When it comes to spending money on home improvement products, in many cases saving you money today can actually cost you money in the long run. The trick is to be able to justify the cost now and see how it will save you money over the long haul, rather than saving a couple of dollars today. Here are three home improvement items worth spending money on.
Your Major Appliances
If you are shopping for large appliances, you will be surprised at the number of benefits purchasing a more expensive Energy Star model can have on your finances. The refrigerator and hot water heater in your home are constantly running, eating away at your energy bills each and every month. The older refrigerators for example run four times more than the newer Energy Star models, wasting both our limited energy resources and costing you more in utility bills over the years. Your energy bills are primarily the result of your dishwasher, refrigerator, hot water heater, stove, washing machine and dryer. You could easily save between $175 – $1,800 on your energy bills over the lifetime of those appliances. If your home appliances are ten years or older, the savings is even more significant.
The Light Bulb
Purchasing your light bulbs at the dollar store may seem like a great way to save a few dollars each month. Considering how many bulbs you have in your home, this can add up to quite a bit of money. Did you know that purchasing a CFL light bulb only uses a fifth of the energy and will last many times up to ten times that of the bulbs you buy in the dollar store. You will be saving approximately $30 over the course of the lifetime of a CFL light bulb. Now multiple that by all the light bulbs in your home and you can see how making that initial purchase now for a more expensive bulb will save you hundreds, possibly thousands over the lifetime of all the bulbs in your house.
Interior Painting
The price for a gallon of paint can range from $5 a gallon up to and over $30 a gallon. If you decide to save some money and grab that cheap paint at the local discount store, be prepared to be painting for a much longer time than had you grabbed a better quality brand. The cheap paints not only go on thin, and then fade and crack sooner, they require you to use even more paint to get a complete coverage. The more expensive paints go on smooth and cover more area in less time, giving you an overall smooth, clean and blended look. You could wind up repainting the rooms much sooner, again spending more money for paint, supplies and accessories. If you spend the money for a better quality paint now, you could save hundreds of dollars down the road in touch ups and repainting.
As you can see, there are many home improvements that do in fact cost money but they sometimes are worth it. We looked at major appliances, light bulbs, and interior painting. Another commons home improvement that is worth it is James Hardie Siding. This stuff is not only strong but it’s durable! I’m a firm believer is putting the best materials into your home at the beginning so your home can last multiple lifetimes.
I wholeheartedly agree with you on the light bulbs.