Regardless of how well you might do with regular household maintenance, there’s bound to come a time where something breaks or needs to be replaced that you weren’t expecting. And sadly, this usually means that you’re about to have to fork out some money that you hadn’t planned on. 

In situations like this, it can pay to know some strategic ways to make these financial woes hurt a little less. To show you how this can be done, here are three ways you can save money on household repairs. 

Plan It Out Beforehand

As soon as you’re aware of a repair that needs to take place, the first thing you should do is to start formulating a plan for the situation.

According to Elizabeth Renter, a contributor to NerdWallet.com, your plan should include things like which items to prioritize, what you already have that you can use versus what you’ll need to buy to make the repair, how much money you plan on having to spend, and how long you have to save up some money for these expenses. Hopefully, with all of these details in your plan, it should be easier for you to see all the moving pieces needed to make your repair as frugally as possible. 

Try To Do Things Yourself

One of the best ways to save yourself some money on household repairs is to take care of things yourself. 

Even for repairs that might seem so small that they shouldn’t be that expensive to have a handyman come in and make the fix, you may be surprised by how large the final bill is. According to Lee Nelson, a contributor to Bankrate.com, this is because many people don’t know how they’ll be billed. Usually, you’ll be billed for the visit as a whole, the labor needed to fix the problem, and the parts that need to be replaced. But if you had done the fix by yourself, you only would have paid for the parts. So if it’s something you can do on your own, even if you need to use the help of YouTube, it could be worth it to try to do it yourself. 

Be Strategic About When To Do Certain Repairs

With emergency repairs, there’s really not much that you can do with regards to planning other than having an emergency fund that you can tap into. But for repairs that you can see coming, Trulia.com recommends that you try to save money by making those repairs during the off-season. For example, if you need some work done with your air conditioner, try to call someone during the fall or winter when demand is down and prices may be lower. 

If you’re worried about the costs of some household repairs you need taken care of, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you find some ways to save.