[Melinda]

I’m looking for effective strategies to save money on home maintenance and repairs.

What are some practical tips or methods you use to reduce costs while keeping your home in good condition?

Any advice on DIY projects, preventive maintenance, or smart investments that can help avoid expensive repairs in the long run would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[Jackie]

Do planned maintenance so you don’t have emergency repairs and have a maintenance fund to pay for them.

A roof lasts 25 years so if you save $1000 yearly you’ll be covered when it needs replaced.

Same with car maintenance. Tires last x number of miles.

I need new tires at 3 years /$900 so I save $300 yearly to replace mine.

[Becky]

Use product manuals and the internet to educate yourself on how to do those things yourself.

There’s a lot you can do with just a few basic tools to save a ton of money instead of calling out for repairs.

[Tracy]

Don’t deal with home warranty. In our experience they use inferior contractors.

I won’t renew mine.

Have a savings account to pay for home repairs.

[Brian]

YouTube anything that you need done. There are how to videos for almost anything.

With the exact steps broken down, you can learn how to do so many things.

The labor is the most expensive.

That being said, know your limitations and don’t take on something you are not comfortable doing.

[Rissa]

We do most repairs ourselves. We always have. And if we don’t know, my dad usually does.

And if he doesn’t know there’s tons of videos on YouTube, or books at the library!

The only thing we don’t work on is our furnace because it’s propane

[Sara]

YouTube University to fix things yourself
Before you take that plunge and replace appliances, go to YouTube and search for your brand of appliance and what is wrong with it.

We were able to fix our washer twice and our dryer also, saving us over a $1,000.

We also were able to fix our ice maker in the fridge, the mini split in our utility room, and our kitchen stovetop element.

Our most recent fix was a complete rebuild of my riding lawn mower; it runs like a dream now.

The videos explain what parts need to be purchased and step by step instructions on fixing it yourself.

[Diane]

Watch a few youtube videos to see if something is in your ability to fix before calling a handyman.

And know what your abilities are so it doesn’t end up costing you more money when someone has to make major repairs after your attempted minor ones

[Jameelah]

If you use a home warranty look over what they offer and compare, don’t go for the cheap package.

It’s worth us having it vs not having after paying $1600 to fix an A/C.

We use our warranty 2-3 times a year for various repairs in our home.

[Judy]

DIY and keep up with regular maintenance, like changing filters, cleaning out dishwashers, making sure the lint filter, lint and exhaust lines are clear from your clothes dryer, etc.

[Karen]

Youtube has videos on almost everything. We’ve use it to repair our car.

We’ve been lucky with home repairs…….a friend laid laminate flooring in the kitchen & in a few weeks he’ll be back to do our bathroom floor.

Cost was minimal.

We’re having another friend help hubby install a walk in shower.

Ask around & see if anyone can help or do it.

[Tanya]

Stay on top of pre maintenance (there are check-lists you can get on-line and books you can check out from the library …

Mow, remove weeds and plants near your foundation so you don’t retain moisture.

Fix all leaks immediately, change air filters quarterly, perform regular maintenance on all appliances like vacuuming filters.

pull up the manufacture guides for your appliances on line to review for proper usage.

If you need a new part contact the company directly.

My sink company (delta) sent me a whole new replacement $600 for free and I wasn’t even the 1st owner of the home because it was a known issue and I fixed the sink myself.

Check with you local electric company to see if they do free energy audits (ours does and it also gives us free LED bulbs and energy efficient faucets and thermostats), when earth day rolls around check to see if there are any free or discounted upgrades or grants or items for the home available.

We were able to get rain barrels, compost bins and recycling bins for free.

[Gloria]

I used the Reminders app (iOS) to help me remember various maintenance tasks (filter changes/cleanings, etc).

[Author]

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