But there are a few things that can go wrong in your home that, although they might not seem terribly serious, can lead to repairs that will dip too far into your wallet. To prevent this, here is a list of a few essential home repairs and upkeep points that will keep your house solid and as problem free as possible.

1. Electrical issues

Even innocuous things like dead outlets (could indicate a loose wire somewhere that could potentially spark) to too much TV static (could mean your house isn’t grounded properly, which can lead to much bigger issues than a fuzzy picture while watching Glee) can result in major problems that aren’t only costly to repair, but might be downright tragic–most fires in homes are sparked by faulty electrical components, either from the wiring of the house itself to malfunctioning appliances. If you notice anything that’s off, it’s worth shelling out a small fee to get an electrician’s consult.

2. Water, water, everywhere

Water stains are unsightly, but beyond that, they can mean leaks in your pipes that you can’t see. Aside from water leakage driving up your utility bills, it can cause major structural damage, mold growth, and even flooding. If you notice a leak or water stains (especially if they grow or newly appear), call a plumber and figure it out as soon as possible.

3. Mind your gutters

Yes, cleaning out the gutters is no one’s favorite chore. But neglecting to do so once or twice a year can result in more than just ugly leafy gunk build-up–some of that gross stuff, along with water, can actually work its way under the shingles of your roof, or under the siding of your house. When compared with the prospect of undergoing the time, effort and high cost of having to replace either of those things, suddenly a few hours up on a ladder doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

4. Seal your windows

A lot of these essential home repairs seem so simple because they are. It’s often the easiest maintenance that people overlook which leads to much more expensive, and avoidable, repairs. Sealing your windows is another great example. It takes hardly any time and not too much money and can give you year-round cut-backs on your energy bills.

5. A strong foundation

As it true with any part of your life, having a solid foundation is the key to making it all work. If you see any cracks or things that just seem off about your foundation, tend them as soon as possible. Calling in a professional inspector every few years to make sure there’s nothing significantly wrong with the foundation of your home is a good idea. Otherwise, fill the cracks as you see them to prevent water damage, pest problems and mold development.

Do you have any crazy experiences in the wild world of homeownership? What unexpected expenses have you come up against? What do you think are more essential repairs and upkeep points that everyone should attend to?

That said, those extra dollars can add up. While you can’t completely eliminate the extra utility hit that many people suffer around these stifling months, there are things you can do to make the damage as minimal as possible.

1. If you’re gone, the AC goes off

Maybe this is a no-brainer to a lot of you but I’m guessing I’m not alone in my desire to leave the air conditioning kicking while I’m out, just so I can have that glorious moment of arriving home from the sweltering summer outdoors to my arctic apartment. But don’t do it. It’s really one of the best ways to cut down your bills. You can handle 20 minutes of tepid temperatures when you get home while you wait for the cold air to bring you back to bliss.

2. Seal your doors and windows

Remember when your mom used to yell at you for standing with the door open and telling you not to “air condition the whole neighborhood”? Well, she was onto something. Making sure your abode is airtight is important. When you’re paying so much to keep cool, it’s only smart to keep every crispy bit of that expensive air all to yourself.

3. Close the curtains

As a big fan of natural sunlight, I’m never a fan of keeping my curtains closed. But that lovely light can raise a room’s temperature by as much as 10-15%…that’s serious! On the other hand, using natural light means not turning on as many lights in the house, which also saves energy. Still, if your primary objective is to keep cool on the cheap, close those curtains.

4. Clean your filters regularly

Having clean air filters is good all around; it means that you are breathing the cleanest air possible, which is vital to having good health, but it also means that your air conditioning unit isn’t having to work nearly as hard to pump air into your home. The easier it is for the AC to do its job, the less energy it’s expending–which means savings for you.

5. Make sure you have the right size

If you have an AC unit that’s too small, it’s going to be working overtime to try and keep the space as cool as you want it to. Alternately, if you have an unit that’s much bigger than you need for your home, then you’re simply using up more energy than you need to.

What do you think?

With energy prices so high, have you come up with any clever tricks for saving on your AC bills? Or keeping the heat at bay without turning the thermostat to “blizzard”?

