the grocery store. I can get just what I need, and only when I need it! And it's much cheaper, with less packaging.
Thanks for all your tips, Martha. I always use a ton of your ideas!
Posted by: Maren | January 25th, 2012 at 12:13 pm
Hi Martha,
Thanks for your great tips and also for giving me another craft to do which of course will be to stencil a few of those useful cups! I didn’t realize you had so many stencils at Michael’s but I’m anxious to have a look. I also would like to try making my own compost pile in the back yard – thanks for the idea. I’ll start small.
~
Here’s how I save money. About 13 years ago I was in a jury pool for a case involving a doctor and a double amputee. They asked a lot of questions regarding our opinion of doctors and whether we visited ours on a regular basis. I said that I didn’t have a regular doctor and that I didn’t visit on a regular basis. Then the judge asked if it was because I didn’t like doctors. I said, “No, it’s because I’m a cheapskate.” I didn’t have insurance at the time and didn’t ‘waste’ money seeing doctors for no good reason. Anyway, after everybody stopped laughing, I clarified my position by saying, “I will go to a doctor if I am deathly sick but not just to have a checkup.” (Btw, I was picked as juror #2 and it was a very interesting case.) So being the ‘cheapskate’ that I am, I will not waste money on anything that I don’t need and if it is something I want, I save by cutting down on meals out and I use coupons and eat a lot of leftovers. I’m very frugal. It drives me crazy when someone leaves a light on or a fan if they are not in the room or if they take long showers. My sister and I are good but when we have company, iyiyi!
~
I really liked seeing all the tech gadgets on your show today and Organizing Your Home Office on the Today Show. I plan to get your Organizing special issue; otherwise the nice pegboards I have stored in the garage might go to ‘waste’. I can’t have that! Trish
Posted by: Trish | January 25th, 2012 at 12:50 pm
After I've been grocery shopping or any other shopping where I've saved money, I transfer the amount saved from my checking account to my mortgage account to pay off some of the principal. At the end of the year these $5.00 to $25.00 payments amount to more than a mortgage payment. Granted, our payment is less than $700/year but it still helps. If one doesn't have a mortgage, transfer the money into a savings account or donate the money to charity.
Posted by: Pam Christie | January 25th, 2012 at 1:06 pm
This past summer I installed my own rain barrel.What a change it has made on the water bill. I also have been keeping the heat dialed down and am making use of sweaters and afghans I have made.
Posted by: Sharon Riley | January 25th, 2012 at 2:43 pm
I attended a professional conference regarding agricultural businesses managing their resources--income while becoming profitable. Three things stressed: 1) don't think you are saving money using a micrometer when you need an ax.
2) reduce overhead in the form of labor
3) reduce overhead in the form of equipment and buildings. Make your product pay its way or remove it from the inventory.
Posted by: Margie | January 25th, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Thank you!
Posted by: Jb | January 25th, 2012 at 5:09 pm
Two months ago I started making my own laundry soap. Borax, washing soda, baking soda, and Phels Naphta. It only takes 2 tablespoons per load. The clothes are soft, smell, good, and are clean. It work well in front and top loading machines.
Posted by: R Weller | January 25th, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Love the money saving ideas posted by so many admirers of yours...
I keep my pantry stored with variety of food so it forces me to cook and eat at home. Eating out for our family is very rare.
The other money saving trick is I use old towels as rags for kitchen and in place of paper towels. Use them couple of times and discard them.
Keep writing Martha you are a constant inspiration.
Posted by: Alka | January 25th, 2012 at 10:11 pm
At Christmas when ALL the family was home for two weeks, I gifted everyone with their own Tervis cup and lid. Good hot or cold, everyone had their own decorative patch on the cup and used only theirs. I washed all cups in the dishwasher every night and no one caught a cold, and there were never 50 cups or paper cups on my kitchen counter. The sippy lids helped the children not spill.
Other money savers, I use E-mealz.com as my meal plan. I love to cook but not plan. I get frustrated if I start to cook and do not have an ingredient. This has saved us 100's of dollars!
Posted by: Reta | January 25th, 2012 at 10:15 pm
I freeze leftover juice from canned fruit in zip-lock bags. Then I use it to flavor and sweeten ice tea. We also started recycling 2 years ago and have really saved money from not buying so many boxes of trash bags, and we help the planet!
Posted by: Jennifer Horsley | January 25th, 2012 at 10:26 pm
I loved the segment when it aired on the ceramic cup stenciling with Jim Cramer who was a wonderful guest. I like his show too. I always learn from him. I do many things to save and reduce any debt. I never buy at full price. I know the sales cycle of most retail outlets. I prepare all my meals. I think three times before I spend. Does it really matter to buy now? at this price? In this amount of quantity? What else could I be doing with this resource? This all helps me. MSLO inspired me everyday to be creative with my time and my money. Thank you!
