Christian debt relief programs are built upon the concept of creating a plan and sticking to that plan no matter what. When you have a financial plan and stick to it like glue, there are few money obstacles that you can’t successfully tackle. Most people find themselves in a debt disaster seeking Christian debt help because they did not have a plan in the beginning. Each area of our lives will require its own individual financial plan. Near the very top of our list of financial priorities should definitely be our homes.

Why Plan?

Our homes are our most important investment. Shelter is one of our top legitimate needs which income must be allocated for. But even with this most necessary of human needs, there are different ways this need can be met. Once you have invested in purchasing a home you want that home to continue to meet your needs for as long as possible. This can only happen if you have a plan concerning home maintenance.

The Cost Of  Housing

Expect the Worst

One of the great fallacies of money management is to wait until something goes wrong to decide how to pay for it. Go ahead and accept the fact that things will go wrong with your home. At any given time there are a number of things that can go wrong. Appliances, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, pest infestations and general wear and tear all add up to big money over the years. Many of these issues can be handled with money from a carefully maintained emergency fund. When you think of how essential to our daily life and comfort something like hot water is, you can understand how important it is to be able to go purchase a new hot water heater the day you need it. An emergency fund makes this possible.

Common Sense Saves You Money

Some of the home maintenance issues that you will face are simply the result of time and cannot be helped. However there are also a myriad of home maintenance problems that would not be problems if a little forethought was used. There are some steps you can take to save yourself a lot of trouble and money in the future.

  • Do not ignore leaks. Water damages things. If you have a leak it will cause damage in a short amount of time. Address leaks immediately. It is far less expensive to repair a leaking pipe than it is to replace an entire floor.

  • Have regular HVAC tune ups. Many people do not want to spend money on this when their HVAC is working well. However, once the system goes bad the repairs will be far more costly than the annual tune up. An annual visit gives the technician the chance to address any small issues that could turn into big expensive repairs later on.

  • Do not ignore pests. Mice and termites can cause literally thousands of dollars of damage to homes when infestations are left untreated. If you see one mouse remember he is not alone. Same for termites. Other pests such as roaches or ants can also multiply quickly. Seeking professional pest control early on will always save you money in the long run.

  • Pay attention to the septic tank. The septic tank is an invisible aspect of your home which most people never think about until there is a problem. Use monthly treatments to keep your tank flowing properly and do not avoid regular septic tank pumping. Having the tank regularly pumped is thousands of dollars cheaper than having field lines replaced or worse, having the entire system replaced.
  • About Josh

    Josh Richner is the founder of FaithWorks Financial and regular contributor to the FaithWorks Blog. Josh is a Christian, a husband and a father with an unremitting passion for personal and professional growth.

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