Tips on How to Make Your Home Energy and Cost Efficient

Living in New England is so wonderful ~ we get to experience the four seasons. I love especially love Fall and the holidays. When I walk outside the smell of wood-burning stoves waifing through the air greets me on many a cold morning, or early evening.

As a child, besides the return to a new school year, I always enjoyed the special smell in the house the first time the furnace turned on. As an adult and now paying for my own utility bills, I now shudder whenever I hear the click of the gas furnace, signaling that my hard-earned dollars are going up the chimney.

Here's some tips to help you get through the winter season:

Do you dread looking at your electric or gas bill every month seeing numbers that are larger and larger each time you see it? Do you wish there was something you could do about this dreaded monthly bill? Well, there is and it is easy to remedy. You just have to check your home to make sure that it is the most energy and cost efficient that it can possibly be.


It might be shocking to you that most people do not even know that because of lack of efficiency they are loosing 25 % or more of the energy used in their home.

Did you know that there are some common every day things that you can do to save energy and money around your home. Doing it yourself can save you both time and money that you might invest in someone else’s promises to save you money. I don’t know about you, but I trust myself more than someone else’s empty promise any day. All it takes is a few calculations, some common sense and you can be on the road to savings and increasing your home’s use of energy.

Some of these steps include:

1. Calculating your energy cost. Do you know how much fuel your home is taking to run and how much that cost you? You need to know this before you can determine if you can lower those costs.

2. What will it cost you to save. What things must you put into practice in order to save on your energy monthly? This is where you have to determine the balance.

3. Determine your largest needs. Some practices will save you far greater in the future than others. You must first determine your area of largest need and go from there.

4. Developing new habits. Many of us have habits that cost us energy every day. We must realize those bad habits and begin putting new habits in place in order to save energy, time and money.

These are only a few of the ways that you can begin to save money on your energy bill and have a more cost efficient home. There are many more ways to save and you will love how easy those savings come to you.


About the Author:
Cara Mirabella is a WAHM with one toddler from New Jersey. She owns and manages TheHouseholdHelper.com - a site dedicated to saving your time, money and sanity when managing your household. She has written several articles, reports and e-books including

Happy Thanksgiving From My Family To Yours

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers and your family! We'll be enjoying the holiday with all our extended family.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who serve our country, as well as any law enforcement officers who keep us safe and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving.



Please drive safely ~ if you'll be traveling to visit grandparents, family or friends with babies or toddlers ~ here's some travel tips I'd like to share to help make your trip a pleasant one!

Womens Health: What Are You Having For a Healthy Winter Breakfast

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably have seen my tweets that I'm on a diet. After viewing the photos of myself when my grandson Slugger was born in August ~ need I say more?

Since joining Weight Watchers Online and sticking to an approximately 1,000 calorie-per-day diet, I've lost about 17 pounds. I've set February as the date to reach my goal of an approximate 10 percent body weight loss.

Dining out has proved challenging. I've learned through Weight Watchers though, that eating breakfast is very important to any weight-loss plan. Throughout my whole life, I've never been a breakfast eater (except Saturdays) until now.

Why is it that we eat more food in the winter? Maybe we decide that it’s okay to have a little more girth to keep us warm. Bears do it so why can’t we? Unfortunately, eating more and moving less doesn’t equal a healthy lifestyle. Stay warm this winter with a few healthy breakfast items on the menu. We can eat and feel full without ruining our diet and adding to our waistline. We’ve worked hard to maintain or lose weight when the weather was warm. We don’t want to ruin it all during the winter chill.

1. Oatmeal – Oatmeal has changed from the pasty gray stuff that was served to us as kids. Now, oatmeal comes in instant flavors like strawberries and cream, maple and brown sugar, and cinnamon and apples. The oats provide soluble and insoluble fiber. Fiber helps to stabilize blood sugar so we don’t overeat during the day. The slow release of energy by our body keeps us going at a steady pace. Oatmeal can be made with water or milk. Using skim milk provides vitamin D as well as fiber.

2. Fruit filled breads – We are always in a hurry. This may mean leaving behind a warm breakfast but not a nutritious one. The same mix recipes that can be used for muffins can be used to make sweet breads like banana nut, cranberry-raisin, and blueberry bread. Fresh or dried fruits can be used in the bread. In combination with other whole grains, the bread is a healthy winter breakfast that can be fixed and eaten fast. I like to make this Nibble Bread recipe and have it on hand to eat.

