It's been a record-setting season of low sales and high discounts, and there stands to be even more now that Christmas Day has passed. These guidelines can help you navigate retailers for continued deals and many happy returns.

Returning gifts

• Whether you're the gifter or the giftee, make sure understand the retailer's return policy. According to the National Retail Federation, more than half of retailers' return policies will be more lenient during the holiday season, but that doesn't mean you won't hit a snag here and there. Some of those big pre-Christmas discount offers may have strings attached such as limited or no returns, or exchanges or store credit in lieu of refunds.
• If you receive a gift in the wrong size, style or color, don't open the product packaging or remove tags. The item will be difficult if not impossible to return, and may be subject to a restocking fee if accepted by the store.
• Be sure to save receipts, whether for the original purchase or enclosed as gift receipts. This'll ensure that you receive the full purchase value for an item in your refund, exchange or store credit transaction. Receipts also contain return policies and deadlines important for your planning.
• Make online returns easy by knowing the process and who (you or the retailer) foots the return shipping bill. Most online retailers with brick-and-mortar shops will allow in-store returns of shipped goods.

Deck the halls with twinkling cheer using the latest in energy-efficient lighting products and you'll trim down your electric bill. The variety and versatility of LED and fiber-optic options are better than ever before, keeping valuable dollars in your holiday budget as they provide longer-lasting light while reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

LED Magic: LED (light-emitting diode) illumination has come a long way since its early, somewhat-dim days, and now tends to shine brighter and longer than traditional options. LEDs convert energy into light rather than heat, with each light in a system using only .04 watts for up to 90 percent efficiency over old-school incandescents. Wondering how this translates to your personal energy savings? According to the Alliance to Save Energy, a household burning 10 strands of holiday lights with 100 lights per strand, eight hours a day for a month, would spend around $175 a month for large incandescents, about $11 a month for traditional mini-lights, and just over $1 for LEDs (based on a local energy cost of $0.1003 per kilowatt-hour).

In other advantages, LED lights contain no mercury or other toxins, and the sturdy epoxy bulbs can last more than 50,000 hours, barely warming up and reducing fire concerns in the process. What's more, if one light in an LED string goes out, it won't dim the rest of a holiday display. Shop your favorite home center or discount store for strings in a range of shapes and colors, rope lighting, spotlights, trees, wreaths and lawn displays.

With holiday forests popping up all over town and cut-your-own Christmas tree growers opening their ranches for business, it's time to plan your tannenbaum selection strategy.

Here's how to get your money's worth with a tree that stays fresh, green and festive throughout the season's celebrations.

• Before you shop: Settle on a location for your tree and measure both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the space. While highly visible pride of place is a given, the tree is best located away from heat sources and shouldn't block entrances or routine household traffic.
• At the lot or farm: Always shop with an eye for freshness. Buying from a cut-your-own tree farm is the best assurance of an ultra-fresh product, but there are plenty of great candidates available at neighborhood lots, too. Do a freshness test by sharply bending a few of a tree's needles with your fingers: except in super-fibrous pine varieties, fresh, green needles will break crisply just like a fresh carrot. Some dry interior needles are natural, but take a pass on any tree that has excessive needle loss and foliage discoloration, wrinkled bark or a musty odor. If you're still in doubt and can't pin down the vendor as to the tree's arrival date, move on to another lot.
• Making your tree at home: Whether you'll be putting it up immediately or taking a few days' break before decorating, give your tree a trunk trim and a generous drink of water. For outdoor storage, choose a shady, sheltered spot, and before placing the tree in a bucket of water, make a straight cut half an inch from the bottom of its trunk to aid moisture absorption. The tree's first 24 hours at your home are its thirstiest, so keep an eye on the water level.

A foreclosed property may appear to be a hot deal, but beware if you're bargain shopping. Foreclosed homes often come with a variety of repair and financial issues that can add up to major expenses.

Before starting your property search, make sure you know exactly how much home you can afford and your financial tolerance for the seasonal surprises of homeownership, and have an eye out for the following five foreclosure flaws.

