How to Keep Up with Home Maintenance on a Tight Budget
If you currently live on a tight budget, then you know there isn’t a lot of money to spare. However, the reality is that home maintenance issues do crop up from time to time that cost money. There are some ways to keep up with home maintenance on a tight budget. The trick is to be prepared when the unexpected happens.
Adjust the Household Budget
The first thing you should do immediately is take a close look at your household budget. Find an area that you can cut, and start building an emergency fund for any home maintenance issues that come up in the future. Save any extra dollars in this fund. Even if the fund won’t cover the entire cost of the project, it may cut down on how much more you have to find. This can be a huge stress reliever to know you don’t have to worry about getting a large amount of money when a problem occurs. Make sure to budget at least enough for standard maintenance like furnace cleaner and air conditioning repairs.
Shop Around for Contractors
Don’t forget to shop around for contractors. Some contractors simply charge for more for the same work other contractors do. Get written estimates from a few different contractors to see which one can do the work for a price you can afford. For example, you can go online and compare different contractors from Re Bath in Las Vegas to USA Bath in Sacramento. Don’t be afraid to negotiate. Maybe you can get a discount if you offer to help the contractor, or maybe you could get a discount if you refer other homeowners for jobs. You won’t know unless you ask.
Do It Yourself
It can be very expensive to hire a contractor for your home maintenance projects. It can be much cheaper to do it yourself. Talk to the professionals at your local hardware store to get advice, tips and tricks on the projects you need to do. Then, you can just pay for materials and save your money on labor costs. Even if you don’t own the tools for the job, you can rent them cheaply by the day instead of paying the contractor. If you get stuck, you can always learn how to finish your projects by going online or checking out books on the topic from your local library. Make sure you don’t tackle a project your cannot handle. You don’t want to be stuck with something that is half repaired or end up making it worse.
Take Out a Loan
If the project is simply too big for you handle on your own or for your budget to handle, you can always take out a small low interest loan. Instead of wiping out your whole savings account or selling your car to get the cash, take out a loan and pay back the money over time. You may be better prepared to handle a small loan payment each month than you are to pay a huge lump sum. This may be a good option if getting ready to sell your home because you will get a higher return on your investment. Make sure to calculate return on investment and ask yourself, “Is taking out a home repair loan worth it?”
Some home maintenance is mandatory and will extend the life of your home, while other home maintenance is optional, but will improve the look and feel of you home. With smart budgeting, you can keep up with your home maintenance on any salary. Adding basic maintenance costs into your budget is important because if you ignore problems, they may get worse and become much more expensive to fix.
Share this:
Category: Home Improvements