Posted by: Teresa Touey | January 25th, 2012 at 10:44 pm
Great ideas Martha
I don't buy bottled water, and use a reusable lifefactory glass bottle when I'm out of the house. I don't drink coffee so I wouldn't use one of the ceramic cups pictured, but they look like a great idea.
I've read that in America, people mostly use clothes dryers instead of line drying their clothes outside. Obviously the climate here in Australia is different, but most homes have a washing line here. This cuts down on electricity usage, is kinder to the environment and your laundry! You could promote that on your show Martha to encourage the idea
.
Posted by: Em | January 25th, 2012 at 11:01 pm
Over the past year I have bought nice cotton napkins (mostly Vera B) on sale. It's completely cut off paper nakin use which makes my youngest happy (she is very green @ 10) and look great on the table. Also repurpose t shirts, old kitchen towels to rags for cleaning which cut paper towel use. Working on switching to greener cleaners and using less. If only I could find a decent dw detergent... Had to go back to cascade after the green versions required rewashing of dishes... Hardly a savings or green.
Posted by: PA Mom | January 25th, 2012 at 11:19 pm
I make my own soap and lip balms from vegetable oils. I invested in dish cloths rather than paper towels and I still use paper towels for something’s but for cleaning I use cloth as it is both cost effective and environmentally friendly. My Mother and Grandmothers taught me that it was important to shop sales and use coupons. I plan my meals by using the local sales ads and I add each month to my stock pile and pantry.
Posted by: Sharon | January 26th, 2012 at 12:36 am
Great ideas.
I close off my heating vents in rooms we don't go into during the day, such as the master bedroom (I usually drop a large heavy book on there and that works great). Then, I cover the heating vents in the other rooms for the night such as the home office.
We buys very little juice, and either juice ourselves or buy natural organic syrups that we add water too. We also have a Reverse Osmosis system installed and that is amazing to not use a single plastic bottle even when we go out we use reusable bottles (like the ceramic one you have on the show). I eat all plant based foods and thrift shop and way more... but not enough
Martha, I think you would benefit from a Reverse Osmosis water filter as well instead of those jugs.
And also, have you heard of Windowfarms - it's a system developed for growing plants in liquid nutrients (no soil) in the smallest spaces from R&DIY? It's something your viewers might like to learn about.
Thank you.
Posted by: ella @ lifeologia | January 26th, 2012 at 1:04 am
I have anything that I don't use on a daily basis unplugged such as lamps or radios. When the cellphone shows full charge, I unplug it. I also unplug the coffeemaker when I'm finished in the AM. Small things but I've cut my bill by about 25%!
Posted by: Karen Callahan | January 26th, 2012 at 2:11 am
Hi Martha
My money saving tip is never throw out left over food. Some I freeze in 1 serving portions, other times I store left over vegetables in a freezer bag to save for soup. However, I can't take credit for these ideas I learned them from a dear friend.
Another way I save money is 90% of my clothing comes from used clothing stores. When I'm done with it I give it to Disabled Veterans. Sometimes I make new clothes from the material of a piece of clothing that no longer works for me. When you get down to the point that the clothes isn't worth giving away...make dog blankets, pillows, pillow cases.
I love your shows and always record them so I don't miss any.
Thanks for inspiring me to get back on a weight program!!!
Posted by: Cecilia Wolford | January 26th, 2012 at 7:20 am
Thank You so much! I am going to try the homemade dogfood. I think my little Emily will love it!!!:)
Posted by: Kay Marshall | January 26th, 2012 at 8:20 am
Spa segment was fabulous!!!!!! Martha deserves an at-home spa service weekly, from facial, massage, reflexolgy, and workout with trainer.....to keep up with the high-level superwoman demands of her career......and no rainchecks.......every week.....so that she may enjoy good health, experiences of personal happiness, and long life, in memory of her mother, "Big Martha"!!!!! who we miss.... we always enjoyed her dry humor......
Posted by: Memoir | January 28th, 2012 at 6:15 pm
We make our own breadcrumbs which we use for coating baked chicken, which we eat quite often. We never throw away the ends or stale pieces of bread. Instead we break them into pieces and grind them up into crumbs in a mini food processor and store them in the freezer for future use. Also, we save the tail-end, broken-up pieces left at the bottom of a bag of tortilla chips or crackers and use them for the same purpose. Now, to figure out how to make homemade croutons for salads...
Posted by: Valerie in SLC | January 30th, 2012 at 2:46 pm
Live someplace where you don't need a car. I couldn't even tell you what the price of gas is - I've stopped paying attention. http://empty-nest-expat.blogspot.com/2010/12/starting-my-third-year-without-car.html
Posted by: Karen | January 31st, 2012 at 3:53 am
Martha, do you also make food for the cats? I would be interested in knowing what their meals look like. I've debated about homemade pet food for a while, but it seems like a lot of resources want to make it more complicated than it needs to be. Thanks!
