Save Money on Winter Costs by Reducing Heating Bills and Holiday Shopping Expenses

When the winter season comes, you look forward to the holiday season with smells of warm, rich food, wrapped gifts, and maybe even a white Christmas in your neck of the woods. But with winter comes something else: the big spending season, meaning you shelling out the big bucks for presents, food, decorations, travel expenses, and heating costs to keep you from getting frostbite in your own home. You can enjoy the winter season and have it take less of a hit on your wallet by cutting down arguably your two biggest winter expenses, holiday shopping and winter heating. Here's how you can do it:

Save Money on Holiday Gift Shopping

Avoid the credit card hangover on New Year's and spend less on holiday gifts than last year without looking 'cheap.' Here are a few ways you can do it:

- Consider giving your time as a gift. It's free and it's one of the best gifts you can give. You can make coupons or certificates for running free errands for a busy mother, or an impromptu massage for a significant other, or free candle-making lessons for that niece of yours who's always wanted to know how you made those sweet smelling candles in your living room.

- Do you research in plenty of time to avoid last minute shopping. You know that if wait too long, you'll have to buy something no matter what the price - and that price will usually be higher than it was a few weeks ago. Look through catalogues or online, or do some window shopping to find gift ideas and to get an idea of prices that fall into your range. This way you're also more likely to come across the best deals.

- Don't use the credit cards that the stores offer you. You'll more than likely be paying a higher interest rate. Save every little bit you can, even if you do plan on paying off your holiday spending spree within a short period of time.

- Finally, but most importantly, get organized before you start shopping. Make a note of all of your holiday expenses and prioritize them. You'll have to consider travel, cards, phone calls, clothes, decorations, parties, mailing off any gifts, and more.

Once you have that down, make a list of gift recipients, set your budget, and make a note of how much you can spend on each recipient according to that budget.

Save Money with a Lower Winter Heating Bill

There's one thing a lot of Americans don't look forward to: high heating costs in the wintertime. You've probably heard that you can make home improvements to drastically reduce your bill, but those improvements can cost you so much it'll take you up to 20 years to even pay them off, let alone enjoy the savings on your heating bill! Here are some simpler, and significantly cheaper options that can have you enjoying the prospect of lower heating bills this winter:

- Clean your furnace. The cleaner your furnace is, the more effective it'll be. More than likely, all you'll have to do is change your air filter, and that'll only cost you around $20.

- Make use of your ceiling fans. Set them in reverse so they can provide warm air throughout your home.

- Close off any leaks that allow drafts into your house. You can close them with caulk or weather strips. If you really want to do this efficiently, you can get a home-energy audit done on your house to pinpoint the money-draining problem areas you may not find. An expert will come in and use blower doors, surface thermometers, and/or infrared cameras to seek out leaks. This should only cost you around $15.

- Raise your shades and open your blinds during the daytime to take advantage of the natural sunlight and solar heat that comes through.

- And finally, the simples thing you can do is turn down your thermostat, even if it's only by a few degrees. Those few degrees can still make a big difference.

Enjoy this coming winter season and all the ones in the future just a little more, knowing that you're not paying out the nose like you did before!