Outdoor chores that will pay you back

Once the winter freeze-and-thaw cycle kicks in, a tiny leak in your roof can turn into a crevasse—and a $10,000-plus repair job. Clogged gutters and dribbling spigots can also do a lot of damage. So take advantage of the cooler weather to do home and yard repairs and spruce-ups. The following tips can save you thousands of dollars in repair costs.

Get some leaf relief

Fallen leaves can kill grass when they’re matted down by snow. Leaf piles can also attract rodents. But using leaf bags means work and waste if they go into a landfill.

What to do: Don’t overlook your mower’s mulching mode. Ground-up leaves feed your lawn and save money. You might need to make a few passes to slice the leaves small enough to decay. (See Consumer Reports' lawn mower Ratings and recommendations.)

What you save: Along with saving the cost of leaf bags (Americans spend millions of dollars a year on them), you sidestep the stooping and bending of raking and bagging.

--> Next: Check the roof.