Treat yourself to $500 this Halloween! + 5 Winter Tips

Win one of four grand-prize $500 shopping sprees at your local True Value or one of eight weekly drawings for a $50 shopping sprees!

All entrants need to do is text SWEEPS to 30364 by October 31^st for a chance to win! Once signed up, you'll receive a couple texts a month with specials/deals and sales information from True Value.

May we suggest some winter prep with your winnings? Here is a list free and cheap tricks to get you in gear for the cozy & cuddly months ahead!

MAHAH Five Ways to prep for Winter, on the cheap!

#1 A Window Insulation Kit:

A DIY project, that wont take long at all. How it works is the film adds an extra layer to keep the cold out and the warm in and vice versa. There are many brand name kits available, and the price is usually under $20 a kit (which covers 1-5 windows). Additional tools needed will most likely involve a hairdryer and a friend to help you out. With these few items you can get a transparent, shrink to fit, professional look in just a few hours.

Though a little investment is involved to get these up and rolling, it is said to expect up to $500 in saving a year in your heating bill. We learned our lesson last year ($1,500/mo heating bill anyone?!), and stocked up on these bad boys to save this year. 

#2 Check for air leaks: 

You may remember the post we made about the top 10 things to check when purchasing a home, this was on the list! If you were already a home owner, or didn't get to check, now it the time. Some caulking, tightening up screws on old windows, and repairing doors is best to do before Winter starts. Drafts can come from all sides of a window and door, so check them out! Many stores sell those under the door things, you slide in and out. This is by no means a permanent fix, but a temporary cheap solution. 

#3 Make sure your chimney is CLEAN!

True Value, and most hardware stores have creosote logs which you can burn before you start using your chimney. It's recommended to burn one log each season. It can be dangerous to not clear out your chute annually, so we highly recommend this cheap practice to keep you and your home safe!

#4 Designate an area in your entryway for your shoes:

From wood to carpet and everything in between, Winter can take a real beating on your floors. Here in New York they start throwing down salt early, and that could totally destroy our wood floors even though they are finished. Think about it; you carry in sand and little rocks all year long on the bottom of you feet, it make tiny scratches and marks, then winter comes and you bring in the salt and it goes into those cracks and make marks which are super hard to repair, and marks up carpet beyond repair. Simply place a basket, bin, or boot mat by the door you enter and exit from the most to remove your shoes everyday (not just snow days!) - and you will keep your floors in tip top shape. 

#5 Swap out your curtains:

You may have noticed we are focusing a lot on keeping the cold air out, and the warm air in. There are lots of little tips we read (like taking your electronics off their shelves and bringing them to open space, and popping heaters in every room - but who wants to destroy their decor to keep warm?), but all in all the simplest solution is the best in this case. Invest in winter curtains and swap them out when you are thinking it's time to turn on the heat. During the daylight keep them open and let the sun in, at night close them up for an extra layer of protection. Try to pick curtains that are thick, two ply, and create at least a small puddle on the floor. 

These are some quick tips we practice to help keep our heating bills under control. We hope to never have another four-figure bill, and wish the same for you as well!

Lets get legal: We were one of the 10 bloggers True Value has chosen to work on The Blog Squad , and we are way excited to take on the challenge of showing you exciting DIY projects.  They have compensated us for our time and writing, and provided materials for the projects we have worked on. However, our opinions are entirely our own and we have not been paid to publish positive comments. Did we mention we are excited to show you our DIY Blog Squad Projects?