Sometimes spending a little money today can save a lot of money tomorrow.  Common sayings support this notion: a stitch in time saves nine and don’t be penny smart and pound foolish.  A predictable characteristic of the poor is that decisions are made for today without any regard for tomorrow.  However, there a few fall chores that if completed today will save a lot of trouble and money tomorrow.  By completing these first two tasks you maintain and improve the value of items in which you have already invested a significant amount.  The third item is an opportunity to avoid a potentially dangerous credit trap – Christmas.

Save Money By Completing These Essential Jobs

Winterize the Car

Father Winter is knocking on the door.  You have held him back for long enough, but he is anxious once again to invade your life.  It is time, once again, to winterize your car.

• Be sure your wiper fluid has winter fluid that will not freeze over the winter.
• Check and be prepared to change your tires to more winter friendly tires.
• Put an emergency winter kit in your trunk.  Essential items include a blanket, flashlight, first aid kit, candles, and matches.  You might even want to include some instant toe warmers.
• If you have teenage kids you might consider getting a cheap prepaid phone for their winter outings.
• If you haven’t been to the mechanic for a while you should have a mechanic look over your vehicle so that it does not get stalled on a cold winter night.
• Have your battery checked.  Winters are hard on batteries so you want to be sure you have a good battery.

House Maintenance and Preparation

During the winter you want your house to be two things – warm and cozy.  The following suggestions make that possible.

• Check the position of your trees/tree branches.  If branches hang over your home, the cold weather and the weight of snow could cause them to break.  Fall is a perfect time to remove those branches.  Besides, the branch can create a shade over your house which will encourage mildew growth and even require more energy to heat your house.
• Check your gutters.  Clogged gutters can force water to leak around your house.  When the snow melts (and I promise it will eventually) you want it to go down the proper downspout.
• Remove air-conditioning window units and replace the opening with a well insulated widow.
• Weatherproof doors, windows, and vents.  If you have large gaps around your doors purchase a door strip.  A door sweep will cover gaps between the floor and the door.  For windows you may want to add some caulking.
• Has your heater recently been serviced?  If not, make the call.
• Cover window wells. Your local hardware store will sell plastic covers for your window well.  This will keep the snow from piling up by your window.  This is energy efficient and will also prevent snow from melting and leaking into the window.
• Check outside pipes – make sure that any pipes that are exposed to cold temperatures are insulated.
• Have your pool company prepare your pool for winter.
• Prepare for a winter storm – Flashlight, candles and matches, personal supplies, extra blankets, water (at least a three day supply), non-perishable food, pet supplies, and games to entertain the kids.

Put Christmas on Your Radar

You probably don’t want to think about Christmas yet.  Halloween is coming.  Thanksgiving is looming.  Perhaps you want to get through those holidays before you even entertain the idea of Christmas.  Still, you should start planning today for a Debt-free Christmas.  There are two key advantages to start your Christmas planning early.

Extra Time to Save For a Debt-Free Christmas

There is no away around this.  The more time you have, the more money you can save.  If you habitually enjoy Santa coming in December and the creditors in January, then this is the time to decide to change your Christmas tradition.  How much did you spend on Christmas last year? Take that number and divide it by 2.  That is how much you need to save in November and December to pull off a debt free Christmas.  If the amount is too much you will need to adjust your Christmas spending expectations or find a way to save more money.

Extra Time to Buy Christmas Presents

Here is the magical Christmas formula:

TIME + CREATIVITY = The best possible Christmas present for the lowest possible price

The more time you have to shop and the more time you have to be creative, the more likely you are to get more for less.

My wife and I bought our first Christmas present in July.  We had decided to get some items for my brother and were walking around an outlet mall that was having a 50% off ticketed price of their clearance items.  For $45 we were able to get over $200 worth of gifts.  This would not have been possible if we did not put the early Christmas shopping idea on our radar.  We were also in the right place at the right time.

Just because you decide to spend less for Christmas doesn’t mean anyone needs to get less.  Use the time and creativity head start to get some fantastic gifts at a phenomenal price.

Frugal people will spend money in the short term in order to save in the long term.  Cheap people, however, will not spend money today - even if that means costing more tomorrow.  For example, a frugal person will have her vehicle inspected when it starts making strange noises.  A cheap person will wait until the car completely shuts down (typically resulting in a higher mechanical bill).  Don’t be cheap.  Choose to be frugal by completing some of these necessary tasks.

Photo by dlco4.

Any other fall tasks you want to suggest?