We had a day last week where we topped 80 degrees and set a record, so small wonder I never thought winter would actually get here.

But we've had our first good freeze and it looks like that'll be a weekly thing from here on out (assuming we don't get multiples every week), so it's time to winterize the house.

In honor of Southwestern Bell and AT&T getting back together, here's how to do your own phone wiring.

I just finished reading The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach. It's a good book. It promises to turn just about anyone into a millionaire in one easy step--if you do it right, you can make one phone call, do nothing else, and retire a millionaire.

I recommend the book.

I haven't written about being a tightwad in a while. Not to worry, I'm still a big cheapskate--every dollar I save has a cascading effect. Remember, paying just an extra $10 a month on your mortgage is enough to shave a full month off the back end.

So let's talk about coupons.

My local paper ran a story this week about E85, which is a gasoline/ethanol blend that's 85 percent ethanol.

The good news is, your vehicle may be E85 compatible without you knowing it.

Early in The Millionaire Next Door, Danko and Stanley single out the Scottish. When my wife, Emily, read it, she said, "That explains everything about you!"

When I read it, I thought it explained everything about my two grandfathers--one was rich, one was poor, both were Scottish, and both spent their money pretty much the same way.

I've been reading a lot of these kinds of books because I'm not going to let what happened to us back in May ever happen again.

I've long used the technique of saving pocket change to pay for stuff I want, but don't really need. The problem has been turning that big pile of change into a form that merchants will accept.

The problem with the Coinstar machines in the supermarket is that they take a cut, sometimes as high as 10 percent.

The boss, er, fiancee, is redecorating. Among the casualties: the curtains that came with the house when I bought it. Along with them, the curtain rods are going, since the new curtains don't fit on the old rods.

New curtain rods cost $25 or more. Here's how I made one for her for around $10.

I saw a link today called "Gas Stations Hate Us." It promised money-saving tips. I clicked on it, of course. It had some advice I hadn't heard anywhere before, like a good credit card for gas rebates, and to fill up in the morning because when it's cooler, you get more gas per gallon.

It also had some advice on vehicles--it pushed the Toyota Prius, for instance. But it missed something obvious.

Back in December, I warned against paying anyone $35 for lists of survey sites.

If I was convinced then it was a bad idea, I'm even more convinced now.