Let’s talk about what you can expect so you can start planning now to save as much as possible — and know what your options are.

Insurance

If you’re pregnant, or planning to become pregnant in the near future, now is the time to look at your insurance policy…what kind of accomodations do they have for pregnancy and child birth? Depending on your plan, your insurance in this department could be comfortably comprehensive…or lacking entirely. Chances are, you might not have even paid attention to that when you signed on with your current policy. Check out your options — if the coverage you have doesn’t measure up to what you need, try to jump ship before you get pregnant, if possible. Switching insurance carriers while currently with child can sometimes be complicated.

Also, this might go without saying, but if you don’t have insurance and are pregnant, this is the time to do it. If you can’t afford coverage on your own, most pregnant women are eligible for Medicare or state-sponsored reduced price programs.

Birthing plans

It used to be that you got pregnant, went to one doctor the whole time, did what he said, went to the hospital, had the baby and bam! Done. These days, women are presented with so many options when it comes to how and where to deliver — and they all come with differing price points.

While most women still choose the traditional OB/GYN hospital delivery route, there are an increasing number of women who want a more natural experience and thus turn to midwives. The cost of hiring a midwife instead of a doctor can range from $3000 to $10,000 depending on if you choose to have a home birth or deliver at a birthing center. Fees typically include check ups, standard lab work, delivery, blood work and post-delivery visits. The can so do a range of other birth-related things that would typically be covered by insurance, such as sonograms and circumcisions. One important point to consider: almost no insurance policies currently cover home births with midwives. However, there are now a great number of midwives affiliated with hospitals who work out of birthing centers who do accept most insurance. As with all of this, just do your homework and find out the specifics for the plan you want to go with.

Hospital stays

Without insurance, a healthy complication free pregnancy and birth costs between $30,000-$40,000. This includes regular doctor visits, tests, delivery and hospital fees. Now you see why you want to have insurance! Even still, check the details of your policy–many insurance companies will charge you extra for things like certain medications, epidurals and C-sections.

Take care of yourself!

Throughout your pregnancy, one of the best things you can do to cut down on unexpected expenses, both pre-natal and in the birthing process, is to really take care of yourself. Your body and bank account are under enough stress as it is–make sure to take it easy, keep getting exercise and eat as healthy as possible. When you’re healthy, you keep your baby healthy–and keeping both of you healthy means spending as little as possible during what can already be quite an expensive undertaking.

What is your story?

When it comes to having babies, everyone’s experience is different. What was your plan with you had a child? How did you go about saving money…or what do you wish you had known that might have prevented you from spending unnecessarily?

One of those issues, of course, is money. When you merge lives, you also merge varying degrees of financial entanglement. While this could possibly be fraught with stress, it doesn’t have to be. While your love is still booming and your slates are still clean, take a post-nuptial break to talk about these money matters with your beloved.

Basic financial feelings and values

Knowing how you’re going to tackle the financial issues that arise in your life together will be made much easier by knowing where you each stand on basic issues. Things like, whether your kids go to private or public school, how soon you want to purchase a home, major savings goals, how to save for retirement, etc. It’s important at this point to be very honest with one another about where your money priorities lie so you are both on the same page.

Credit scores

Ouch. Most people don’t even like to think about their credit score, let alone talk about it with someone else. But this is crucial step for newly married couples. Finding out exactly what your individual credit situations are like will be immeasurably useful when trying to strategically figure out how to maximize what you’re working with. You’re no longer on your own–when it comes to future purchases, like taking out a joint loan for a mortgage, both of your credit scores will matter. It’s better to address any problems and take advantage of any positive credit early.

Lay it all out there

If you haven’t crossed this bridge already, it’s time. Hold on, kids–it’s time to talk numbers. Get real with your partner about exactly what your financial picture looks like, from income to debt to investments, etc. Bottom lines need to be laid out on the table. This isn’t always comfortable for some people, but think about it like this: not only will this financial honesty help build a foundation for a strong fiscal future for your budding family, but it will also force you to take just one more step in getting closer to your new spouse! Who knew that old student loan debt could be so romantic?

