Jasonwoodhead23/flickr

By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.

Per Southern California Gas Company, home heating is 65% of a residential gas bill during the winter months. (That’s what it said in my bill insert this month.) Wow! If that is true in Southern California, what is it in actual cold parts of the country?

With so much of your utility budget going toward keeping your home warm, anything that you can do to retain heat in your home or keep the heat from leaving is a money saver. Here are 5 tips that will help you to lower your heating bill:

1. Open your drapes when the sun is shining into the window. This allows the sun to heat your home. Close your drapes (the heavier the better) when the sun is not shining in the window. This will help to hold the heat in the space and keep it from literally going out the window. Follow the tips in the winterize your home video to keep those windows from being drafty.
2. Clean or replace the filters in your heating system. Ensure you do not have furniture or storage in front of your heating vents, especially if you have floor vents. Remember heat rises and it can’t rise if it is covered by your sofa.
3. Get an annual inspection for your furnace.  Yes, heating systems need to be maintained just like your air conditioner. An annual servicing of your furnace can not only save you money but it can also prevent a fire by cleaning out lint build-up and ensuring that your system is operating properly and efficiently. Per the Chicago Tribune, if your system is only 60% efficient, then that means that you are loosing 40 cents on every dollar!
4. If your health will allow, wear more clothes and lower the temperature a few degrees. Place lap rugs around your house so that you can place one over your legs or over your shoulders to keep you warm. If you are in Southern California… it’s time to take off the flip-flops and put on socks and shoes.
5. Wear a hat.  Remember how Scrooge had on a sleeping cap when he went to bed in every version of Charles Dicken’s Christmas classic? Scrooge was saving money by not heating his house. So, he wore a hat to keep him warm. You don’t have to be Scrooge to wear a comfy sleeping night cap. They really do keep you warm.

Hummm. All this writing about the cold is making me want a nice mug of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows. Another great way to keep warm.

• Get the property valued – If you’re serious about a property, it pays to have it independently valued and assessed. This will give you an idea of whether the property is reasonably priced and whether renovations need to be made.

• View the property on multiple occasions – Make sure you view the property on multiple occasions so you’ll have a greater understanding of the property and its surroundings, such as noise from street traffic and overhead aircraft, the volume of traffic at varying times of the day, availability of street parking and how much natural light is in the home.

• Double check the brochure info – Even if it seems right, double check what the real estate brochure states. They are after all, trying to sell you a property. Check for yourself how long it takes to walk to the train station and how far it is to local shops.

• Grants and concessions – In most countries, there are a number of grants and concessions available to different groups funded by individual states or counties, so look into whether there is a grant that applies to you.

• Home loan comparison charts – With so many banks and lenders offering different mortgages, take advantage of home loan comparison charts and home loan health checkers to see whether there are any other home loans better suited to you. It also makes sense to explore whether the option to refinance is a possibility for you.

If you’re in the market for a new property, take note of these few simple tips so you can stay ahead of the game and save money on your mortgage.

This is paid content. Interested in a sponsored giveaway? See our blog advertising page.

Assemble wine corks into a bath mat. Credit: dawgbyte77/Flickr

Just flipped through the summer 2011 issue of FreshHOME, a mag that is a cross between Real Simple and Better Homes & Gardens. Unlike some magazines (ahem, Dwell), the projects in FreshHOME seem doable. I summarized two easy home redecorating projects that caught my eye.

Wine cork bath mat

Start collecting wine corks or head to your a nearby wine bar, restaurant, or vineyard to ask if they have extras. Once you have about

500, pick up a shadow box from a craft or frame store and snuggle in the corks tightly. If the shadow box is too deep, line the box with layers of cork shelf liner so that the tops of the corks meet the top of the box.

Patron tequila oil lantern

Tequila lovers no doubt have a bottle of Patron in their liquor cabinet. When finished boozing it up, turn the bottle into an outdoor oil lantern by threading a 3/4-inch fiberglass wick through the top until it rests on the bottom of the bottle. Fit a 1.5-inch metal washer over the wick so the washer rests on the bottle’s top. Trim wick to 1/2-inch, remove and fill bottle with lamp oil. Replace wick with washer and light once wick has soaked up oil. Keep wick about 1/2-inch above the washer for safety.

For more projects like this, put “UpCycling,” by Danny Seo, on your wishlist. His book comes out in September.