1. Hidden debt. A foreclosure wipes out the prior owner's private debt, but there can also be public debt against a property, like real estate tax or income tax. Before making an offer, do a thorough title search to uncover past problems that could become future obstacles.

What's old is new once again as USA Today reports that more and more consumers will turn to firewood to heat their homes this winter. While the costs of heating oil and gas have gone down, the popularity of stoking a wood fire seems to be at an all time high.

According to the report, Leslie Wheeler, spokeswoman for the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, said shipments of wood stoves and fireplace inserts were up 54% in the first six months of this year compared with the same period last year. While final figures weren't available, the group's analysis of recent sales showed that demand remains high.

Reality check
Like a lot of things in life, the idea of a fireplace can be warmer than the reality, but hey, we're all suckers for crackling logs when the whole family is huddled under blankets during the holidays watching the umpteenth airing of It's a Wonderful Life. Homes with a fireplace also often command a higher resale value.

"Double time and a half" are five words you don't ever want to hear when it comes to hiring a pro to solve a home emergency. But stress out your plumbing system on a holiday and that might be what you are up against when it comes to hiring a plumber to get your system back in working order.

Tis' the season for holiday parties, out-of-town visitors, and, often, household plumbing emergencies. Busy kitchens mean more grease and food waste to drag down the kitchen drain and disposer, and house guests equal extra showers, baths and toilet flushes that can strain systems that are already partially clogged.

This makes for a busy season for plumbing pros. Roto-Rooter reports that on the day after Christmas alone, their business can jump up to anywhere between 20% and 40% over a normal day. But by taking a few precautions, homeowners can avoid stop-ups and visits from their local plumber:

Holidays are just around the corner and if there's one appliance that'd better be ready for the onslaught it's the toilet. While many household fixtures require repair or replacement, one that's getting renewed attention thanks to the collective green-living consciousness is the toilet. If yours is a water hog, it's a good time to think about getting a new one.

Years ago, if a plumber told you that your family's hardest working appliance needed to be replaced, you'd have had a right to be skeptical. Historically been darn near impossible for a toilet to actually break, thanks to the typically tough vitreous china and straightforward construction with replaceable moving parts.

But today, water consumption is the big issue, and if any of your home's toilets date to 1994 or earlier, you stand to save a lot of money by switching them out for the current generation of high-efficiency toilets (HETs). Worlds apart from the low-flow models that debuted in the early 1990s, WaterSense-labeled HETs provide dependable performance on 1.28 gallons of water or less per flush.

According to the EPA, a family of four that replaces higher-flow toilets with HETs stands to save an average of more than $90 per year on water bills and as much as $2,000 over the lifetime of the HETs themselves. What's more, many local utilities offer special rebates and vouchers to residents ready to make this water-saving investment.

A wide variety of HET styles and price points make it easy to find the right fit for your household, with one- and two-piece design and such features as right-height sizing and elongated bowls. To learn more about HET advantages and browse product information, visit the EPA's WaterSense website.

Tom Kraeutler is the Home Improvement Editor for AOL and co-author of My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure. Tom helps listeners prevent plumbing problems each week as host of The Money Pit, a nationally syndicated home improvement radio program.

With the holiday season just days away, your range is about to get its heaviest workout of the year. Before the holiday hoards arrive, here are five fix-ups to make sure it is in tip top shape:

• Check Temperature - "If you're wondering why your oven-baked culinary masterpieces don't come out right every time, don't blame the chef, blame the oven!" says Chris Hall, president of RepairClinic.com. "All too often, home chefs will find out that their oven is not reaching and maintaining the temperature they've set, which means their recipes simply won't turn out right." If you suspect your oven is not keeping the right temperature, first verify that the oven's built-in thermostat is working properly. This is easily accomplished with a separate oven thermometer. Set the oven temperature and then compare the temperature of the thermometer. To get an accurate reading, let the oven cycle on and off at least three times, which takes at least 20 minutes.
• Inspect Gaskets - The oven door has a gasket to keep heat inside the oven. Over time, these gaskets can become torn or deformed and this will allow heat to escape. Inspect gaskets to ensure they are in good condition and replace them as necessary.
• Help Hinges - If an oven door does not close properly, heat can escape. Make sure the door closes tightly and evenly. If it doesn't, check for broken or bent door hinges or door springs, which should be replaced.
• Test Timer - There's a tricky timer issue that has confused even the best of cooks. Many mechanical clocks and timers on ovens (those without digital LED displays) have a setting called "cook and hold." If the clock is accidentally set to this position, the oven may not work at all until it is set back to normal. Consult the instruction manual to set the clock or timer correctly.
• Don't Clean - If your oven is self-cleaning and you run the cycle the night before your festivities, you might find your oven has self-destructed. The self-cleaning cycle puts an oven though major stress. If it's going to break down, it'll happen then, and probably at the exact moment you planned to bake the holiday bird. Better to skip cleaning the oven or to do so a few days before you really need it so repairs can be made.

Tom Kraeutler is the Home Improvement Editor for AOL and co-author of My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure. He delivers expert home improvement tips each week as host of The Money Pit, a nationally syndicated home improvement radio program.

Amidst the doom and gloom of the economy, there comes, occasionally, a glimmer of hope in the way of a bargain about to happen. According to the latest info from the Department of Energy (DOE), that bargain will come in the cost of heating your home this winter.

In a report released this week, DOE's Energy Information Administration said heating oil prices are projected to average $2.75 per gallon, a reduction of about 17% from the 2007-2008 heating season. Propane prices are projected to average $2.22 this winter, a decrease of 10% from last winter. And natural gas prices are projected to average $13.02 per thousand cubic feet, a slight increase of 2% from last winter.

Bottom line, it's looking like heating your house this winter is going to be close to an all time bargain.

With winter on the way, it's a good time to check your home's exterior and prepare for a secure season indoors. Unfortunately, it's also a season when wily construction con artists come out of the woodwork to play into your deepest, darkest fears with tales of damaging doom that can cost you a bundle.

Hearing you have a faulty roof over your head, or experiencing a flooded basement that might cause toxic mold to grow wildly in your house can indeed be a big worry, but beware of the source. High-pressure, high-panic pitches that evolve from unsolicited calls or scheduled visits by service people all have the same target: your wallet.

Here are four fall rip-offs to watch out for:

• Roofing Rip-offs: Roof leaks seldom require complete roof replacement. Despite this, roofers hired to fix the roof too often use the opportunity to turn a minor repair into a major replacement project. Real pros will provide a thorough assessment of repair needs, an appropriate recommendation for work to be done, and a detailed estimate for your review and approval.
• Chimney Sweep Scams: Between the limited equipment needed to do the job and the very real dangers of chimney neglect, it's unfortunately pretty easy for unscrupulous chimney-cleaning contractors to stay in business. They'll typically launch into the standard, reasonably priced annual inspection and cleaning and then "discover" that your chimney desperately needs a new liner or other major safety fix, projects that end up lining their own pockets with thousands of dollars. To avoid these panic peddlers, start out by hiring a highly recommended, experienced sweep certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). If you cross paths with one who isn't, forgo any recommended repairs until an unbiased expert such as a professional home inspector can make their own assessment.

Ah the humble toilet. We mindlessly rely on its function several times a day -- until it stops working or unless we can't find one, which is now the topic of an international symposium.

The 8th annual World Toilet Summit (who knew?) opened Tuesday in Macau, and promises to tackle the sanitation challenges of the world. The meeting will address how to provide affordable, environmentally-friendly and basic access to sanitation for the estimated 2.5 billion people in the world who still do not have access to a hygienic toilet.

While a toilet summit sounds like a punch line (more on that later), health and hygiene are serious issues in developing countries, while water efficiency and clean complete flushing are issues for homeowners and building managers here in the U.S. and other developed countries.