Make a budget

Clear and simple. Prioritize. Look at what you have to work with. Set goals and limits and make sure you both feel comfortable with the plan–and then work as a team to make sure you stay within that budget, especially in the first few years when you’re working on major purchases like homes, building a nest egg, and starting a retirement account.

What belongs to whom?

I know that no one likes to even think about divorce when they’ve practically still got rice in their hair, but figuring out what property belongs to what party is important. It can stave off potential future fights even if you don’t get divorced. And making a clear, careful list of “what’s mine and what’s yours” is important and practical–you guys are too smart to ignore a 50% national divorce rate, right? That said, I’m sure you’ll never need this list. But just in case.

What do you think?

What money issues did you tackle when you got married? Engaged? What financial concerns do you have leading up to the big day?

Here’s a quick and easy run-down of what to serve at your summer cook-out to make sure everyone has a good time – and you don’t break the bank in the process.

What to grill

Burgers and chicken. Can’t go wrong. And they’re both usually really cheap. A good idea is to buy a few more pieces than you have guests (someone is going to want seconds or drop theirs in the pool!) Try this chicken recipe:

Rinse in cold water, pat dry with paper towels, and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Rub with a little olive oil. Heat your grill to medium high and put the chicken on, skin side down. Cook for a half hour, turning a few times, until the skin is golden and the meat is cooked. Check that your meat is cooked by cutting into a thick piece and making sure that the juices run clear. Wait about 20 minutes before brushing on barbecue sauce. For a vegetarian option, grill veggies like portabella mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and zucchini. Coat with a little olive oil and spices, and then toss onto the grill.

Cost: About $15

Drink and be merry

When it comes to what to drink at a barbecue, keep it simply and summery, or in a word: lemonade. You don’t get any more seasonal than that! You can make your own lemony concoction pretty easily: Make simple syrup by heating two cups of water and two cups of sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely. While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract two cups of lemon juice. Add the juice and sugar water to a pitcher. Add eight cups of cold water to taste. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving over ice.

Or you can cheat and just buy the cartons.

Cost: About $7

A little side action: Macaroni Salad

Cook, rinse, and drain four cups of macaroni pasta. Mince and soak ½ cup red onion in cold water for five minutes before use. In a large bowl, combine pasta, 2/3 cup celery, onion, and one cup diced tomato. In a small bowl, whisk one cup mayonnaise, 1 ½ teaspoons mustard, three teaspoons sugar, three tablespoons vinegar, six tablespoons sour cream, and one teaspoon salt. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cost: About $12

More to munch!

The more you can put out for people to eat, the better. Fortunately, a lot of tasty side items come cheap and will be a big hit. At barbecues, guests like to see old comfort foods – they aren’t looking for the newest, hottest thing. Old comfort? Corn muffins? Tomato salad? Sounds about right to me!

Slice remaining tomatoes and sprinkle with minced parsley, salt, and pepper to serve.

Cost: About $3

Prepare corn muffin mix according to box directions. Serve drizzled with honey.

Cost: About $5

Dessert…obviously.

Why serve anything other than watermelon as the food finale at your cook-out? One big melon should be enough to serve everyone, but even if you need two, at least they’re inexpensive. Ripeness can be determined by looking for a hollow sound when you knock on it, and light rather stark stripes. The bottom should be yellow, not green, which would indicate that it’s probably not ripe.

Cost: About $6

(If you want to go for the old college insta-drunk stand-by, have a regular watermelon and then a “grown up” melon – just pour a bottle of vodka into the watermelon for a refeshing, intoxicating treat. Just make sure to keep the kids away!)

How do you like to cook-out?

What are some of your summer grilling traditions and recipes? How do you entertain guests on a budget?

