How to Prepare for Winter on a Budget

[Raechel]

Raechel Conover writes for Cheapism.com, a review site that serves consumers on a budget who want the best value for their money. Cheapism is the only review site that focuses exclusively on low-price products, a part of the market often overlooked by experts.

The leaves have pretty much turned and fallen, Halloween has come and gone, and the days are getting shorter and shorter – yep, winter is just around the corner. Winter in many parts of the country brings cold temperatures, heavy winds, and snow and ice. And this means opening up your wallet to make your house and car winter-ready. Here are some budget-savvy tips to help you have a warm and safe winter.

Have a Snow Removal Plan
Any time it snows, you want to be sure there’s an easy and safe route in and out of the house. Walkways, outdoor stairs, and driveways should be cleared of the white stuff to prevent falls. You can go the simple snow shovel route or, if you’d rather save time and an aching back, check out the season’s new crop of cheap snow blowers, which can clear up to eight inches of snow from smooth or paved outdoor surfaces. Also keep a few bags of snowmelt on hand for hard-to reach or icy areas. Snowmelt is usually cheaper in the fall/early winter before the first winter storm hits and demand surges.

Ready Vehicles for Winter Driving
Winter driving can be hazardous, so take the necessary precautions to keep you and your loved ones safe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends prepping your car by checking and replenishing antifreeze levels, and replacing windshield-wiper fluid with a wintertime mixture. Skip the mechanic’s fee and do these chores yourself. Also be sure to keep your gas tank above half full during the winter months to prevent freezing fuel lines.

Tires are another factor to consider as winter sets in. Some of the best snow tires are affordable and provide added traction for easy starting and stopping on weather-compromised roads. Some snow tires offer the option of using metal studs for added grip in heavy ice and snow. Just be aware that snow tires will be slow and loud in warm weather, so you will need to switch back to all-season tires at winter’s end.

Prepare Plumbing
When water freezes in pipes, you wind up with big, costly problems. According to Grit.com, a watering hose left outside all winter can freeze and split, which in turn can crack the spigot and create leaks both inside and outside the house. Preventing this mishap is easy: just empty all hoses and remove them from spigots. Something similar can happen to the pipes inside your home when temperatures plunge. If you’re planning to be away from home during the winter – even for a few days -- leave the heat on. You can set it at lower temperatures to save on heating costs, but it should stay warm enough (above 55 degrees) to prevent freezing pipes and far more costly water and plumbing damage.

Maintain Indoor Heat Sources
A furnace is a necessity in many regions during the winter months, and a high efficiency furnace is a good way to keep heating costs to a minimum. While you may not want to replace a furnace because of high upfront costs, sometimes you have no choice. By choosing one of the newer, highly efficient and cheap furnaces, you can cut your monthly heating bill by as much as half. If you’re looking to further reduce heating costs, set the thermostat lower and supplement with cheap space heaters in the rooms where you spend most of your time. If you have a working fireplace, now is the time to get it ready for heavy use. About.com recommends having it cleaned, capped, and inspected to avoid costly problems, such as critters getting into the house on cold nights or leaks at the tuck-point. Safety is a must with all of these inside heating tools and the CDC recommends installing several smoke and carbon monoxide detectors (at least one on each level of your home, preferably near the heating appliance). You should check these monthly to make sure they’re working properly and replace the batteries twice a year.

Keep the Heat In
Finally, the cost to heat a home in the winter can be high, so make sure you’re keeping the heat you generate inside and not spending extra cash to heat the outside. To do this, change out all your screen windows for storm windows, repair and caulk windows, and weather-strip doors for the best insulation.

What other things do you do to prepare your home for winter? And how can you do them on a budget?

[cheapskate]

Thanks for the tips. I live in an apartment so I don't have to worry about some of those, but I would never have thought about leaving the heat on when we go away.

[fruggler]

Thanks. I am a big fan of the space heaters solution. I realized I don't use big parts of my house so i often just heat up the room i am in and avoid spending on heating up the whole house. Also that way if I come home late from work there is no need to heat up the whole house or wait for hours until it heats up.

[yoni]

I've spent my whole life in snowy winters, and I couldn't have said it better myself. I agree with fruggler, but you do have to keep the heat at a minimum so that your home electronics and pipes don't break. You have a good understanding of winter and how to prepare your home, car and life for too much snow. I might add a good tissue brand to the list so your nose makes it through the winter too.

[Pennysaver]

Good tips. When we lived in our townhouse we would pull up the blinds on nice sunny days to let in the heat from the sun. This made a huge difference and allowed us to lower the heat. We also used a programmable thermostat so our heat wasn't as high while we were at work. When we were at home, we dressed warmly rather than turning the heat up a lot. These things saved us a lot of money on heating costs.