Where Your Budget Might Slip Away during the Cold Months
Tuesday, October 16, 2018, 6:00 PM | Leave Comment
Winter is a time when you see many things falling: snow, temperatures, and, potentially, your bank account, if you’re not well-prepared.
The harsh conditions during the long winter months can drain your cash quickly as you seek to fix the problems that winter causes.
Fortunately, with a little advance preparation, you can be ready to face winter with your pocketbook intact.
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Heating Costs
There’s nothing more miserable than struggling through winter in a cold house. Unfortunately, cold air seems to sneak its way in to your home as easily as you walk in the front door.
Heating a leaky home can lead to major heating costs that quickly overwhelm your budget. There are solutions, however, to this chilly problem. By updating the weatherproofing on your home, you’ll be better able to keep the warm air in and the cold air out.
A great way to do this is to install replacement windows, along with increasing attic insulation, and installing draft stoppers at the bottoms of doors.
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Trips to the Mechanic
Of all the seasons, winter is the one that is the hardest on your vehicle. Firing up the engine on those chilly mornings can put a lot of wear and tear on your vehicle’s components.
In many cases, this can over-stress the components, leading to multiple trips to the mechanic to have the parts replaced. However, if you properly maintain your vehicle in advance, you are likely to encounter far fewer problems during the winter months.
Simple items like having your oil changed, checking coolant levels, and testing the battery will help ensure you’re able to get where you need to be.
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Medicine
The echoing chorus of coughs and sneezes is a familiar sound during the winter season. From colds, to the flu, to other, more serious illnesses, it seems there are always more than enough germs to go around. These illnesses can quickly result in large bills for various types of medicines to treat symptoms and bacterial infections.
To help lighten the medicine load a little this season, then, it’s important to prepare to be healthy by establishing healthy habits in advance. These include regularly and thoroughly washing your hands, eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and generally taking care of yourself, overall.
While these can be difficult habits to form, when you find yourself sailing through the winter without a sniffle, you’ll realize that it was worth it.
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Take It Slow
In each of these areas, you will typically find the best results if you’re willing to take things slowly. Carefully weatherproofing your home, over time, will ensure better results than doing it quickly at the last minute.
Giving a few minutes for your car to warm up before you head out will be more gentle on the engine. Giving yourself time to rest will help your body fight off illnesses. Whatever the case, just try and take things a little more slowly this winter, which, when combined with the proper preparation, will help this winter seem a little more bearable.