What we should do, however, is take this is an opportunity to take the things we love to do and figure out creative ways to do them for less. One of my favorite pastimes that I have no intention of letting go of is throwing dinner parties for friends. I’ve been doing it for years and I plan to keep doing it. Who doesn’t love getting all of their favorite people together? Of course, feeding a room full of hungry friends, plus drinks, plus all the cute little extras you’ll undoubtedly want to spend money on…well, the whole process can get pricey. But it doesn’t have to. Here are tips for keeping a dinner party for 10 people under $80:

Know what you will need

Avoiding last minute trips to the store can end up saving you a lot. Even little things like freezing a bunch of ice a few days before the party can cut corners. There is a great party expense calculator at RealSimple that will help you figure out how much of everything you need – which is the first step to spending less on all of it.

Creative and cheap decorations

As a hostess, my favorite part of the dinner party experience is creating a beautiful table for my guests. Luckily, a lush and inviting dinner table can be easily achieved without spending a lot of money. Handmade place cards, with flowers or leaves attached them, cost nothing and look fantastic. Cheap glass bowls (if you don’t already have some lying around) can be picked up at the dollar store and filled with fresh fruit (which you can eat later) or flowers from your yard. Throw in a few candles and you’ve got a warm, personalized, glowing dinner table that your guests will never know cost you less than $10 to put together.

Wine

Keep this is mind: when hosting a party, you aren’t required to have a full bar and a range of drink selections for your guests. Keep some sparkling water for the non-drinkers, and then a good supply of red and white wine. Whatever else you want to add (beer or liquor) is up to you and your friends, but if you want to go cheap, provide the basics. Your guests should know well enough to not show up without a tasty beverage to add to the mix anyway! Oh, and the best go-to for cheap wine: Two Buck Chuck, naturally.

Main Course

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and peas. Boil until pasta is al dente. Using a ladle, reserve two cups of the pasta water when straining. Dice pancetta. Using two large sauté pans, add pancetta and cook over medium heat until fat renders. Divide pasta between each sauté pan and add one cup of cooked pasta to each. Toss to evenly distribute the pancetta. Turn off heat and add four whole eggs to each pan. Quickly stir to break egg yolks throughout the pasta. Stirring keeps the eggs from scrambling. Add grated parmesan, a knob of butter, salt and pepper to taste. Cost: about $30. Not bad! And trust me: it’s delicious.

What are some of your tips?

If you enjoy hosting parties, I’m sure you’ve acquired a few ways of your own to cut cost corners. Share them with us!

There’s no denying that scary things exist. The Great Depression happened. So have wars, and large-scale credit issue, unforeseen recessions, identity thefts – yes, they happen. But as is the case with any other fear, the key to carrying on a happy existence is to not let the frightening what-ifs prohibit you. You do have to take risks – whether that means jumping into a dark lake where there definitely could be a monster hiding, or investing in the stock market where there definitely could be a crash waiting around the corner. So let’s confront our fears – and learn how to deal with them.

Fear: Stock market crash

Oh this is a big one – so many people site this threat as a reason to not invest at all. Here’s the truth: what you really ought to be concerned about isn’t so much the bottom falling out of the entire market (how often does that really happen? Come on), as it should be the threat of not getting enough of a return on your investments. Both fear and a sense of invincibility tend to mess people up in the stock market: the whole buy-low, sell-high approach doesn’t get used as much as it should. When prices are high, you feel confident and don’t want to sell, in case things keep going up. When your stocks are in the dumps, you panic and figure that any return is better than nothing, rather than waiting it out for the potential upswing. Don’t forget: you’re investing to make money, not be scared of it.

Here’s what to do: set up your money in a variety of markets, countries and investment vehicles, keep a level head about when to buy and sell, and you’ll do as well as you can when playing with stocks.

Fear: Identity Theft

Even though this seems like something about of a suspense movie, identity theft, and even more, the idea that it could happen, is becoming more prevalent. And being afraid that this could happen to you is natural; it can do major damage to your finances and credit score, and be a real pain to pin down, figure out and fix. That said, banks and credit companies are getting wiser to the games of identity thieves – even if this does happen to you, it’s getting more and more possible all the time to figure it out early, track exactly where the fraudulent actions occurred, and get you out of the mess with minimal personal damage.

What are you afraid of?

Do you have any financial fears that affect the way you spend or save your money? How have you overcome them / planned to protect yourself?

