Have you started your winter prep yet?  I know, I know, it’s still the beginning of July, but that doesn’t mean it is too early to get a good start on saving your family money for when the cold weather comes.

Here are 5 things you should do now to save this winter:

1. Get your car serviced.  Now is a great time to take your car in and have it serviced and get it all prepped to go for wintertime and more.  Check your batteries, do a tune up and make sure your tires are at a safe level to get you through the next couple of seasons.  This is also a great time to look for deals on winter tires and tire chains.
2. Buy your winter clothes.  If you are lucky, you may still find some winter or warmer spring-type clothes on clearance since it is summer and back to school shopping time.  The best time to find deals on clothes is off-season, so you may be surprised by what you can find.
3. Winterize your windows.  By winterize your windows I mean to put up the seal strips and calking.  I don’t necessarily think you should start adding that plastic yet, but the seal strips are great because they also prevent hot air from getting in during the summer.
4. Have an energy audit done.  Call your local electric company and have an energy audit done of your home.  This way you will know exactly what changes you need to make before winter arrives and, if there are any changes that require a decent amount of money, now at least you have more time to save up for it.

Have your furnace serviced.  Heating and air conditioning companies are often really busy as soon as the weather freezes, jump ahead of the game and call them up right now to have your furnace serviced so yours is more likely to last through the winter.