Once you’ve purchased a home, it’s easy to think that the big money decisions are behind you. But running a home incurs expenses on a daily basis, and maintenance decisions can impact your finances more than you might realize.

Here are 6 of the most expensive mistakes you can make running your home, offered by RisMedia’s Housecall:

Using incandescent light bulbs: Over its lifespan, an incandescent bulb uses about $180 worth of electricity, while a CFL bulb only uses $41 and an LED bulb uses only $30, according to Housecall. The extra expense of using incandescent bulbs can add up in a big way.

Failing to repair a leaky faucet: “A leaky faucet that drips one drop per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons a year,” says Housecall. That’s enough water to fuel more than 180 showers.

Not using a customizable thermostat: A customizable thermostat allows you to lower the temperature when you’re at work and increase it at night when you’re home. This amounts to large savings over the course of a year.

Setting the temperature on the water heater too high: If you don’t have a tankless water heater, you are heating water round the clock. Lowering the water temperature in the summer and increasing it in the winter saves energy costs.

Ignoring leaky windows and doors: Leaks allow heated or cooled air to escape, cranking up your energy costs. Caulking leaky windows and putting rubber stripping around doors can easily prevent this.

Ignoring curled shingles: Curling shingles indicate roof problems, which will only get worse over time. Take care of this immediately to avoid bigger expenses later.

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