But don’t be disheartened; if you are trying to refinance your home or purchase a new one, it’s still possible to get approved for a new mortgage. Sometimes the best way to get what you want if to know how not to get it. So instead of looking at the positive attributes that lending banks want to see, let’s go over some of the top deal breakers in the mortgage market.

You’re buying the wrong type of property

I know – it doesn’t seem fair for banks to discriminate based on what you’re buying. But they do. In particular, they are still a little shy of backing second home purchases and investment properties. If you’re buying a condo that’s still in its early selling phase, you’re likely to get a good deal – but good luck finding a lender, as banks tend to stay away from new developments that are less than 70% sold. None of this means it’s impossible to get a loan for these types of properties, but you should expect more stringent terms, like bigger down payments and more cash reserve requirements.

You can’t prove your income

Here’s something a lot of people don’t expect when they apply for a loan: you can have a perfect FICO score and a significant pile of greenbacks in the bank, but if you can’t prove your income history and back it up with tax documentation, you have a very slim chance of making your loan happen. Lenders like to see a verifiable history of at least 2 years in the same industry, with as little job hopping and downtime between employment as possible. Banks want to not only see that you have a good credit score and some cash reserves, but that all the information about you says that you can still be reliable if something were to go wrong. A solid, proven income/employment history can frequently be your greatest asset in a mortgage application.

You got screwed by a bad appraisal

Back in the real estate free-for-all days between 2004 and 2007, home values were pretty high. Some of this was attributed by critics to overly-generous – and possibly inaccurate – appraisals. In May 2009, a Home Valuation Code of Conduct went into effect. This states that, among other things, appraisers have to be chosen at random. This has caused a great deal of stress for homeowners and real estate professionals, since you can’t always be sure of the quality of appraisal you will get. Your best bet: try to make sure that the appraiser does a truly thorough, physical, on-site inspection of the property and (this is important, folks) is well-versed in the history of the property as well as local comps and real estate issues. You can still get the most out of your appraisal (and hopefully, help your chances at loan approval) if you take a proactive role in assuring that happens.

If you have interest in building up the “rich” part of the Western stereotype and kicking the “fat” part, consider these points:

Food

The first and most obvious thing to consider? Food costs. Simply put, if you are eating less, you are spending less on food. But it’s not even as one dimensional as that; the bulk of the unhealthy, calorie-, fat-, and sodium-laden foods we consume are typically outside the home. And, for what you end up getting, you’re paying considerably more for what you put in your mouth when you eat out. All those fast food pit stops and trips out to dinner really add up, both in pounds and dollars.

Instead, eat at home. It doesn’t have to be as arduous and time consuming as you think. Keep your house filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, plus dried nuts and other whole, healthy snacks (which by the way, are almost always cheaper than processed, pre-packaged, way-less-good-for-you foods) that you can grab on the run. You might even consider having your morning coffee (sweetened with better-for-you agave nectar instead of sugar, and soy or coconut milk instead of cream) at home, instead of spending $5 (and several hundred calories) on a giant, sugary latte at Starbucks.

Life insurance

Obese individuals tend to live about 7 years less than people of a healthy weight. Which is, ya know, a serious bummer all on its own. It becomes even more of a bummer when you realize that life insurance companies know this, and use it when factoring how much to charge you for life insurance. Yes, they can do that. And they will. If you want to save money while investing in your family’s future, slimming down could make it cheaper – not to mention reducing the risk that you’ll actually need life insurance anytime soon.

Look better, make more money

I hate to bring this up, but it’s pretty widely accepted as truth: good looking people make more money, and are generally more likely to enjoy professional success. This doesn’t mean that you have to be more with supermodel genes just to enjoy a bountiful life in your career, but it does mean that making the most out of what you’re working with physically is one way to make sure you’re maximizing your professional possibilities – and maybe increasing your net worth. One Ohio State study found that a typical woman earned $314 less annually for every one-point increase in BMI, while a male counterpart earned $161 less. You can complain about how unfair that is (I mean, yes, it is a little unfair) but that doesn’t change the facts. Instead, channel that anger into some intense rounds on the treadmill.

