One of the realities of being a homeowner is the fact that at one point or another, you will have to deal with repairs, upgrades, or replacements; they are almost inevitable. While you can't evade those expenses, you can do something with keeping that negative cash flow at a minimum.
Here are 5 ways to save money on repairs according to Trulia:
Off-season repairs
Most of the time, repair prices vary on the time of the year. Expect to pay for more than you are willing to for a furnace maintenance or gutter cleaning in fall when there is high demand. By dealing with those repairs in advance, you won't only get discounts for availing the service in a slow season, you'd also feel good about dealing with them in advance.
YouTube
When facing a repair issue, first consider to do research and look for a DIY video tutorial that might help you with the situation without having to spend hundreds of dollars. You will be surprised with the plethora of things that you can find online, especially YouTube, and very helpful and useful at that. Your chance of finding a helpful video is actually higher than finding a repairs man to do the repair for you for a bargain.
Salvaged material
While brand new is good, there are salvaged materials that are in pristine condition that you can get at a fraction of the cost of a new one for your repairs. You wouldn't just be saving money; you also decrease your carbon footprint and are being good to the environment.
Rent/borrow tools
Tools can be serious out-of-pocket expense, and if you are only going to use it once, you can definitely opt to just rent or borrow one for your upcoming project. Home improvement stores have well maintained and ready-to-go tools that you can rent; or you can just ask your next door neighbor for their circular saw and just return the favor by lending them your chainsaw when they'd need one.
Preventive maintenance
Significantly decrease the cost of repairs and replacement by doing regular and proper maintenance to your home's major systems. Notice that appliances come with a "Direction for use"? You would save yourself money, time and effort by sticking to the instructions; and it could be as simple as "Unplug the machine when not in use."
