Save $2,500 on medical costs

To avoid bursting pipes that can flood homes, “dress” all exposed piping in the basement and on exterior walls for the weather.

“I learned the hard way,” says Karen E. Laine of the HGTV home-transformation show Good Bones, who once had a basement flood. Take this easy DIY precaution: Add pre-slit foam cuffs, available at hardware stores for around $3 for 6 feet, to pipes. Unlike newspapers or towels, which hold on to moisture, foam provides ideal dry insulation for steady temperature control.