Prepare your home to keep it warm

High oil prices won't hit consumers at just gas pumps this year. As the weather gets colder, we'll probably feel the pinch in home heating bills as well.

Costs for heating oil, propane and natural gas are expected to rise across the nation, even in areas where fuel demands are lower.

Start preparing your home for the colder months now.

Adjust your water heater, advises the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Turn down the temperature to the warm setting -- about 120 degrees. Buy an insulating blanket for your water heater to prevent heat from escaping.

Buy a programmable thermostat. Set it to automatically decrease and increase the temperature based on your schedule -- lower when you're at work and late at night, and higher for when you're up and about the house.

Replace your furnace's heating filters each fall.

Seal up air leaks in your house. Listen for windows and doors that whistle on windy days, and then plug the cracks with rope caulk or weather strips. Place towels or draft blockers at the bottom of doors.

Clear away furniture from heat vents and registers, advises USA Today. Make sure that hot air has an obstacle-free path to move through the house.

Talk to your utility company or your state's energy office about ways to adjust your bill. Either office may be able to schedule an energy audit so that you can find out whether your home can be more efficient. Your utility company may also offer alternate payment schedules to spread out the cost of high winter bills.

Visit the Administration for Children & Families, under the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, at www.acf.dhhs.gov. The administration offers a home energy-assistance program, including help with bills and weatherizing, for people on low or fixed incomes. Visit the site.

Change your habits to cut home heating bill

Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage, and so do cold weather and high heating bills. But with oil prices remaining high, warming your home this winter could be twice as costly.

As temperatures drop, make it a habit to be more energy-efficient. Here are a few suggestions:

Take advantage of heat from activities you already do, recommends TipKing.com, a Web site that offers money-saving tips for households. Cook meals to generate warmth. When you shower, leave the bathroom door open to spread hot steam throughout your home. Still, consider cutting your time in the shower by half.

Always wear socks at home, because your feet are very sensitive to cold. If you get chilly, put on a sweater or wrap yourself in a blanket before turning up the thermostat.

If you own a water bed, make your bed each morning, advises the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Covers keep heat in the bedding.

Keep your thermostat a few degrees lower than usual. You won't notice much change in your home's temperature, but you'll save on heating costs.

Lower the thermostat when you leave for work, or whenever you won't be home for a long period of time. (Be sure to keep it high enough to prevent pipes from freezing.)

Minimize your use of ventilation fans, including those in your bathroom and kitchen. They pull warm air out of a room very quickly.

Cover windows at night, advises USA Today. The heavier the window covering, the more you'll keep out cold air. Remember to uncover the windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home.

Wash clothes in cold water.

Marshall Loeb, former editor of Fortune, Money, and The Columbia Journalism Review, writes "Your Dollars" exclusively for CBS.MarketWatch.com.