Expect a post soon about ways to save money on kitchen renovation! I’ve accumulated a lot of tips.

See you Monday.

~Julia

aka Bargain Babe

SCA Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget/Flickr

Angela shared a tip for a site where she found good prices on home care items. She writes:

As I’ve become an expert on incontinence items since my grandma’s stroke, I wanted to pass along a great website I found where consumers can find all different kinds of incontinence items at reasonable prices. It’s called www.wellspringdirect.com. They also offer free shipping on orders over $50.

I’ve not used this site but wanted to pass along Angela’s experience. Got a money-saving tip? Email me your story.

brownpau/Flickr

This question was brought to you by Online Boilers – the UK’s favourite boilers website. Specialists in combi boilers and gas boilers. Online Boilers often give their customers a discount on their appliances but you need to ring them and it takes a bit of haggling!

Reader gpjandra needs advice on where she can find discounted appliances.

What sites are available to search for bargains or discounts on appliances like stove/oven, refrigerator, washer and dryer, microwave, dishwasher, etc…? Thank you for your help as we are furnishing our first home. Need help in finding affordable, yet new appliances.

If you are tied to buying new appliances, you are more limited than if you’re open to buying used. I’d look out for sales at the hardware stores, and approach local hardware stores about price matching. You never know when someone might be able to make you a deal. You can often get 10% off for opening a new credit line, or may be able to approach a manager about a discount for paying in cash or buying in bulk (if you purchase multiple appliances from one store). Also look for steep discounts on floor models, which may have scratches or other minor blemishes.

Got advice for gpjandra? Got a question about saving money? Email me.

tobyleah/Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Ever since I can remember my mother has saved money on laundry by drying our clothes on clotheslines, which are making a comeback among people who want to be green. Once strung up, these simple and electricity-free devices are not always welcomed.

A couple days ago, I read a story from NPR of a New Hampshire activist fighting for his right to use a clothesline. A Google search quickly revealed an array of similar stories. It seems that many communities do not want to see clotheslines in their neighborhoods because they consider them an eyesore. I understand that many do not want to see their neighbor’s skivvies hanging out to dry, but there are ways to be discreet. I use the shower rod instead of leaving my damp clothes outside. You can also get a low-cost drying rack that folds up into tight spaces.

To someone who grew up with clotheslines it is difficult to understand what the big deal is all about. An opponent of clotheslines is quoted in a story from the Richmond Times-Dispatch as saying that clotheslines give an atmosphere of decline and a sense that one is not in a well-off neighborhood.

It maybe the nostalgia in me speaking, but I do not see how a clothesline makes a neighborhood’s status change. Electricity is one of the biggest home expenses that can easily be subsided with a rope and clothes pins, so why not use it?

thebittenword.com/Flickr

Get a free one-night movie rental using this Blockbuster Express coupon code. Or you can rent two movies and get a third rental free using this Blockbuster express coupon code.

Request a free food sample of BetterOats oatmeal. For a limited time only!

Sign up for a do-it-herself workshop at Home Depot on April 15 and you’ll go home with tips on interior painting from the folks at Martha Stewart Living.

Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog.

meddygarnet/Flickr

There was a cool story about doing home improvement on your own versus hiring someone in the latest Real Simple (April). The story was strangely skewed toward hiring someone to do the job, however, and missed the benefits of doing projects yourself.

First, the story says, consider three factors before making a decision.

1. Peer pressure. Whatever your family and friends do, you are more likely to do. So if everyone you know colors their hair at home, you will feel pressure to eschew the salon. Similarly, if your family has always hired contractors instead of doing it yourself (DIY), you’ll probably hire, too. Follow your gut and make the decision that is right for you, regardless.

2. Your positive attitude. People assume their DIY project will go well but often underestimate the time and skill it takes.

3. Your perspective on your free time. People believe they have more time than they really do. (What??? I don’t know anyone whose schedule isn’t jam packed.) We have a hard time measuring time and “are willing to take more risks with it” than we are with money, the story says.

Then Real Simple suggests you answer four questions. Can I realistically pull this project off? (i.e. learn the required skills?) What kind of time commitment is really involved? (Double estimates from a contractor.) How much will this task cost to complete myself? (Supplies + calculate your hourly rate.) And lastly, how much will I really enjoy the process?