Healthcare and illness

Obese people spend more on health care than any other demographic. Plain and simple. If you are considerate of what you eat, and regularly get enough exercise, you are beefing up your immune system and are thus far less likely to get sick or injured. Taking care of yourself not only means looking better, feeling better and possibly even earning more in your job, but it also means less time and money spent at the doctor, in the hospital, or paying for chronic problems and prescriptions.

What do you think?

The studies have been conducted and the facts are in: obese people are spending more and making less than people of a healthy weight. Do you think this is fair? Is it discrimination, or simply a brutal look at the facts? Do you think that overweight people should be treated the same professionally and fiscally, or is any push to get healthy a good thing?

Insurance, in its many forms, is a way to protect yourself in the event that things do go wrong, which at some point, they typically will. In spirit, the idea of insurance seems simple enough: pay a little money now to have someone take care of things if/when something goes wrong. Unfortunately, it’s not at all that simple in its real world application. Instead, it’s a huge industry, with thousands (or more) of jobs and billions of dollars involved – and an ever-changing tide of rules, regulations, and trends. Because of this, there is a great deal of misinformation and wrong assumptions about the various forms of insurance and their applications in your life. Let’s see if we can set the record straight:

Myth 1: Rental car insurance

It’s very tempting to tell rental car employees to take a hike when they’re trying to push insurance coverage on you. They usually push a little hard, and that’s off-putting. But an annoying person behind the counter doesn’t necessarily mean you should blow off their proposal. Even if you think your regular car insurance, or your credit card insurance, will cover any costs in the event of an accident, there could be limits to this. For starters, not all insurance policies cover rentals, so obviously, you’ll want to check that out first. And even when they do, there is a heap of other fees that the rental company will inevitably try to tack on to the bill should something happen to the car while it’s in your possession. For example, they will often charge a “loss of use” fee to cover the money they couldn’t make while the car was being repaired, in addition to all kinds of administrative fees, etc. And many insurance companies don’t want to cover those costs, which can quickly add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

So before you scoff at the rental company’s offer of added coverage, do your research; find out exactly to what extent you are already covered and then weigh your options. This is one of those times when it might be mildly annoying to pay a little more for something you know you probably won’t need…but it could be an altogether much bigger headache if you something does happen and you’re not covered properly.

Myth 2: You don’t need life insurance

It might come as a surprise how many people don’t think they need life insurance. Either they say, “well, I don’t have any family so it doesn’t matter,” or, “My spouse will re-marry so it doesn’t matter!” The truth is this: when you kick the bucket, someone is going to have to clean up the mess. And regarding the whole re-marrying thing, let’s think about it: do you really want your recently widowed spouse to have to worry about mourning, taking care of family, and courting a new partner just so he/she will be taken care of? It sounds crazy, but people really do site that as an excuse to not have life insurance!

Really, life insurance doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. As far as insurance policies (or any long-term financial obligation) goes, it’s usually one of the simplest to understand and navigate. And if you do a little shopping around, planning for your family’s future after your gone doesn’t have to put a huge dent in your wallet while you’re still here.

Myth 3: The government covers natural disasters

Not to be negative, but let’s just go ahead and say that firmly counting on the government as a back-up plan in any situation is probably not the smartest move. Government entities are slow-moving, and notoriously fraught with red tape and a penchant for penny-pinching. If you are hit by a natural disaster, like floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, looking to Washington might not get you very far.

In fact, most non-insurance disaster relief comes in the form of small grants and loans (usually under $5,000) from the Small Business Administration. That’s right – loans. As in, you have to pay them back. And to even qualify for these, your house has to have sustained a certain level of damage, and be located in a designated disaster area, which it might not officially be if the disaster in question wasn’t widespread.

Your homeowners insurance may or may not already cover certain natural disasters – check into it. While adding additional coverage, or even a separate policy may not sound like the most appealing thing to your pocket book, you have to be smart about it. And that means being realistic about where you live; at the very least, make sure you’re covered for the natural disasters that frequently occur in your area.

What do you do?

What forms of insurance do you have? Which ones have you decided aren’t necessary for you and why? Feel free to share any tips and tricks for navigating these tricky waters!