It's never good to hear your home's pricey heat could be escaping through cracks and crevasses, walls and windows.

"Ninety percent of home inside Lansing have these types of windows," says Bob Plunkett, pointing to the typical one-paned basement window. "They leak, air comes through..."

Plunkett, who works at Urban Options, took us around an East Lansing house to show us how easy it is to "winterize" your home. Easy-- and inexpensive.

"Pay special attention to the doors," he urges. If the rubber seals that line your doors are peeling off, cold air is getting into your house-- and hot air is escaping out. "It only costs $1.95 to get it repaired," Plunkett says.

Plunkett also says to buy a roll of padded insulation and stuff little pieces in between the basement ceiling and first floor. Just that little move will save you money.

To keep your heat up and costs down, seal everything, including electrical outlets (use those plugs meant to keep children's fingers out of the holes) and your fireplace flue. A $10 flue balloon will keep the air from getting in the house, but only use it if you're not using your fireplace.

Double-paned windows will keep things warmer too.

And if your windows seem drafty, "They sell rope caulk, real cheap, put some in, it stops all the air from coming in there," Plunkett says.

Don't forget to come outside and check your windows and doors for little holes or cracks that could be letting the hot air out. Buy caulk and a caulk gun-- they only cost a combined total of about $5-- and fill in those holes.

"These are really easy fixes, really cheap fixes, and your imagination can do a lot of things," Plunkett adds.

How bout feng shui for the frugal?

"Move your furniture around," he says. "Get it off from cold air ducts, move it around in winter time."

That's because if you feel warmer, you're less likely to hike up your heat.

If homeowner Richard Laurence takes all of Plunkett's winterizing advice, including installing a new furnace, "He's going to save $18,000 over eight to 10 years," Plunkett says.

Laurence is shocked.

"That's more than half of what I paid for this house when I bought it!" Laurence says.

Hard to believe-- but true-- you can save even as prices soar.