Posted by: Maren Kreun | January 31st, 2012 at 2:10 pm
Shutting the water off when brushing teeth,
taking shorter showers, adding insulation to the attic, using a programmable thermostat.
Posted by: Jen @ Home Plans | February 3rd, 2012 at 5:08 pm
Dear Martha,
What is better than good home cooked food for dogs? I disagree that if you give your dogs food from your table they will not live as long...that is propaganda from the dog food companies...I make a great meatloaf..it is organic ground beef with only 4% fat, carrots, celery, onion, eggs, 1% milk, parsley, seasonings, and baked with a red wine basting..Now it is my husband and myself which there is always so much left over...these dogs look forward to this food! they also get baked chicken, London Broil, Turkey, boneless chicken breasts, shrimp and if not enough I mix in with good quality commercial canned dog food by Blue and they are the healthiest dogs ever..but I do give them organic dried commercial dog food...vitamins, filtered water..they are thriving...I also make my own dog food too...My cat Natasha eats only organic dried food..and high quality canned cat food...she also loves a little bit of beef, chicken etc...but primarily dried cat food of high quality...I stand by my theory..
Posted by: ladymgr | February 15th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
I am a devout Martha Stewart follower since 1983,when I gave birth to my first child. My husband has just retired from GE and all these tips are fabulous.I fully depend on my Tupperware business to save money,time and landfills.The fact that my husband & I are both crafters helps immensely. And I have been studying Martha cooking school,and have a natural talent for cooking & freezing. Love you Marta. Thanx for all you do for us & the planet!
Posted by: Deborah | February 18th, 2012 at 5:04 pm
I'm always looking for ways to save, and I share them whenever I can:
http://freetipstosave.blogspot.com/2012/03/over-3500-channels-without-monthly-fees.html
Posted by: jeroen waning | March 3rd, 2012 at 8:10 pm
can you help me I have allergies and I cannot use softner on my sheets or towels or anything. I get a rash could there be a substitute to keep towels soft etc? please help my sisters are having the same problem. we would appreciate an alternative?
Posted by: Noreen | April 19th, 2012 at 1:34 pm
For Noreen with allergies. Try using hair conditioner as your fabric softener. I buy what ever scent I like at the dollar store or when it is on sale at other local stores. Then add about 1-3 tablespoons to the rinse cycle. Try starting out with less just to make sure you wont have a reaction. It works well and smells great. I also allow my boys to choose their own scents. On average I pay .70-.99 cents for a bottle of conditioner and it last almost a month.
Posted by: jennifer b | April 26th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Greetings from Oklahoma!
I am going back through some of your home posts paying attention to organization tips and cost efficiency as I am reworking some things in my home. I am a single momma with two active teenagers, so saving money is crucial. Coupons only help minimally, but what helps more is basic stuff as you have outlined: 1) I refuse to buy paper towels. My momma stamped and embroidered seven flour sack towels (the heavy kind) for me...one for each day of the week, and we use those. I do purchase sponges in bulk (from William-Sonoma)-over 10 to a pack, and they have lasted me over two years because I only use them for washing dishes. I use dishrags for everything else. Thank you momma! 2) Water is not left on in my house while brushing teeth or washing dishes. 3) Panty hose with runs in them are recycled as support ties for my roses, clematis, tomatoes, etc. They are sturdy, and they do not cut into the plant providing it support but enough give as well. Tip compliments of my momma and late Grammie. 4) Ceiling fans are used religiously in lieu of turning down the air conditioning in the summer. This is especially helpful if you have a wood stove or a blower on your fireplace where ceiling fans can take the warmth from the source and circulate it throughout the house. 5) My mower is an electric push mower that I plug in and and go. I have no gas or oil to purchase and no waste, and the power it takes to run it is almost nil. 6) I cook from scratch...it is healthier and less expensive. 7) I do use the reward cards and apps to stores I frequent. Starbucks is good, and if you purchase their ground coffee or coffee beans, you get a free cup of coffee when you take the sack into the local store.
We recycle (but need to do more) 9) I am in the process of getting rid of most of the chemical cleaners in my house. 10) Heavy solid wood doors are on my house for all doors leading to the outside or garage. This is a no-brainer for me, but it is amazing the homes being built with metal doors leading to the outside. 11) I am in the process of finishing my bottle of fabric softener and will not buy any more. Vinegar works just as well...another Martha and my momma tip. 12) I use the cheap filters for my air intake vents. My service man said that they do just as good a job as the expensive ones provided that you replace them as you are supposed to . 13) I do not buy bottled water nor paper napkins. I have so many beautiful cloth napkins that I have inherited from my Grammie and mom that it would be just terrible not to use them. It also teaches my children to appreciate such things
Sorry for the long comment, but I just love this post. I appreciate your efforts to helping us make the most of what we have no matter how much or how little.
Posted by: Lori | November 14th, 2012 at 12:37 pm