3. Eggs, cheese, and sausage – A good breakfast is a mixture of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Eggs provide protein and some fat. Cheese provides the same. It is okay to use low fat cheeses. Fat free cheese doesn’t melt as well. Turkey sausage or bacon provides protein and that meat we so often crave. Weekend mornings are a perfect time for family to enjoy a hearty, healthy warm breakfast. When my husband and I go out for breakfast on Saturday mornings, I'll have scrambled eggs and salsa ~ almost an omlet, but without the cheese.

4. Unsweetened cereals – Cereal is still a part of a balanced breakfast. This doesn’t change in the winter time. Try a cereal that gets its sweetness from cinnamon or honey. It is better for you and fortified with vitamins and minerals we need every day. Supplement that bowl of cereal with a glass of orange juice or coffee and a slice of wheat toast for a quick and healthy breakfast before work or school. What's also been working for me is the Special K ~ Lose a Jean Size in 2-weeks. I'll keep a box of Special K at my cubicle at the office, along with Fat-Free milk in the office refrig to avoid running out for a bagel, or hitting up the vending machine.

During the winter, we naturally eat more food because we crave carbohydrates. It is the hibernation instinct in our bodies. To keep from looking oversized in the spring, continuing to watch what we eat in winter is essential.

Try these breakfast alternatives to do just that. Don't forget the pure New England maple syrup!

What are you having for breakfast? Share your ideas with me!

Crock Pots are Back in Vogue: Be Frugal and Cook at Home

First introduced in 1971, the Crock-Pot revolutionized the way we cook meals. The word Crock-Pot is actually trademarked by Rival Industries, but is used in every day conversations instead of the term slow cooker. Many recipes for the crock-pot require little preparation. The slow cooker can then safely be left to run unattended, making it a convenient cooking method.

I got married in 1974, and had one of the latest crock-pots at that time. They didn't come with the nice removable inserts available now, and the only shape was round. As a new bride who worked full-time, I made every meal I could in the crock-pot. My DH often worked late hours, and it was perfect for keeping meals warm. Fast forward 34 years....

Now that my oldest daughter is a married mom, one of my gifts to her was a state-of-the-art crock-pot. Every Sunday she has us over for some of the most marvelous meals she's put together! We New Englander's love our comfort food!

Crock-pot meals can not only save you time in the kitchen, but they can also save you money as well. The reasons are as follows:

1. It keeps you out of the fast food line. If you had not loading up the crock-pot with the ingredients this morning you’d likely be in the drive through line at the local fast food restaurant this afternoon after work, grabbing a meal for your family. The average fast food meal for a family of four rings up over $20.

2. Stretches your dollar. Most crock-pot recipes and meals can truly stretch your food dollar. Because you can put a whole chicken in the crock-pot to cook then cut it up for several meals, you can stretch your budget with the use of your leftovers.

3. Cuts your grocery budget. You can save money at the butcher since the slow cooking process is especially useful to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat.

4. Saves on your energy bill. Instead of running a larger appliance like the stove you're running one small energy conservative appliance, the crock-pot, saving on your energy costs.

The convenience of the slow cooker not only saves you time, but will also save you money ~ $$

Don’t you think it’s time to take it out of your closet (or wherever you have it packed away collecting dust) and make a Crock-Pot meal today? Or maybe ask Santa for a new state-of-the art Crock-Pot?

Enjoy a taste of New England while you're cooking!

Wordless Wednesday

Copyright C. Matthews 2008

Advertising Gone Wrong ~ Twitter Moms Sound Off about Motrin

I was on Twitter last night when the topic came up alerting all moms to a public relations advertising campaign gone wrong.

My oldest daughter gave birth in August this year to my grandson, and is using a baby sling carrier to carry him (her second child) and singing the praises of her decision.

Apparently Motrin has a new advertising campaign that ended up making a mockery of all moms who use baby slings and carriers. I viewed the advertisement and couldn't believe what I saw or heard.

You can view the ad, which lives on at YouTube HERE.

As I'm a Baby Boomer Grandma ~ slings were up-and coming but not quite mainstream when my children were babies. I feel insulted for all the new young moms, and women in general who have all these wonderful healthy opportunities for parenting available today.

My daughter has a BS in Marketing ~ hopefully through viral marketing and the power of Twitter, academic professors will take note and instruct young students how NOT to market to women, and how NOT to underestimate the power of Twitter and the internet.

I may be a Grandmom, but having grown up in the 60's and 70's I still know how to make my voice heard.

My Twitter comment was among those featured in the Motrin Moms video. Follow the conversation and comments by using #motrinmoms and Follow me on Twitter User "Moomettesgram."

For more information and to see and "listen" to the voices of many of my Twitter mom friends speaking out against the Motrin ad, visit Here.

Wordless Wednesday

Copyright C. Matthews 2008