My husband and I learned an expensive lesson last week. We woke up one morning to something that smelled like car exhaust pumping through our house. Once we investigated the odor, we realized it was coming from the oil boiler, which my husband immediately turned off.

Turns out we’d forgotten to schedule our annual boiler cleaner in 2008 and now we were paying the price. Not only did we not have any heat on one of the coldest days of the year (we have baseboard heaters, with water the oil boiler heats), but we had to pay an emergency fee to get a technician out to our house to fix the problem so we wouldn’t freeze that night. Actually, we ended up paying twice.

First we called our home warranty plan (for which we pay $600 a year) with American Home Shield because HVAC systems are covered on our plan, and paid our standard $55 for the service call. But the guy they sent couldn’t fix our problem. So then I had to call our oil company who sent someone right out who cleaned the oil boiler, replaced the nozzle and only charged us $116.

All is well with our oil boiler now, but it reminded me that there are certain things in life where paying for regular checkups can really save you money in the long run. These things include health-related screenings as well as regular maintenance on items you use daily.

Here’s a partial list of what you should be checking up on regularly:

(Remember: I’m not a doctor and I don’t play one on TV so this is just my generic advice to get your own mind turning on what you need to do. You are responsible for your own health and well-being, and the care and feeding of your personal belongings. You should discuss any questions with professionals you trust and not just rely on advice from a blog as being your be-all-end-all source of information.)

AUTOMOBILE

* Change your car’s oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles or about every three months. (Macarena Sansone, owner of Sansone’s Service in Henderson, Nevada, says that people who live and drive in extreme weather climates should lean towards oil changes on the 3,000-mile side.)

* Have the mechanic give your car a once-over every time it’s in for an oil change. For example, when I brought my Ford Freestyle in for its last oil change, the mechanic alerted me to the fact that my car was approaching 60,000 miles and so were my tires. Translation? Prepare to buy new tires sometime in the next three months.

COMPUTER

* Back up data nightly if possible

* Run virus software and check for software updates regularly (I have my computer set to do this weekly)

HEALTH

* Visit your dentist twice a year (more if you have dental problems). I still remember a sign in the dentist’s office I visited when I was a kid: “Ignore your teeth and they’ll go away.”

* Get a complete physical/well check for your child once a year

* Keep your tetanus shot up to date to keep your healthy; you need a tetanus shot every 10 years.

HOUSEHOLD

* Have your heating and cooling system cleaned and evaluated each year.

* The Frugal Yankee recommends vacuuming your heating/cooling registers regularly.

* The Frugal Yankee also says you should vacuum the coils on your refrigerator every six months. (Oops, I’m a bit overdue for this one.)

Do you have other regular maintenance that you perform on yourself or your stuff that you believe saves you money in the long run? If so, what do you do and how has it benefited you financially?