Get to Know The Iconic Brunch With Babs: Barbara Costello

If you know Babs, you probably already have at least one of her life hacks saved somewhere on your phone. Barbara Costello, AKA the internet’s favorite grandmother and the woman behind Brunch with Babs, has built a following of millions by sharing the recipes, hosting tips, and little tricks that always make you wonder, “Wait, why have I never done it this way?”

Babs joined All on the Table with Katie Lee to talk about how all of this started. Before Brunch with Babs took off, she was a teacher, a mom, and eventually a grandmother with decades of recipes, traditions, and household know-how to share. Then her daughter convinced her to bring it to social media and, well, the internet was officially graced with Babs presence.

Now, she’s put even more of that wisdom into her book, Homemaking with Babs: Tips and Tricks for Making a House a Home. In the episode, Babs gets into the routines that keep her home running, the things she learned raising a family, and the practical tips she swears by.

Basically, if you’ve ever watched one Babs video and immediately sent it to the group chat, this episode is definitely worth the listen. While you watch the episode below, here are some of the best takeaways from her conversation with Katie Lee:

Who Is Barbara Costello?

Barbara Costello, known and loved by the internet as Babs, is a retired preschool teacher, wife of 56 years, mom of four, and a grandmother. She grew up in an Italian-Lebanese family where, as she told Katie Lee, “food was sacrosanct, food was everything. I always say it’s how they said I love you, by feeding you. If you didn’t eat it? They were concerned.”

Those Sunday gatherings at her grandmother’s house were busy, loud, and packed with food and cousins. Her mother was one of nine, her father one of seven, and Barbara counted 22 first cousins on one side alone. That big-family, everyone-at-the-table upbringing honestly reflects in who Babs is today. 

She wasn’t always Babs, of course. Back then she was Barb, the friend with the little circle who traded advice and swapped recipe cards. Decades later, that same instinct to share is what made her the grandmother the whole internet wants to adopt.

How Brunch With Babs Started

About six years ago, Babs’ younger daughter Elizabeth pushed her to make a TikTok. Barbara told Katie that she didn’t want to, saying “I had my granddaughters dancing there. I love to dance, but I didn’t want to dance on TikTok.” Elizabeth reassured her, telling her she’d be cooking, and “Cooking with Babs” was born. Her original videos were quick, barely narrated recipes, because she couldn’t figure out what to say in sixty seconds.

Over time, Babs decided not to stop there. She grew past the kitchen, creating content on family traditions, organizing, hosting, and traveling, eventually evolving her brand to Brunch with Babs to match her rebrand. 

And with the rebrand, we got to see more of Babs’ family, too! Her grandkids, her own kids, the beloved Mr. Babs (AKA her husband Bill), fans slowly began to look forward to seeing the whole family show up, create content, and share the love to millions. 

From Preschool Teacher to Homemaking Expert

If you’ve watched Babs’ content, you can easily see how she naturally transitioned from preschool to homemaker. But if you’re new, here’s the quick TL;DR:

Barbara studied English and education at Marquette, taught middle school, then moved into early education. She eventually opened a preschool in Ridgefield, Connecticut called “The Growing Tree,” which was a small, welcoming program that Babs said felt like an extension of family. In fact, after 20 years of teaching, she says she’s still invited to some of her former students’ weddings and graduation parties!

With decades of experience, Babs was able to effortlessly transfer skills like breaking big things in small, bite-size bits of information from the classroom to content creation. And honestly, that’s the central theme of her whole approach.

The Babs Method: Her 15-Minute Home Routine

The Babs Method, a system pulled straight from her book Homemaking with Babs, is built for everyone who feels overwhelmed trying to keep up with all of the trendy, 20-step, day-long routines all over socials.

Babs’ approach is simple: 15 minutes, morning and night, done consistently. Here’s what it looks like: 

• Make your bed. Trust Babs when says that making your bed makes a huge difference. It takes five minutes and it makes coming back at the end of the day feel so much more peaceful. She says if you don’t feel like making the bed, get a comforter and pull the comforter up to the pillows.
• Unload the dishwasher. Run your dishwasher before you go to sleep, so all you have to do in the morning is unload it. Not only does it give you all clean dishes, but you also won’t have a stack of dirty dishes waiting for you as soon as you wake up.
• Preset the laundry. Set your laundry on preset at night time and fill it up with clothes. Your laundry will automatically kick on whenever you set it to, so all you have to do is wake up and toss them in the dryer. No sitting in water for 8 hours, which also means no smelly clothes.

The secret? Stay consistent. As Babs says herself, do it every day, not for three weeks and quit. And if you need the house to get involved in the help, there’s no shame in that. After all, like she says, you’re not the only one living there!

The Five-Bin Decluttering System

When it comes to decluttering, Barbara has a system for that, too. Her Five-Bin method is a monthly project: go through one room with five different bins: trash, recycle, donate, relocate, and resell. Work through all of it, sorting as you go until the space finally feels lighter.

But don’t just sit those bins in the garage (even though that’s the easiest thing to do). Put them straight in the car and have a plan for where to take them immediately. This way, you don’t even have the time to change your mind.

Her advice doesn’t end there, though. Babs also shares one more super helpful piece of advice for organizing a closet: flip hangers one direction at the start of a season, and whatever stays flipped around at the end of the season can get tossed into a donation box.

Homemaking With Babs: Her New Book

If you’re looking for a quick, easy way to find all of these tips in one place, you’re in luck. Babs fit all of her top systems in her book, Homemaking with Babs. Don’t worry, it doesn’t read like a chore list. Instead, you’ll find things like The Babs Method, her decluttering system, seasonal home toolkits, meal-prep and grocery strategies, and even a home-maintenance chapter.

Her framing is the part that sticks. A home doesn’t need to be perfect; it needs to work for your family and help life feel a little more peaceful. If you want to lean all the way into that philosophy, make sure to also check out our guide on how to be the house everyone wants to visit.

Why Barbara Costello Resonates With So Many

So… why do SO many people enjoy Barbara Costello’s content when they scroll past so many other content creators in a day? Because in a fast-paced world, Babs offers something rare: warmth, real generational wisdom, and a judgement-free environment.

The goal isn’t a magazine-perfect home you saw on social media; it’s one that works for you and creates peace of mind. Think less lecture, more warm hug from the grandmother you never knew you needed.

And of course, Babs’ truly values her relationship with her audience (which she refers to as her online family). She said she sees the numbers, wonders about it, but then goes out and about and meets “a lot of family members who couldn’t be sweeter.”

Her hosting philosophy, borrowed from her own grandmother, is that it’s not just how you feed people, it’s how you make them feel in your home. If you love creators who make you feel cared for like this, she belongs on any list of the best podcasts for moms.

Where to Find Babs (AKA Barbara Costello)

Ready to bring a little Babs into your own home? Start with Homemaking with Babs, her latest book and basically a manual for running a household. Then follow along at Brunch with Babs across social, where the recipes, systems, and Mr. Babs cameos keep coming.

Her full conversation on All at the Table with Katie Lee is worth a watch for the stories alone. And if her warmth put you in a nostalgic, gather-everyone mood, dig into more from the Dear Media network next, like our roundup of Thanksgiving traditions to steal before the holidays hit. 

From there, keep going across the 100-plus pop culture, entertainment, and lifestyle podcasts hosted by today’s most talked-about creators.