Winterizing Your Home

If you live in regions where it becomes extremely cool in the winter, I am sure that you can feel the changes in the air and sense what is about to come. Winter weather is just around the corner and it is time to prepare your home for the cold weather. For a frugal person, the important thing is figuring out how to prepare your home for the cool season and keep the most money in your pocket. Anyone can turn the thermostat up, but it is the frugally zealous who figure out a way to keep their home as warm as possible without putting a huge dent in the bank.

I would like to share with you a few conventional (and unconventional) ways to prepare your home for winter…

• A programmable thermostat is a sound investment. Just by purchasing one of these, you can save yourself ten percent a year by turning your thermostat back during the times you are not home. If you are home during the day, programming the thermostat to drop to lower temperatures in the evening is also an option. When choosing a thermostat, be sure to look for the Energy Star label.
• Keep ventilating fans off in the kitchen and bathroom and only use these as is necessary. These fans can suck the majority of the heat out of your home.
• Caulk your windows and all around the outside edges of the sills. First, begin by caulking the windows on the outside. Then caulk the windows indoors, using a temporary silicone caulk, all around the moveable parts of the window.  The caulk will come loose, when you want to open your windows in the spring, and can save you approximately $200 each year, just by sealing the edges of your windows.
• Close vents and doors in the rooms that you do not use. There is no sense in paying for heat when no one is even in these rooms.
• Make quilted window shades. You can make quilted window coverings yourself out of old covers or blankets. Check your local thrift store too for these materials and reuse them for a fraction of the cost.  You can also hang blankets and quilts over the windows to hold the heat in at night.