Tucking away money here and there for a spontaneous vacation or perhaps a new car is always a good move. It is exciting to know that you have a little financial cushion to make a splurge when you need one. Unfortunately, homeowners often find themselves tapping into that rainy day fund as unexpected housing disasters regularly result in unplanned and expensive costs.

After a long winter, lots of people like to make plans for a spring vacation someplace warm. However, the springtime is often prime time for emergency roof repairs. Heavy snow and ice can cause serious damage to roofs and those damages need to be repaired as soon as they are discovered.

While heavy snow and ice sit on rooftops they create dams that clog the space underneath the shingles and cause leaks. Roof work is not cheap so people often find themselves spending the money that they saved for a flight down south on new shingles.

It is alarming how fast a leaky roof can drain a savings account.

The cookie continues to crumble when the furnace shuts down. And let’s be honest, it never breaks in the middle of July when it really wouldn’t make much of a difference. Furnace systems prefer to discombobulate during the coldest parts of winter giving homeowners no choice but to spend their savings on emergency repair service to keep themselves from freezing in their sleep.

While we are on the subject of burden-bearing temperatures, isn’t it the worse when you finally get yourself feeling good about your finances and all of a sudden your pipes freeze? Frozen pipes need to be addressed pronto to prevent the pipes from bursting and creating floods of water damage.

The good news is, money conscientious homeowners can AVOID wasting their savings on expensive home repairs by becoming good defensive homeowners. You have heard of defensive drivers, right? These are drivers who purposely drive the appropriate amount of feet behind the car in front of them and also look both ways when turning down a one-way street.

Defensive drivers practice safe driving in order to avoid paying an unexpected cost from an accident. Defensive homeowners can do the exact same thing, it just takes a little bit of research and handy-work.

The cost of repairing winter roof damage can be avoided by taking a few preventive steps, including gutter and drain maintenance. These funnels are designed to direct the flow of water (including melting ice and snow), if they become congested, the inevitable and expensive disaster ensues.

Homeowners can also conduct regular roof checks to replace any shingle or material that looks like the upcoming winter could be its last. The cost of replacing one small piece at a time is much cheaper than having to replace an entire portion at once. Roof damage in the winter can also be avoided by avid rooftop shoveling. As long as the snow and ice doesn’t sit on the roof for long periods of time, it should hold up throughout the year.

There is a simple way to decrease your chances of having to pay an emergency furnace repair professional during the dead of winter. By extending an invitation to a professional before the winter hits, he or she will be able to run a complete preventative maintenance check, add appropriate amounts of lubrication and adjust its bumper levels in order to set your furnace in shape for a long, furnace-repair-expense-free, winter.

Unfreezing your pipes before they burst into an explosion of expenses is also very doable on your own. Simply blowing a hair dryer on them can sometimes unfreeze pipes. If that doesn’t work, heating tape specifically designed for unthawing frozen pipes can be found at any local hardware store.

Good defensive homeowners would not take a chance to wait for the pipes to thaw out on their own. There is always the risk that the pipes could burst (frozen water expands to the point where it can easily break the pipe). Once that floodgate opens, the damage of flooding could result in thousands of dollars of repairs.

Protect your wallet by becoming a good defensive homeowner. Your savings should be spent on more important things like vacations, remodeling or retirement. Use these tips to avoid the high cost of emergency home repairs!