Cooler temperatures mean many of us will soon be using our fireplaces as a source of heat to keep our house warm. Before Old Man Winter is here, take the time to do a visual inspection inside your fireplace. Use a bright flashlight and look up the fireplace from inside your house. Open and close the damper and make sure it works (and seals) properly. If it appears to be off when closed, it's like having a small window open all the time in your house, and that can be a huge waste of heat and energy. When it's open, look for animal nests or anything else that might be blocking the chimney. If you see anything at fault, have a professional come and inspect and repair before using it.

Many people who have gardens use the fall and winter months to shop seed catalogs and design and plan their spring gardens. When perusing seed catalogs, you may see many marked "non-GMO" seeds, which means they are not seeds from genetically modified plants. While this is good, the reality is catalogs for non-commercial gardeners do not sell GMO seeds to begin with, so there's no need to worry if seeds you want are not marked "non-GMO."

In the cold fall and winter months, your car's average miles per gallon can decrease as much as 22 percent. The reason? Colder air is denser, which adds drag, along with a bigger culprit: heat. All the energy used to warm the car plus the defrosters, heaters and seat warmers gobble up gas. To be more fuel-efficient, try to park your car where it's slightly warmer, like a covered garage. If you have a plug-in vehicle, while it's charging, turn on the seat warmers to pre-warm the car so it doesn't drain the battery. And the easiest tip? Remove roof racks: They increase wind resistance in any kind of weather.