I wager that doing home improvement projects yourself (which is a lot like growing your own food) has many benefits that the story missed…

1. The enjoyment of learning how to do something challenging that you didn’t think you were capable of.

2. The money saved over time from learning new skills. Snake a toilet once, and you’ll never fork over $200 to a plumber again.

3. The confidence from pulling a project off. What an accomplishment!

An important part of the DIY v. hire debate is determining how much your time is worth. See the post below to calculate your hourly rate!

Have you ever wondered about the best place to start saving money? The answer might be closer than you think: your home. WhiteFence.com is a fantastic shopping site that helps you find great deals on the home services that you pay monthly for.  From home phone, TV and your electric bill to natural gas and high-speed Internet, you can find every connection you need all in one spot.

Saving money with WhiteFence.com is easy. As a shopper, just enter your address into the search engine, and within a few minutes you can browse all of the choices available for where you live. The information is laid out in a way that is easy to use, so you can quickly compare prices and categories to see where you can find the best deals.  In fact, WhiteFence.com is currently offering up to $200 in gift cards when you order bundles from providers like AT&T and Verizon. When’s the last time you got paid to shop?

The best part of all of this is that using WhiteFence.com is free and requires no registration beforehand. You can even order all of the services straight from the site, rather than having to go individually to each provider to set up your connections. WhiteFence.com works with providers to set up your orders quick and painless, which we all know is welcome after years of dealing with utility companies.

To start saving time and money for your home services, visit WhiteFence.com today!

This is paid content. Want to take out an ad? Read my advertise page.

Two months ago I decided to make my own curtains as part of a project to re-decorate my bedroom. When a coupon for 50 percent off at Jo-Anns fabric store landed in my inbox, I was raring to go. I even had a few dollars on a gift card to apply.

I arrived at the store and was delighted to see nearly everything was on sale by 40 – 50 percent off. I could save my coupon for a regular-priced bolt of material and get other items at a steep discount, too.

I carefully searched the aisles of fabric for the perfect material and discovered wonderful terry cloth for towels that you can buy at a fraction of what the finished product costs at Macy’s or Target. Bath sheets for $5.99 a yard? Sign me up! I also spotted fuzzy flannel for $4.99 a yard. New sheets in no time!

Then I came upon the most steeply marked down fabrics in the store: the discount rack. Some of the material was down right fugly, other pieces were damaged. One bolt was irresistible. For $12.50 (orig. $24.99), I could buy one yard of heaven – a cream-colored piece of suede-lined, fuzzy sherpa goodness. My plan was to turn the material into two pillow coverings. (Pillow insides were 50 percent off, sealing the deal).  

I purchased the sherpa material along with 11 yards of brown suede (40 percent off) to make curtains. I ran out of brown thread shortly after starting the curtains so I turned my attention to the pillows. I made as few cuts as possible (reducing my chances of error) and got to work sewing a cozy three-sided enclosure for my pillow, top. On the fourth side I sewed on three buttons, above right (simpler than a zipper, I reasoned).

The material was difficult to work with because it is very thick and the fuzz got caught in the string many times. I didn’t run out of thread, but I did run out of time so the project stretched from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. Overall I spent $25.50 (and forgot to use my gift card ) to buy two pillows and the pillow cover material. I devoted five hours over three days to completing one pillow.

A waste of time? Me thinks not. The process was very entertaining and I renewed my appreciation for sewers, quilters, and knitters. As for making towels and sheets? I may just wait for a great sale at Target.

Sewing lessons:

• Measure thrice, cut once
• If you don’t have pins to hold material in place, needles will do
• You can undo a lot of stitches, but it’s a total pain in the a**
• Sewing straight lines is actually very difficult
• Lumps mean it was made with love

soapylovedeb/Flickr

I have an intense itch to make my own soap, partly because my past attempts to clean with vinegar and baking soda were so successful. If I can make my own cleaning products for less that work, why not?

My sister used to own a soap business so I know making bar soap is a huge ordeal that involved vats of olive oil and lye, a dangerous chemical.

But there is another option. Laundry detergent, which I am also low on. My friend Matt Jabs of FiveCentNickel made his own laundry detergent and reports “I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW INCREDIBLY FAST & EASY IT WAS.” (His caps, not mine.)

Matt’s recipe calls for 55 ounce box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, a 76 ounce box of 20 Mule Team Borax, and 10 pack of 4.5 ounce bars of Ivory Bar Soap (or another cheap bar soap.)

