How to winterize your home on a budget

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- This temperature drop means it's time to winterize your home. Keeping out the cold can be costly, so we stopped by Fresno Ag Hardware to learn how you can winterize your home without dishing out a lot of cash.

Step one, wrap up those air conditioning vents and turbines.

"Cover those up because they're going to allow the cold air to seep in through the vents they pull the air in from," said Store Manager Ian Williams.

If your home has single-pane windows, consider purchasing an insulation kit. They're inexpensive and you can use a hairdryer or heat gun to apply the material. Another good investment is a caulking gun.

"You're looking for cracks in between door frames and window frames and you're just going to want to fill them in with a nice bead of caulking," added Williams. That's going to keep the cold air from getting into your house and the hot air from leaving."

Door seals and jams are always effective purchases to keep the cold out or if you're on a budget, a towel can also do the trick and, something you might not have thought of is a faucet protector.

Protecting your plants is just as easy. You can purchase shrub covers or seed blankets or simply use a sheet to save money. If you're worried about your citrus plants freezing, here's a way to put your old C9 Christmas lights to use, hang them up on your citrus trees.

"Each little bulb gives off just a little bit of heat and just that little bit of heat will keep your tree from freezing over, so you can get into the holiday spirit, it looks good but you're also doing yourself a benefit," added Williams.

Most of these items range from $15-$20. Experts say you can winterize your whole house for under $50.