As the wind picks up outside your window, you know…it’s time. Time to winterize! Preparing for winter is now and always has been about conserving your resources and using them wisely to see you through the long cold days.
Demands on our resources grow as the days get shorter. More of your budget will shift to increased costs for transportation, increased energy consumption, increased food expenses, preparations for the holidays, clothing allowance and emergency fund. If you are among the lucky ones in this economy and you are holding your own, you will be heading into the fall and winter with the same resources that got you through the summer. But soon the furnace will need to be on, the garden will be empty and walking or biking to work will no longer be an option.
Here are some suggestions that might help you with your winterization!
Make a list. As the season changes, if you are like most people, you will continue to be reminded of those things you need to do, changes that will occur and tasks you want to accomplish before the turn of the year. Start a list and keep it handy. You are less likely to overlook something if you are tracking the changes that must take place. Break it down into related groups: weather related; transportation; household; holiday or emergency planning. Divide the items on your list into those you can complete on your own (check for drafts) and those that require outside help (have the furnace inspected). Prioritize the most important to the least. Estimate the cost of each item on your list.
Are you ready for the chill? Take a walk around your house or apartment. See if you can detect any drafts or cold spots. Your local home improvement store can help you decide the most economical way to keep out the cold and retain the heat. Caulking and weather proofing kits for doors and windows are inexpensive and can create savings in heating costs and comfort levels. Now is also the time to pull out all of your family’s winter gear to determine what fits and what needs replacing. Before budgeting for new items, consider the amount of usage you will be getting. Quite often, children out-grow before they out-wear their winter and sports gear. If the weather in your area means that snowsuits and boots would only be needed once or twice a winter, consider organizing a stair-step system among friends and family where gently used winter and sports gear progresses from one child to another based on sizes.
Address your transportation issues. Reliable transportation is critical during winter months. Review your plan for getting where you need to be and make certain to have a back-up plan in case of adverse weather. If using your own auto, provide regular maintenance as recommended in the owner’s manual. If you have an older vehicle or limited back-up, you might want to consider membership in a roadside assistance plan. While this may not seem like the time to take on new expenses, the cost of a roadside assistance plan is less than the cost of calling a wrecker out to jump your battery or pull you from a ditch or snowdrift just once. Take a critical look at your driving habits. Limiting aggressive driving saves fuel. The amount of fuel savings you can realize by not speeding along with the amount saved by reducing your need to break and accelerate abruptly can make up for the additional fuel costs involved in warming and operating automobiles in the winter. Limiting aggressive driving is also safer on icy and snow covered roads.
Consider changes to the management of the household. If you have been taking advantage of the bounty from your own garden or a farmer’s market, returning to reliance on a commercial market will probably increase your food bill. This is an excellent time of year to look to stretching your food dollar by cooking with foods that are in season. They will be at their most affordable and freshest. There are several resources available on the web that have great cook at home recipes that are in season such as http://www.foodnetwork.com/in-season-now/index.html or budget stretching such as http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Cooking-on-a-Budget-Fall-Edition/Detail.aspx. Another high impact item for the fall and winter is energy usage. Think layers! It is estimated that 50% of home energy usage is directly attributable to heating and cooling. In the winter, every degree above 70 degrees on the thermostat for your central heating system will cause an increase in heating costs between 7% and 10%. So a thermostat set at 75 degrees will result in a heating bill that is 47% higher than it needed to be. A thermostat setting between 68 degrees and 70 degrees is ideal. At night or when you are out of the home try to reduce the setting to between 60 to 65 degrees. Change your furnace filter. A clogged filter makes your furnace work harder to distribute warm air. Don’t forget to check the thermostat on your water heater. Not only will reducing the setting to 120 degrees save you 3% to 5% on your energy costs, it will also decreases the chances of being scalded and reduces corrosion in the heater and pipes.
Take a look at your budget. This may sound like a broken record but a budget should be a living thing. You should monitor it frequently so that you can adjust to the changes in demands on your resources that occur as the year rolls around. As always, take an impartial as possible look at where your money is actually going compared to what was projected. Review your actual expenditures with an eye to whether they are true “needs” or just “wants”. There is nothing wrong with the occasional “want” but at this preliminary step it’s important to make certain al the “needs” are covered with the newly reassessed amounts. Make adjustments as necessary.