I plan to add a few drops of essential lavender oils to give my clothes a nice scent. I hope to pick up these ingredients later this week and will let you know how my first soap-making adventure goes!

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UPDATE: Reader Pauline recommends an alternative to Ivory:

The best soap to use is Fels Naphta, a bit more expensive but worth it. Where does Matt purchase the Washing Soda? Thanks

Rabbi Wendy has a great tip for home made cleaners.

The most amazing and effective book of recipes for household products is “Clean House, Clean Planet” by Karen Logan. It is still in print, with plenty of copies on Amazon. The recipe for spray cleaner on page 85 is the best spray cleaner I’ve ever used, hands down. Logan is so thorough in her explanations. She even sells bottles for the finished products. It’s a fun read, even if you don’t make any of the cleaning products. Check it out!

I went ahead and checked Amazon, which has Clean House, Clean Planet for $10.76 (orig. $15). I might buy it if my library does not have it.

SECOND UPDATE: Susan warns:

I made this detergent a few months ago, a word of caution, my dark purple towels faded a little using it. I now use it for whites and light colors but not black or really dark colors. Also the arm and hammer super washing soda is sold at Albertson’s. It is the only place around the valley I could find it.

EmergencyCafe.com

Months ago I decided to compile my own emergency supply medical kit because I thought it would be cheaper than buying a pre-made kit. Guess what? I still don’t have one. Now I wish I had just bought one because I’m still not prepared.

Emergencycafe.com is one place to buy an emergency kit. Owner Cari emailed me and offered a special 10 percent off discount just for BargainBabe.com readers that is good through March 31, 2010. Use code BB10. First aid kits start at $5 and a one-person emergency kits is $65. Cari also sells bigger kits for families and huge kits for the workplace. There’s also random stuff like a fire ladder, hand crank radio, and glow sticks.

Cari’s site has a checklist of what to put in your disaster kit and she shared 13 tips in case of an emergency.

1. Remain calm.

2. Have an emergency kit that includes food, water, first aid, search and rescue equipment, lighting, comfort and sanitation products to sustain each person for at least 3 days.

3. Keep all your important documents such as insurance (including medical, home and car), birth certificates, doctor’s name, medical records and passport in one place for easy access.

4. Keep cash on hand in small bills.

5. Make an evacuation plan with your family.  Discuss it and practice it once every 6 months to a year.

6. Never hang anything over a baby’s crib.

7. Have an emergency kit in your car.

8. If you feel an earthquake starting and you are in your house, get over in the corner of the room away from windows, large mirrors and shelves.

9. The recommended amount of water you should keep on hand is one gallon, per person, per day.

10. It is important to know where your home’s shut off valves are for your gas and water.  Know how to turn the gas and water off at your home. Keep a gas shut off tool next to your gas line.

11. Know the evacuation plan at your child’s school.

12. Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1, police or fire department and which radio station to tune to for emergency information.

13. To sterilize water, bring to a rapid boil for 5 – 10 minutes.  Let cool.

You can buy some of these supplies at the 99 Cents Only Store, which featured flashlights, batteries, hand sanitizer, and rubbing alcohol in a recent ad.

Here’s a Walgreens photo discount for 40 percent off through Feb. 6, 2010. Not bad! 

Donate a gently used blanket and get a Sears coupon for 10-20 percent off!

A new month means online coupon sites are re-stocking their supplies.

Freebies!

Get free business cards, mugs, or address labels through Vista Print. You pay for shipping, however.

Snag a free sample of emergency food when you sign up for Prepare then Share’s e-newsletter.

Get a free Pampers Cruisers diapers when you sign up an e-newsletter from P&G, which makes Pampers products.

Denny’s is giving away free grandslam breakfasts (like they did last year) on Feb. 9 from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you watch the Superbowl, you’ll see their commercial announcing the giveaway.

Check out all the coupons and freebies on my WalletPop blog.

Buy a sandwich and a soda at Subway and get another sandwich free when you build a sandwich.

Check it! Get 20 percent off your entire purchase at Ulta Beauty online with a coupon code here.

You can get a free lightbulb from Target when you print these coupons.

Did you know Target has a trade-in program for iPods, iPhones, and lots of other gadgets? When I compared the value of my ancient iPod to other sites, Target came out ahead.

Now through Jan. 31 get 15 percent off your order of Ghirardelli Chocolate. How sweet!

For more deals check out my WalletPop blog. Thanks!